64 High Street, Chillingworth House, formerly The Bell Inn

  • Chillingworth House, 1960s as a betting shop
  • Chillingworth House, 1985
  • Chillingworth House, 2018
  • Chillingworth House, 2018
  • Chillingworth House, Probably 1960s
  • The superficial brickwork on the corner with a gap between this and the internal structure shown covered with felt or similar. Further round the facade consists of 2-brick thick brickwork.
Archive Notes:

Write-up on Chillingworth House.

The deeds go back to 1612 when the Bell Inn was first sold. In 1690 Robert Robinson, who was a freemason and with his brother William Robinson repaired Wheatley bridge, owned a tavern at Wheatley called the ‘Bell’, the name of which is recorded on Chillingworth House. It was still an inn in 1847 and by 1854, the licensee and/or owner was John Ring who borrowed £250 from William Chillingworth, but by the end of December 1862, John Ring was unable to repay his £250 loan so instead sold the following properties to William Chillingworth in satisfaction of this. It is believed that Chillingworth then had the property re-modelled with a brick façade in Flemish bond style to the Bell Lane frontage, with evidence of this in one of the photos.

The listed building details incorrectly refer to this as Cullingworth House. The state 'Inn, now 3 houses. C18, possibly earlier; mid-late C20 alterations. Brick with stone dressings and limestone rubble; plain-tile roof to No 64; C20 concrete tile roof to Nos 1 and 3; brick stacks. Double-depth plan with rear wing. 2 storeys. 3-window front of Nos 1 and 3 Bell Lane, in Flemish-bond brickwork with flared headers, has 2 plank doors, to left (No 1) and right (No 3) of centre, with one 2-light small-pane casement to left and 2 to right, all under gauged brick arches with stone keyblocks. Similar windows at first floor. Roof has stacks to left and right. To left, adjoining side elevation of No 64 High Street is in similar style with 2 windows at first floor and one, to right, at ground floor, all with C20 casements. Double-gabled 2-window rubble front to High Street (probably the original front) has central door between C20 casements under stone flat arches, that to right enlarged with added timber lintel and brick jambs. C20 range set back to left of High Street front. Rear of Nos 1 and 3 Bell Lane is of rubble and the brickwork probably represents a C18 re-fronting. Interiors not inspected but likely to be of interest. The buildings were formerly the Bell Inn'.

The property was sold on the latter's death in 1908 to the occupier, Bathard who kept his pigs at the top of the garden. According to the Kelly directory, he had a butcher's shop from 1899 (when he was also the licensee of the White Hart), 1901 and 1920. This may have been the High Street frontage of Chillingworth House. The large window to the right of the front door is suggestive of a shop window.

The brick was painted yellow in the 1960s when it was a betting office.

 

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