Your House and Mine

Bramblings

Introduction
Map of Frieth
Moor End
   Bramblings
   Astrea
   Merrydown Cottage
   Corner Cottage
   Moor's End Cottages
   Moor Gate House
   Underwood
   The Copse
Fingest Road
   The Forge
   Folly Cottages
   The Willows
Perrin Springs Lane
   Perrin Springs
   West's Cottages
Ellery Rise
   Hilliers
   Lynden Cottage
Frieth Hill
   Hillside Cottage
   Rowleys
   Pear Tree Cottage
   Hillside View
   The Platt
   Little Barlows
   Cutlers Cottage
   Yew Tree Cottage
   Little Cottage
   Barlows
   Birch Cottage
   Tedders / Rose Cottage
   The Old Stores
   The Yew Tree Inn
   Fairfield House
   Flint Cottage 1
   Flint Cottage 2
   Inglenook
   Middle Cottage
   Sunny Corner
   The Gables
   The Orchards
   Hilltop
   Cattons
   Mallards
   Hillswood
   The Old Parsonage
   White Gates
   The Laurels
   The Cottage
   The Firm
   Marlstone
   Westwood
   Bradstone
   Haylescroft
   The Niche
   Rivendell
   Summerhill
   Ashcroft
   Selborne
   The Ranch House
   Sara's Cottage
   The Cherries
   The Old School House
Innings Road
   Collier's Farm
   Innings Gate
   Down the Lane
   Sunset Cottage
   Fermain
   Chilterns
   Rowan Cottage
   Creighton Cottage
   Apple Tree
   Old Well Cottage
   The Cottage
   Flat Roof
   Whitsun
   Backlins
   Red Kites
   Maidenscraft
Spurgrove Lane
   Maidencraft Cottage
   September Cottage
   Spurgrove Cottage
   Gable End
   Willems
   Elder Barn
   Sunnydale
Bramblings, Frieth, 1992 - From Joan Barksfield's collection

According to the house deeds of Bramblings as shown to me by the late Ruth Levy, Alice Barlow (1797-1886), mother of Thomas (1825-1898) was the first owner of this house, stating that she had owned it for "upwards of 20 years".

Mr Ted Collier, who was related to the Barlow family, said that the flints for the construction of Bramblings came from the old ruins of the Bishop of Lincoln's palace at Fingest ( see VCH Vol. 3 Fingest ).

Neither Alice nor Thomas appear to have lived in this house at first, as the Census returns for 1861, 1871 and 1881 show, but Ted collier on his map of Frieth in the 1890s gives Thomas Barlow as living there then.

Alice Barlow, Thomas's sister, in her will dated 1899 appears to have been living there too. Alice Barlow, mother of Thomas and Alice, was widowed in 1852 so the date of building Bramblings appears to gave been after 1852 and before 1866.  Edmund Barlow, her husband, owned the field in which Bramblings is built - it was named Wood End Meadow on the Tithe Map of 1845. [ You can find the Tithe Map under "Hambleden" on the menu bar above ]

A feature of this house was its large bread oven which still existed until the changes made by Mrs Cooke.

Bramblings, Frieth, in earlier times - From Joan Barksfield's collection

The house deeds show the following :

Owners Tenants
Alice Barlow (died 1886) George Tilbury, baker (1871 and 1881 census)
Thomas Barlow (died 1898)  
Alice Barlow (died 1905)  
Cecil Collier West, 1905 - 1928 ? 1905 - 1918

Edgar Barksfield, 1918 - 1928

Edgar Barksfield, 1928 - 1933 ( Named this house Woodside and continued living in it )
Daisy Gobbett, 1933 - 1939  
Mrs E.B. Cooke, 1939 - 1960 ( House extensively altered.  Lived at Woodside during WWII then retained it as a holiday cottage )
Ruth Levy, 1960 - ( Lived there and changed the name to Bramblings )

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