The New Village
Common Hill
After the road was extended from the top of the hill down to the Bourne bridge two pairs of cottages were built alongside the new road and are shown in Richard Benyons map of about 1820 (143, 144 here). In 1844 these were home to Henry Horn, James Northaway, John Smith and John Turton.
The number of buildings near the Bourne bridge have now been reduced to just two (145, 146). 145 may be the large tenement block of four earlier occupied by the four widows, which the tithe survey says is occupied by William Trinder and James Woodley but the estate survey adds George Mildenhall and Giles Warner as well. The other house (146) was inhabited by Joseph Lovegrove and George Turton. There was also one house on the opposite side of the road (147), which was a single dwelling with David Aubery as occupier.
The brick yard with the kiln is shown at 141.
By 1871 nearly all the buildings on the north side of Common Hill had gone except for the two pairs of cottages halfway down and one other pair, though one of them was uninhabited. The new Bradfield Lodges had been built at the end of the gated coach road that Richard Benyon made through the old park after closing the Bradfield Road. The remaining cottages were removed in the 1880s leaving only the Lodges.
The Beenham Lane
Along the Beenham Lane in 1844 Goff’s Farm (151), was tenanted by Stephen Hart but the two houses there are lived in by Edward Allen and Thomas Allen with their families. The two cottages further along the Beenham Lane were home to gamekeeper Thomas Farley and underkeeper William Cox.
Goff’s Farm with the two houses remained until nearly the end of the century, as did the pair of cottages further along towards Beenham. On 24th April 1888 Richard Benyon wrote to his Agent saying he wanted to “pull down Goff’s”, though it is clear from the letter that he was happy to wait until the best time for the existing tenants. This finally came in 1892 when the new Wimbleton’s Cottages had been built and Edward Lamperd, a brickmaker at the nearby brickyard, and his family were moved there from Goff’s Farm. At the same time the third keeper, George Wood, living in the cottages further along the lane left the estate, his successor, Neville, being housed at Parker’s Corner. Both the farm and the cottages were then finally pulled down and a new pair of cottages, Mayridge Hill Cottages, were built further along Beenham Lane at the top of Mayridge Hill.