94 & 96 Station Road, Odsey

96 Station Road, Odsey, Pennyloaf

96 Station Road began life as Odsey School, which closed in 1972 and for a time was used as a Field Centre. Ownership appears to have reverted to the Fordham family, which provided the site for the school back in 1910.  In June 1976 John Rupert Fordham submitted a planning application to convert the school into a private house, which was approved and on 21 April 1977 Kathleen Mary Meldreth Watt and John Robert Fordham sold the Old School to Rhiannon Elisabeth Chapman.

The same month, Rhiannon’s husband Donald H Chapman submitted a further planning application to convert from school to private house and this was also approved, as was the temporary siting of a caravan at the site. Some years later, with the conversion completed the Chapmans submitted a planning application in 1985 to construct a building on the north boundary to house a wine importation and distribution business. The planners were initially reluctant to approve the application, but it was finally passed with some conditions, restricting the use to the Chapmans. The winery was built and Penny Loaf Wines was in business.

About 1988 the Chapman’s separated, leaving Don living at No 96, until 1991, when the property was bought by Robert Footman and Lorraine Elizabeth Footman. In June 1993 a planning application for a vehicular access and garage was approved. On 24 April 1994 the Footmans bought an additional area of land on the north boundary from the Fordhams  and the same month the Footmans applied to have the planning restrictions removed from the winery and this was granted. The Footmans followed up with an application to convert the the winery into a private house and this was also duly granted. The winery and an area of associated land were sold off the same month.

Not long after, the Footmans sold No 96 with its reduced plot of land to John M Knight and Mirjam M Knight. They, in turn, sold to Peter Stephen Alsop and Katharine Julia Alsop on 9 February 2001, remain the current (in 2024) owners. The name Pennyloaf comes from the adjoining field, from which the land for the School was taken, known as Penny Loaf Hill or Field.