Watts Plot, Church Street

Traditionally, Church Street continued until the junction with Church Farm Lane, whereas today Station Road is considered to begin immediately after The Waggon & Horses.

Watts Plot is the name we have given to a small rectangular plot of land in Church Street, which no longer exists as an independent parcel of land. In 1980 It was joined with the adjacent land on the east and the whole became a building plot for two detached houses. Today, Watts Plot is part of the road, path, grass verge and front gardens of 1 and 3 Station Road.

Three cottages stood on the original small plot, which measured only 18 perches and from 1841 at least, James Watts was a tenant and for a time in the 1870s and 1880s members of the Watts family occupied all three cottages and the final resident in the last remaining cottage in the 1960s, was born Rose Watts, although her married name was Jarman.

Two cottages sat at the north end of the plot and the third, which was rather larger, on the south end. For some reason the cottages are not shown on the Enclosure Map 1817. Other cottages in the vicinity were also left off. On the Tithe Map 1839 the plot is number 21 and in the Apportionment the owner is Abraham Pearmain and occupier John Willshire & others – cottage and garden 0a 0r 18p. So a rather small area of garden for three cottages.

The first photograph below shows cottages A & B in April 1924, viewed from the churchyard. The second photograph of the same date is of cottage C from the road, with The Town Houses to the right. The last surviving cottage was B and this is recorded in the 1960 photograph.

In the postcard views taken 1904 and 1924-27 cottages C & B are visible beyond The Town Houses, although in the 1955 view cottage C has gone and B is still just visible through the trees, in 1960 B is till there, but gone by the time of the aerial photograph 1970. The scenario appears to be that cottage A was taken down in the early 1900s and C in the late 1930s or 1940s? B surviving until the mid-1960s.

A and B look to be of about the same date, possibly around 1810 and B was extended on its north side. C was probably a little later around 1830? It is difficult to tell from the images and further documentary research may clarify dates etc.

There was originally an alley or path way dividing this land from the next plot behind on the east and this can be seen on the Tithe Map and aerial view below. There was a pond at the north end, just before the Waggon & Horses, which became a village well.

Owners

These details about this plot and adjoining ones are taken from the Tithe Apportionment 1839. Plot No 6 is The Waggon & Horses and Plot 20 The Town Houses. The plot numbers are shown on the Tithe Map below.

Abraham Pearmain had apparently acquired the property in 1835 and it was inherited by his son John, who went rather spectacularly bankrupt in 1878 and all his properties were sold, including this land and cottages. The purchaser for £105 was Samuel Jarman, the local butcher. He left it to his son Thomas and in 1893 Miss Sarah Jarman became the owner and she was still recorded in 1911,

Occupiers of the Three Cottages

This is a suggested list of occupiers mainly deduced from the Census Returns. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed, although the 1878 names are as stated in the Sale Particulars.

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