Worcestershire History Encyclopaedia: RECOLLECTIONS OF HINDLIP <!Document Title>

RECOLLECTIONS OF HINDLIP

G Drinkwater

These words recall my memories going back to the early 1930's. I was born in a cottage on the Hindlip Estate. My Grandfather was an estate worker and the cottage in which my Grandparents lived was a tied cottage. The cottage is still there in Pershore Lane, although it is now on the opposite side of the road.

THE HALL

Those people with no business with the Hall kept their distance from the main building. Estate workers were either paid on the estate by the Bailiff, or if summoned, went to offices on the East Side of the buildings. Therefore it was very unusual for any of the workers or their families to set foot inside so very little can be said about the interior during the occupation of Lord and Lady Hindlip.

From the outside it was a very impressive building. Well balanced with the servants wing on the East Side and the stables and coach houses on the West Side. The ornamentation on the rainwater guttering and down pipes was in dressed and decorated lead. Sadly this was destroyed during the fire in the 1960's. The Hall was described by J.RANDALL, FGS. In his description of the railway from Worcester to Shrewsbury in 1862 as, 'the residence of Henry Alsop,Esq. a handsome modern mansion standing in the midst of a very pleasant country and approached by an avenue of trees nearly a mile long'.

The building is erected to almost exact compass points. The aspects were always known as the North Front and South Front. These fronts overlooked the pleasure grounds. There were no doorways on the south front; all access to the grounds was via a glass door through Lord Hindlips' study. All other doors opened onto the North Front, and those being only two, that being the main entrance under the small porte-cochere and the doorway on its left. The side entrances on the east and west were for Staff and Tradesmen. The stables and coach-house were comprehensive and the interior of the stabling was lined with fine wood panelling. The servants quarter on the east side were extensive and the kitchens and estate offices were housed in that area.

The Nursery was on the second floor of the building. It was a feature of the building that the first and second floors each had an elliptical balcony and it was possible to stand in the main hall and look upwards to the ceiling of the top floor where 'free lights' allowed in daylight. On the first and second floors one could see fire precaution and fire fighting equipment in the form of ornate sand buckets and glass grenades containing a chemical. Obviously these were of no use during the great fire of the 1960's. The feature of the balcony on the each floor was destroyed.

GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS

On the south front there existed a considerable area of lawn and extensive flower bedding and borders with shrubbery to the east and west. A ha-ha separates the lawns from the parklands. The north front also had open vistas overlooking the tennis courts, which no longer exist, and the cricket field and onwards over the park. A considerable amount of shrubbery had been planted to the east that contained a variety of shrubs and small trees. To the west the shrubbery concealed the driveway from the Hall. The grounds around the church were well wooded. A large number of different types of trees grew all the way down the drive to the main A38 road and Lodge Gates. On the East Side of the hall there was a small arboretum with many species of trees. The walled kitchen gardens then extended eastwards and sloping towards the south.

GAS, ELECTRICITY AND WATER

At one time a feature of this building was that it was provided with its own electricity supply, gas supply and water supply. .

A gas engine driving a generator supplied the electricity. This unit supplied sufficient power to adequately provide electric lighting in parts of the main building that was occupied by the family. I seem to remember that the engine was a Crossly. It had two enormous flywheels and it was necessary to spin these wheels to start the engine. The wheels were easily 6 feet in diameter. Estate workers looked after the maintenance of the engine and generator.

The gas supply came from a gas retort, which was housed away from the Hall and down the bank on the West Side at the back of the cottages. These cottages are still known as Gas cottages and the man who was responsible for the gas retort lived there. The old retort building is still there (2000) and used as a shed, but until the late 1980's the iron frame of the gasholder could still be seen.

Although many years had passed since mains electricity and gas had replaced these facilities, it was a topic of conversation among the older estate workers when they spoke about 'the old days'.

Water was supplied from a well, which was situated some considerable distance away. It was to the rear of the two cottages in the Pershore Lane, on the left-hand side going towards the Canal Bridge. Water was pumped by windmill and forced upto to Hall by the pressure from a hydraulic ram. The red brick building, which housed the ram, is still in use as a shed. The water was stored at the hall in very large storage tank over the stables and coach houses. On the front of the tank was an indicator showing the level of water within the tank. From the tank water was distributed to taps within the house and quarters and also to cattle drinking troughs on the surrounding farm.

THE CHURCH

The description of the Church is well documented. I recall that the organ in the Church had two handles to fill the bellows with air. This required the efforts of two boys to keep the organ supplied during church services. The Hindlips had their own area within the church, on the right of the East End. Lady Hindlip was occasionally seen in the church and always used that area.

THE PARK

The Hall, standing as it does on the top of a rise, overlooks the park in all directions. The park used to contain quite a number of unusual trees and shrubs and there are two water features. The parkland was bounded by the A38 road in the north from the Lodge and towards Sandyway, where the boundary turned eastwards along Green Lane to the Pershore Lane. Then South to Hindlip Lane and along the lane passing Cummins Farm, then turning Northwards just before Gas Cottages. The area was very well managed. The Three Counties Show was held in the Park in 1948.

An interesting feature is the number of public footpaths, which crossed the Park. One path lead almost to the South front and to the East Side. No attempt ever seemed to have been made to divert them. These paths were in regular use then as they are now.

THE ESTATE

I have no idea how many acres the estate covered but it contained six farms including The Court Farm at Hindlip. The farms were The Firs Farm, Martin Hussingtree, Lower Smite Farm, Offerton Farm, Cummins Farm and O'Keys Farm. A Mr.Millichip who was a character ran the Court Farm. It was said that he could not read, but he could certainly add up and was quite accomplished as an auctioneer. He had parts of the Park ploughed during the war. The field that is now the sports field was not level as it is now but sloped away to the east. One year this field was full of outdoor tomatoes. The plants were protected by hessian draped on posts between the rows. The plants cropped well and ripened but the effort taken to look after them made the crop uneconomical.

