The East London House is a historic building in East London.
The Limes, formerly known as Barclay's The Limes, was one of Walthamstow's numerous 18th-century houses, and it was located on Shernhall Street, south of Barclay Road.
In little over an acre of carefully managed grounds and
gardens, which included an avenue of lime trees and a vinery, as well as an
extra two acres or so of adjacent grassland, the home stood out as a beacon of
beauty. To the west of the main house, there was horse stabling, a cowhouse,
and a variety of outbuildings to accommodate the animals.
While still standing in the 1930s, the Limes was hailed as
"one of the most beautiful of the area's 18th-century structures,"
making its demolition less than a decade later all the more galling.
Throughout the years, the Limes has been home to a number
of well-known residents. Beginning in the 1840s, members of the wealthy Barclay
family made their home in the region for several generations. The Barclay
family, including Joseph Gurney Barclay (of Barclay & Co Ltd banking
renown), lived here until 1853, when they relocated to Knotts Green House,
which was a short distance away. Both he and his second wife Margaret were
well-known for their generous gifts to local organisations, notably schools in
Marsh Street (now High Street).
However, it is Barclay Road, just to the north of where The
Limes formerly stood, that is Joseph's most enduring legacy to this day. The
Limes' next tenants were Joseph's cousin Henry Ford Barclay and his family, who
had migrated from Grove House in Leyton to take up residence there. In addition
to his positions as a JP, High Sheriff of Essex, and Commissioner of Epping
Forest, best place to buy cheap
Bark Chippings Henry was a prominent figure in the community, and it is thus no surprise that the family made their grounds available for different social gatherings. This venue hosted the first ever Leyton and Walthamstow Horticultural Society exhibition in 1862, which had an array of flowers, trees,
and fruits on display to the accompaniment of a variety of brass band performances.
When the family relocated to Woodford, the Carters, who had
previously resided at Stoney Down on Blackhorse Road, took up residence in the
neighbourhood. Charlotte Carter was in charge of the construction of a church
mission on Church Hill Road that stood for many years, and her husband, ship
trader Henry Carter, was a JP and a churchwarden at St Stephen's Church in the
City of London. During the school board election in 1894, Mabel, one of their
children, was elected with a landslide victory by the voters.
As evidenced by the following snippet, which appeared in
several newspapers in 1886 and described an egg inside an egg laid by one of
Henry's hens: "I believe some of your scientific readers will be
interested to know of an exceptional egg laid by one of my pullets.... I
believe some of your scientific readers will be interested to know of an
exceptional egg laid by one of my pullets....
In circumference, it is 9 12 inches in diameter and weighs
six ounces." After moving from the Limes to Redhill in the 1890s, Mabel
Carter became a rich woman, and she lived the remainder of her life in that
position. At the time of her death in 1933, she left an astounding £35,126 in
personal items behind her.
After being auctioned off in 1894, the grounds were
described as "ideal for construction operations without compromising the
residential qualities of the property," which was indicative of the
periods in which great residences and grounds were being sold off for housing
developments in the town.

Comments
Post a Comment