Originally named Whitwells Farm and covering 28 acres, the
earliest part of the property dates back to 1575 and was one of four farms in
the area, the others being Cross Farm, Moor Farm and Middle Farm (since
demolished).
Some of the earliest recorded owners and/or tenants are
William Bartholomew (1739), who left the property to his grandson William
Cobbett, who was aged only about 10 in 1746. By 1764 he too had died and left
the property to his brother John Cobbett, and trustees William and John
Goodchild. They in turn left part of the estate to James Elmes in 1785, who may
be the son or grandson of Massey Elmes who was Wm. Bartholomew's sister. The
whole of the property passed to Elmes in 1793 and he continued to live at
Whitwells Farm until 1818.
From 1818 to1831 Michael Ham the elder
occupied the property, which eventually passed to his son, also Michael, who
stayed until 1870. Apart from William Heath in 1871 there are no further records
until 1893, when John Cracknell was the resident of Whitwells Farm which was
owned by Joseph Stone until 1902. There followed a high succession of residents,
including Henry Fuller and William Agar, which probably means they were tenants.
1937 Audrey Lee Warner paid £2,300 for the reduced area of 6 acres that
included what is today both sides of Kingsmead, Garrick Way, Gloucester Close,
Hadleigh Gardens and part of Gresham Way. Over the years various owners of the
property and once arable farmland have sold off plots of land leaving the three
quarters of an acre that you see today.
In 1998 during building works
for the current owners, 82 pieces of pottery were unearthed, These came from a
limited number of vessels that may have been intact prior to their disturbance.
The bulk of the pots are Alice Holt / Farnham industry products but the presence
of other vessels suggests some may be from a disturbed burial. Experts have
dated the pieces from the Hadrianic (117-138AD) or early Antonine (138-161 AD)
periods.
We have also uncovered a large rubbish dump during building
works in the garden which gave up an assortment of interesting bottles and jars,
and various pieces of broken domestic pottery, some of which have been dated
back to the 1880s. The house too has yielded various treasures during renovation
including coins, toys, and tools. The huge walnut tree which stands just beyond
the corner of the swimming pool is probably 100 -120 years old, as is the very
bent apple tree at the end of the pool which survives thanks to expert pruning.
In the past few years we have changed the appearance of the garden to
the front of Whitwells Farm by removing a row of conifers and erecting a new
wall, all in accordance with the property's Grade II Listed Building status. A
Laurel hedge is flourishing and beginning to provide an attractive screen for
the property.
Index of Sites / Index 2005 / Map 2005 / List of Gardens 2005