Stockwell Hall
By Jim Devlin
Stockwell Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Little Burstead, Essex
Formerly owned by the Earl of Mexborough. A Cl6-C17 timber-framed and plastered house, re-fronted in the C18, with a plain parapet. 2 storeys and attics. 6 window range (arranged 2:1:3), double-hung sashes with glazing bars, with moulded cornices and sills on stub brackets, and louvred shutters. An open porch projects on the front. On the east gable there is a small C18 bellcote and below, in the gable, a large clock face with the figures originally made of blackened bones, but now largely replaced by wood. Roof tiled, with 2 small gabled dormers and a large central 3-light gabled dormer, half hipped. At the west end there is an external chimney stack rebuilt at the top, with diagonal shafts. The interior has fine C16-C17 and C18 features including C16-C17 panelling, doors and richly carved fireplaces. There is the remains of a moat. (RCHM 2).
Stockwell Hall was the residence of the Hon. John Henry Savile, and has attached grounds of 20 acres. Kelly’s Directory of Essex (1902)
The Billericay Society was formed on Saturday, 27th July, 1935. At that time, the Council for the Protection of Rural Essex wanted to set up a local area committee, so a meeting was held in Lockers Hall, and the first President was Mrs Ward, owner of the Hall.
Following the death of Mrs Ward, the Earl of Mexborough (who lived in Stockwell Hall, Little Burstead) took over as President in 1943.
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The widower, Joseph French of Stockwell Hall, Little Burstead, married Mary Ismay, the daughter of John Ismay of Mile End, at St Dunstan Stepney, on 9 September 1823. They had a son John Ismay French who was born at Little Burstead. John died at Brighton in 1893. His body was transported to London in a hearse drawn by 4 horses, and then by train on the Great Eastern Railway to Billericay. John’s body was then carried by the same hearse and horses to his Great Burstead residence at New Lodge, before being transferred to the churchyard at Little Burstead where his body was interred. The funeral was carried out by Pope and son of Brighton and George Gentry of Billericay (Essex Newsman Saturday 21 January 1893). A twelve feet high granite memorial, surmounted by the figure of an angel, was later erected at the Little Burstead churchyard in his memory. Joseph French died at 10 New Palace-yard Westminster in 1845 at the age of 86. His St Margaret’s Farm at Little Burstead was auctioned in 1827 on his retirement from farming activities.
John Thompson Bull b1744, was described as of Stockwell Hall, Little Burstead from about the mid 1770’s to at least the end of that century. He was a magistrate and was probably a banker. He died in Harwich in 1829.
My parents purchased the house at auction in the 1960s for 5,000 pounds after it had been a children’s home and then unoccupied for some period so it was in serious disrepair. They spent 10+ years restoring it and then sold it before we relocated to America. I have many fond memories but parts of the house were rather spooky, especially the clock tower. My mother discovered that the roman numerals on the clock were all children’s forearm bones and I could never get over that. (She replaced them with wood but kept one bone as evidence.)
I went here when I was 8 years old when it was a children’s home. I finally left when I was 13 and it closed soon after. It was a hell hole for us children; we were not allowed to wear footwear to prevent us running away. There were prefects and a husband and wife called the Parkinson’s, who lived in another part of the house to us. We had to get up at 5 to start work and there were boys and girls that lived there. The boys used to work outside doing the gardening and go to the woods to collect kindle wood to feed the outside boiler house, my friend Gail and myself used to do breakfast for 38 children, 2 shredded wheat and some bread and jam. Then we would start work myself and Gail would do the washing up then make our bed and get ready for school. We had to walk half a mile to get the school bus. There is so much more about this place that I could say but it would turn into a manuscript, but if any old friends that went there want to get in touch sandramike.scott@gmail.com
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