The Limes, Alfreton Road

The Limes, at 176 Alfreton Road, was built in 1886 and was one of the most notable houses in the village in the 1900s. This article charts the history of the land on which it was built, and the families who have lived there.

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The Land before The Limes was built: 1800s

The land on which The Limes was built was owned by the Lord of the Manor, the Dean of Lincoln, and leased to William Woollatt, brother-in-law and business partner of the mill owner Jedidiah Strutt. Woollatt passed the lease to his daughter, Dorothy Trowell in 1802.

In 1852, Dorothy died and left the land to her daughter, Elizabeth Trowell who died in 1876.  The Trowells lived originally at The Outwoods on Rigga lane, then for many years at Thornhill, Markeaton.

The Trowells were a very wealthy family and had many servants. Among them were five siblings from the Brown family, children of Juda and Thomas Brown of Park Farm.  One of them, William Brown, became their butler and bailiff and became a trusted support for Dorothy Trowell and her daughter. William’s sisters, Juda, Lucy and Alice were maids in the household until they married, and his brother, John, became the farm manager.

William Brown was born at Park Farm in 1817, the 11th of Juda and Thomas Brown’s 14 children. He married Cecilia Triffitt in 1856. They had both been servants of the Trowells for upwards of 30 years.  They stayed on at Thornhill until Elizabeth Trowell died in 1875.  Elizabeth Trowell gave (or sold for about £400?) more land to William and Cecilia in 1857 (perhaps for their wedding). They later sold some of this land to James Heygate, a Derby physician for £2,017.19.5 in 1865. James Heygate gave this land to his daughter Helen on her marriage to Benjamin Scott Currey.  Eaton Hill was built on this land for the Currey family home.

When Elizabeth Trowell died she left William and Cecilia Brown £100 each in her Will (dated 1857). A codicil added later bequeathed them land called ‘The Flatts’, on which The Limes was later built.

William Brown died in 1878 and, in his will, he left the Copyhold of The Flatts to his wife, his siblings who were still alive after his death and his nephew Albert Wootton.  W.W. Oliver and Joseph Michael Tempest were named as Trustees. By 15th Feb 1880,  Mrs Cecilia Brown and others had agreed to sell some of the land to William John Tatam.

Building the Limes

The Indenture of 1886 describes the land and goes on to say:

“ William John Tatam will, within 3 months, erect and maintain a substantial brick wall or fence, 5 feet in height from the level of the ground on South and East…. agree not to cause to be carried on any steam engine, foundry,(soap, candle, varnish, paint, white lead glue or other noisy, noxious or offensive trade or business”.

 William Tatam built the property over the next two years and called the house “Park View”. It was “a substantial house with messuage, coach house, outbuildings etc.”   By about 1885, he and his family were in residence.

William and his wife Mary had started married life in Furlong Cottage on the Duffield road where their first two children were born.  William was a maltster, in charge of the brewery at Elms Farm and there is an early newspaper report of him and Mary being fined for drunkenness.

By about 1885, William and Mary, their 5 children, Mary’s brother and 3 servants were living at Park View. Shortly afterwards, he was advertising the house to be let but the Tatam family were still in residence by the 1891 Census. By then he was a pillar of Little Eaton society, a member of the Parish Council and he is named as the enumerator for the 1891 census.

1894 The Limes sold by Auction for £775

In 1894 an advertisement appeared in the Derby Mercury:  “Park View in occupation of Mr W.J.Tatam. Sale by Auction.” This Auction resulted in the house being sold for £775 to William Brassington. He died in 1897 so Park View went to his son, George Brassington, a butcher.

George Brassington did not live in the house but about this time the house was renamed “The Limes” and later sold to George Bagnall, a brewer. George Bagnall and his wife Mary lived in the house for two years. Then it was advertised again: The Limes …”recently in the occupation of the said George Bagnall but now of John Crook”

John Crook was born in 1864 and lived in Stanton-by-Dale.  He became a Police Constable, and married Elizabeth in 1890.  They had four children.

When they came to Little Eaton, the Crooks were renting the house from George Bagnall.  George Bagnall sold the house to John Hinchcliff in 1902 for £775.  John Hinchcliff continued to let the house to Mr Crook.

