There were a few old cottages beyond Mr. Sievieking’s garden, and on the
opposite side of the road Sumpter’s livery stables; then fields on both
sides down to the River Lea, where there were coke ovens always brightly
burning. There were several large houses lying back from the High-road,
Stamford Hill, with front gardens on the waste land; of these only two
remain.
There was a mansion standing next, where Mr. Fowler Newsam resided for
many years. There was a very pretty walk round the shrubbery and garden,
the estate containing altogether about eight acres of land; the grounds
were enclosed in cleft oak park palings, with lodge at entrance. There
was a mounting stone on the gravel path outside, and it is not many years
ago that it was taken away.
Mr. and Mrs. Newsam were most kind and generous, and their great delight
in life was in doing good and giving pleasure to others. I always
remember their enjoyable hay-making parties; one can now hardly
understand the quiet spot it was then. Their death was a very great loss
to the parish.
When the turnpike was removed from the top of the Hill, a toll bar was
placed across the road at the corner of this estate, but was not there
long; it was taken away when all turnpikes were done away with.
Stamford Hill was crossed by a bridge called “Stone Bridge,” which was
about 26 feet high from the crown of the road to the top of the parapet.
Now the South Tottenham railway crosses the road there.
The next estate was called “Mark Field,” and was fifty-four acres in
extent; there was a large house lying some distance back, in its own
grounds, belonging to and in the occupation of Mr. William Robson.
The other large house at the corner of Page Green belonged to and was in
the occupation of the Rev. George Hodgson Thompson, the first minister at
Trinity Church, Tottenham Green, and had over twelve acres of land
adjoining the last-mentioned.
The estates were bordered by a broad piece of waste land, a ditch, and
low quick set hedge; and there were large heaps of flint stones at the
roadside for repair of the roads. At that time the path on Stamford Hill
was a gravel one, and had not even a curb stone.
When Mr. Munt lived at the corner house he kindly lent his grounds to the
Rev. George Brewster Twining, who was the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church,
for the Sunday School treat to be held there. Several caravans of
Bohemian gipsies passing along the High-road; the men, seeing the
children playing games, stopped their horses, and threw their children
over the low quick set hedge; they were very clean and prettily dressed
in red, white, and blue, and were highly delighted to mix with our Sunday
School children. We gave them some cake, and persuaded them to return to
their friends, which they did, although unwillingly. They were a very
superior kind of gipsy, and evidently the precursors of the German
gipsies, who have since been such an annoyance to the country.
PAGE GREEN—BRAMBLE LANE
(Now BROAD LANE).
There was a side road leading to the Rev. G. H. Thompson’s house, with
post and chain fence down the left-hand side a considerable distance, and
fir and other trees; this road also led to the house belonging to and
occupied by Mr. James Rowe, which had upwards of thirty-one acres of land
attached to it. A large pond, called Page Green Pond, was on the green
opposite the house.
At the end of the green, and facing the High-road, a large house stood,
occupied by Mr. Spartelle, whose grounds extended some distance down the
lane. The Earlsmead Board School is now built on this site.
At the top of Page Green, on the east side of the High-road, there stood
a remarkably handsome clump of seven trees, planted in a circular form,
and called the Seven Sisters. In the middle there stood a walnut tree,
which it is said never increased in size, though it continued annually to
bear leaves. The prevailing opinion in Bedwell’s time (the Rev. William
Bedwell was Vicar of Tottenham from 1607 to 1632) was that someone had
suffered martyrdom on this spot, but of this there is no authentic
account, nor is there anything satisfactory as to the original planting
of these trees to be met with, but it appears they were at their full
growth in Bedwell’s time, and may be considered to be in 1818 upwards of
300 years old. The walnut tree was not cut down for a good many years
after the others. I remember my father having it done, and then the
seven daughters of Mr. MacRae planted seven other trees in the middle of
the green; they are now living, one is a sapling. A few years ago Mr.
Hibbert’s seven daughters planted seven other trees at the end by the
High-road.
On the north side of Page Green there was a white house, with verandah
and creepers all over, in the occupation of Mr. Rowcroft; it had a very
large hall. At that time many of the good old houses had large halls,
almost like rooms. The grounds were very pretty, extending at the back
of Grove Place-gardens as far as the Bull Inn. About the centre of the
beautiful garden there was a high mound, and grotto, overlooking a lovely
lake. Many were the invitations I received to play in that garden when I
was a little child, but my mother never allowed me to go; she had an idea
I should run up the mound and fall into the lake. I was very pleased
when she at last consented. There was a shady walk, planted with trees,
all round the meadow; it was about here that years ago there was a
hermit’s cell and the Chapel of St. Anne.
Next to this house there were two semi-detached white-fronted houses (one
of which was occupied by Miss Coare, one of the Society of Friends), then
a stretch of fields on both sides to the end of the lane.
Returning to the High-road; at the corner stood a large, white house, and
garden, adjoining the row of houses called Grove-place, which were built
at the beginning of last century. Next to the Bull Inn, which is one of
the old inns of Tottenham, were the cottages called Bull Row, one of
which was a toy shop, kept by Mrs. Travell, and another a cake and sweet
shop, kept by Mrs. Oakman; there were so few shops then that these two
small places were well patronised.