The brickworks balustrade

The balustrade at the front of the old brickworks has featured before on this blog but here we have a particularly fine photo of it.

Sylvia at the brickworks – clearly showing the balustrade.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a date but the back of the photo tells us that the little girl was called Sylvia.

The balustrade is the main focus here. This had been designed by Mr Box, when he owned the brickworks, for use at Market Lavington Manor, built in the 1860s. There is a possibility that a dispute arose between Box and Pleydell Bouverie – who was having the Manor built and it is possible that Mr Box was not properly paid for the Manor’s balustrade.

Anyway, he decided to use the same pattern and make a similar balustrade for his own house, by the brickworks on Broadway.

Pleydell Bouverie was incensed by this. He claimed that a promise had been made that this pattern would only be used at his grand Manor House. Box was ‘invited’ to remove the balustrade from around the brickworks. Box refused.

The result was a court case which found in favour of Mr Box who thus kept the balustrade.

Sad to say, it is no longer there. But photos keep its memory alive.

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The trouble causing balustrade

Some of us rather like the idea of those who deem themselves in high and mighty positions losing out to the more ordinary folks. And this photo reminds us of one such event.

Brick master’s house with Victorian balustrade around the front garden. The photo dates from about 1930

This shows the brickmaster’s house in the 1930s. It’s a shame the photographer missed the distinctive chimneys but perhaps our intrepid camera user was keen on the front garden wall or balustrade. It is of a distinctive design and was made, not surprisingly by Edward Box and Co at the Lavington Brick, Tile and Pottery works back in Mid-Victorian times.

The trouble – or should we say dispute – ended up in the law courts. That wall certainly cost someone a lot of money.

The design occurs in one other place in Market Lavington. That’s at the Manor House which was built in the 1860s by Edward Pleydell Bouverie. The same pattern balustrade  stops folks from falling off a terrace just outside the house.

According to Edward Playdell Bouverie the Box family told him that this pattern balustrade would not appear anywhere else.  He was incensed when he found the same design around the Box’s own home. He ordered them to remove it. They refused so Mr Bouverie sought a court order demanding its removal. One wonders if he thought his position of Lord of the Manor, member of parliament etc was a guarantee of success at court. It proved not to be the case.. The Box family won and kept their garden wall.

The house, by the way, is now known as Mowbray House and looks like this.

Same house – 21st century

So perhaps Edward Pleydell Bouverie has the last laugh for the old balustrade has gone and a wooden fence with shrubs has replaced it.