Archive Antics No 2 (An article from our Newsletter in June 2023 by our Archivist)
It’s like a reoccurring nightmare. Deadline day for the Newsletter has arrived, but fortunately I have something for you. Not entirely about Royal Leamington Spa but there are connections.
I was aimlessly wandering through the Archive. Sorry, that is supposed to read, studiously studying the Archive, when I came across Hampton on the Hill and Grove Park, and a fine house it looks or rather looked. Now the Archive is very sparse as far as information against photographs is concerned and not being familiar with this particular homestead I asked the learned Margaret Rushton what she knew. Well of course, says M, it was the home of the Lord Dormer as in Dormer School, Dormer Place and any other Dormer you can think of.
I, of course, was none the wiser and so I dived into the Internet. Well there had been loads of them starting with Robert, Baron Dormer of Wyng. (Its all right I’m not going to blind you with history). Now, Robert was made Baron in 1651. After that there were a succession of Barons right up to the present William Robert Dormer, 18th Baron Dormer.
Then, through my delving into the internet, I located the picture on the right which is Grove Park in May 1633. That’s 1633 BC, that’s Before Cameras!
Right so we have the place, we have the family, and we have some photos.
But where is this Grove Park. Well, as we can see from the map its in area of Budbrooke but on the outskirts of Hampton on the Hill.
Whilst the map shows that there is still a Grove Park House, the real one in the photos, shown below was demolished in 1976. It was not just a 2 up, 2 down either. There must be further information hidden away that I haven’t found yet as to it’s actual size and number of rooms. As with a lot of these type of homes, use during WW2, death duties, death watch beetles, death in the family and any number of financial factors meant that after WW2 we lost to the nation over 5000 substantial buildings such as this one.
I haven’t had a chance travel up the track all the way to where the house used to be to see what’s left but under the cover of a walker (training currently taking place!) I will be able to walk all the way along on either public footpaths or bridal ways. Also, in the grounds down where the house used to be there is the ruins of a Roman Fort. It gets even more intriguing.
Then! My good friends have just moved into a Bungalow at the entrance to Grove Park. Maybe they can pretend to walk their dog and find out more.
A week later they returned with news that there is a Monument, to what, they know not, and here’s the photos.
The Monument is located in Whitehill Wood and the only inscription on it was one that stated that it had been restored in 1989.
So, I looked at the early maps and the Monument only appeared around 1900. Then, a breakthrough came when one of my friends’ relatives produced a map with a hand written note, see left. Miss Dormer, KILLED by a HIGHWAYMAN? What ever next? Whose daughter was she and what was her name? When did it happen? What happened to the Highwayman? Did they know the Highwayman’s name? All these things raced around my mind for minutes until I calmed down and delved once more into the Internet.
Aha! The 18th Baron Dormer was born in 1960 and as there is no death date he must still be alive. A further delve produced an address down in Kent, not Grove Park. So, in for a Penny in for £1.10 of First Class stamp, I fired a letter off to the Right Honourable the Lord Dormer asking if he had any info on this sad event so that we can add it to our web site.
Gosh! Is that the time? Well, you’ll have to wait till next month to hear the answers to my letter which may be a returned envelope.
Click Here for Archive (Automobile) Antics No 1
TTFN, David Morse, June 2023