The farm buildings opposite the Gas Cottages contained a meeting room on the upper floor. It was here that there were parties held for the estate workers. King George the VI Coronation Party for the Children was held there. The room was also the meeting place of a Young Farmers Club. The buildings known as the Hindlip Stables on the Pershore Lane was also a place where gatherings were held. The celebration party for the Jubilee of King George the V's reign was held in that building.

The Court Farm is now part of the Agricultural College. After the World War Two, Lady Hindlips' Bailiff, a Captain Price, lived at Okeys Farm for many years.

PEOPLE

Among the people that worked on the estate were a number of 'characters'. As they worked for a good and considerate employer, they were a pleasant lot. I can only call to mind the names of a few, although I knew the Gamekeeper and the Head Gardener, both their names escape me. The Chauffeur to the family was Mark Dingley, a portly man who sported a large white moustache. He and his wife were a jovial couple. He lived in the Black and White building next to the Church, which is sometimes referred to as the Old Rectory, but has also been described as the first Hindlip Manor. He once showed to me his original Drivers' Licence, issued by Worcester County Council, and I recall that it was on green paper, foolscap sized and the number was 101. Mark also acted as the Estate Engineer and his assistant was Francis (Frank) Davies. Frank was a small, dapper man, who also had a white moustache. Frank and his family lived in Pershore Lane. His duties were to look after the water supplies etc. He kept himself remarkable clean and tidy. He was well known for his regular visits to the Swan Inn at Martin Hussingtree, where, on Saturday nights and Sunday lunchtimes he would regale anyone who would listen, with stories of the installations on the estate. Another character was a Mr. Spilsbury. This man was disabled, having fallen off a load of hay and fractured his pelvis. He could not walk very well. His job was to keep the main drive free of weeds. The drive was covered in gravel and he spent his time with a hoe, keeping things clear.

WAR TIME 1939-1945

Soon after the outbreak of War, access to the Church was stopped. Wire fences appeared all round the area enclosing the Hall, the gardens and the Church. A sentry box was situated at the entrance to the back drive, and armed Police patrolled the area. Workmen were at the Hall and there was much activity, and no one appeared to know what was going on. There was plenty of rumour! The Police were there for some months and then the RAF appeared and RAF Regiment personnel patrolled the area.

POST-WAR

Once restricted access was lifted, we were able to walk round the grounds and see what changes there were. Besides the place being unkempt there was building additions to be seen. Red brick additions were obvious, especially on the east-side, above the stables and on the south-east front. There were numerous hutments on the north front and these were camouflaged in the manner of theatrical flats with the appearance of bushes and trees. A radio Ariel was fixed to a chimney on the East Side of the Hall. The place appeared to be abandoned

WORCESTERSHIRE CONSTABULARY

The Worcestershire County Council purchased the building and about 48 acres of ground, as a Police Headquarters for the Worcestershire Constabulary in 1946, to replace the building in Castle Street, Worcester. During the occupancy by the Worcestershire Constabulary various parts of the building obviously had a change of use. The kitchens became the canteen. The household rooms near the kitchen became the Single Men's dining room and kitchen. Worcester Sub-Division offices occupied rooms in the same area. The Servants Quarters Became the Single Men's Quarters. The Coach houses and stables were utilised as the Motor Patrol garage and workshop. In the 'new' brick building above the stables the offices there were used by the motor patrol administration staff, stores and parade room. A part of the stabling area was converted into a Communications Room and Control Centre. A serious fire broke out in the 1960's. Workmen were repairing the roof and accidentally some of the old dry timbers caught light and considerable damage was caused. The building was altered and repaired and the police have continued to occupy the building ever since.

The first Police Houses to be built were along 'The Drive' and were for senior officers. A number of semi-detached houses were erected in 'The Crescent' where the old walled garden used to be. By 1998 all these houses had been demolished

WEST MERCIA CONSTABULARY

The building is now the Headquarters of the West Mercia Constabulary and is considerably expanded. A lot of very sensitive alterations were made all in keeping with the style of the main building.

TUNNELS AND CELLARS

During my school days we were told that Hindlip Hall had a history. Not the present building but the one it replaced. It figured in the Reformation and the Gunpowder plot. Priest Holes existed in the building and tunnels were reputed to lead away from the building, southwards towards Cummins Farm and eastwards away from the building.

It was in 1939, when the building was being altered for its wartime role, that a tunnel was exposed on the West Side near to the dingle, where the firearms school now stands. There were just a few yards of it remaining and it was destroyed. It was a brick built arched arrangement about 4 feet high. In 1974 another tunnel was exposed on the East Side during building work. This tunnel was brick built about 4 feet high, arched roof and a flat floor. It was, from my observations perfectly dry, and a young man crawled along the tunnel for about twenty yards, when he though better of it, and reversed himself out of it. I recall the arguments about whether it was an old escape route or a drain. I do not think it was ever resolved, but we can assume it was a tunnel.

The cellars which had at one time been the wine vaults, were extensive but the original access points were two narrow staircases on the east side near the servants quarters and on the west side near the coach house. During the war, the 'cold war', the whole underground area, that not taken up with the central heating plant, was converted into a communications centre. The was a Signals Office, wireless transmitter/receiver, telephone switcboards and teleprinter installations.

THE MOTTO

The Hindlip motto was Festina Lente, 'hasten slowly'. This motto appeared on two stone carvings which were sited, at eaves level in decorative balustrading on the North Front, to the East, and West Wings. One of the carvings was damaged during the fire and has been replaced with the West Mercia Constabulary Coat of Arms.

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