By the 1911 Census the Crook family were still living at The Limes. By then, John was a greengrocer, and he later also became a coal merchant.

Cathy Woodward’s book “Memories of Little Eaton”, describes (Page 44) The Limes as “a large house with lofty trees surrounding it.  A wide yard started in front of bay windows and swept down to massive gates before continuing around the house to stables…. In the outhouses huge blowing dray horses stamped their feet in eagerness to transport the drays of coal… There were clouds of steam from the horses. The coalmen uttered curses or made cajoling noises.

“Mr Crooks was a man of heavy build suitable for controlling his fiery steeds.  His tallness, his dark brown moustache hung downwards, empty coal bags slung around his waist…  His horny hands grasped the reins and, with a “Goo up” released a noise of thunder as the cart rumbled on its way.”

In 1929 Hannah Elizabeth (Nancy) youngest daughter of Mr and Mrs Crook of The Limes married John W Freason of Harrogate. Soon after this, John and Elizabeth Crook left The Limes and retired to Horsley.  John Crook died in 1940.

The Limes is sold 1930 for £625 to Jane Woolley

The Crook’s landlord, John Hinchcliff, died in 1921. 

His son James Stanley Hinchcliff inherited the house and put it up for sale in 1929:

“The Limes:   Detached residence with business accommodation”. This advert or similar was repeated in 1930 twice:“ The Limes, Little Eaton, with outbuildings and garden.”

The house was sold for £625 to Jane Woolley in 1930. Jane Woolley continued to let the house.

The Waterfall family

 In about 1930 Walter Waterfall came from Belper with his family and lived at The Limes until about 1941.

Walter Waterfall’s father and most of his 6 brothers were miners in Belper,  Walter served in the First World War with the British Expeditionary Force in France from 1915-1918.  He was admitted to the War Hospital Napsbury in 1917, discharged in 1918, with Gallantry and Long Service Medals and Awards.  He married Hannah Barton in 1922. 

Both the Waterfall children went to Little Eaton School.

By 1939 the family is listed in the 1939 Register with Walter (age 46) as a Timekeeper, Hannah (46) as a housewife, their son Clayton (15) as a cowman and Dennis (13) still at school. The family were interested in farming and by 1941 had moved to a farm in Denby, called Bottle Farm.

Jane Woolley sells The Limes for £500 to Albert Ball

1939 Jane Woolley sold the house for £500 to Mr Albert Ball, a scrap iron dealer of Mill Yard.  The agreement was signed by Jane Woolley.  Mr Ball signed with his mark.  In 1939 Albert Ball and his wife Rose were recorded as living on the Bleach Yard.  Next door were William H Ball, their son, born 1923, a general dealer and his sister Rose born 1928 aged 11, at school

The Ball and Jarvis families

Some of the Ball family lived at The Limes for about 2 years but also had caravans on The Bleach Yard and owned the cottages on Mill Green from where they collected weekly rent.

In 1941 The Limes was advertised  to let at “exceptionally low rent, recently redecorated” but later that year the Balls sold the house to Thomas Jarvis, a showman of New Inn Ground for £500.

During the war, the house was occupied by Mr and Mrs Jarvis who inserted many advertisements in the local papers selling everything from “two beautiful silver fox furs” to ladies’ part worn shoes, small mangle never been used; horse, harness, trap, young pony, dachshund, red dog, Austin 16, taxed and insured. “A very good opal and diamond ring” was for sale in 1946.

1948: The Limes sold to Thomas Warren for £1,900

In 1948, Thomas Jervis, formerly of Little Eaton, now of Belper (Showman), sold the property to Mr Thomas Warren Roberts (an officer the R.A.F) for £1,900. (The witness to this sale was Norman Thums, landlord of the New Inn)

Recent times

In 1950  Thomas W Roberts, Master builder, sold the property to Edward Charles Knight for £2,300 having carried out major renovations.

In 1967 Mr E.C. Knight (Electrical Engineer ) of The Limes L.E. sold the house to Mr and Mrs Walter Edwin Fogarty for £2,460.  The Fogartys also carried out work on the house including woodworm and dry rot treatment.

In 1976 Mr and Mrs  Fogarty sold the house to Allan and Susan Carter of Holbrook They lived there with their family for over 40 years.  Susan continues to live in the house.

With thanks to Sue Carter