28 and 28A Castle Street

The earliest records of the history of the buildings that now make up 28 and 28A Castle Street  were found in the Gloucester Record Office. They include a schedule of deeds which was drawn up in 1881 to show how the property came into the possession of the Riddiford and Freame (or Freem) families.

This schedule indicates that there was a property on the site since at the least the 1700's.  In fact, it appears from another piece of information that for a period of time there were   probably two properties which then became five, finally reverting to two households as in the present day.  There is still no precise information as to how these properties were divided and the actual divisions could have changed at different periods.  The only indication of the possible layout can be got by studying the 1840 Tithe Map. This seems to show that the first (now 28) was divided into two on its street frontage.  The second property (now 28A) had three buildings built onto the back of it which are hatched to show that they were inhabited.  These buildings could have been like a court at the back of the houses fronting Castle Street.  It would have been accessed through the passage which is to the south of number 28.

This theory is partially supported by the reminiscences of a local history enthusiast, Mrs Riddiford as she has said that she can recall a time when the entry on the south side of the building went into a small courtyard which had four buildings in it.  Eddington the printer owned one building, two others were residential and one was a butcher's store which once had meat hooks in the ceiling.  We have one photograph here on the left which illustrates the buildings Mrs Riddiford can remember seeing.  Click on the photograph for a larger image.

For many years the back of the house was used as a yard for the painters and decorators company owned by the Mills family and trading as Mills and Philips for much of its time  (certainly from 1923 to 1973)  The tall building at the back of the houses was said to be where the Mills family printed their wallpaper.

The photograph top left shows the front of the property when it was put up for sale in 1984.  A comparison with the photograph on the right shows that two front doors look very different.  The photograph on the right was taken in the early 1980's  when the rendering had been removed for repairs and shows evidence of other windows and doors having been moved at various stages.

The Embletons who bought the house in 1984 say that when they first had the property the buildings at the rear were still standing.  The building on the left in the photo that shows the rear apparently was made of doors which were rendered over.  The yard had a cistern which is quite a common arrangement in Thornbury. Click here to read more about Thornbury's cisterns. The Embletons themselves built a "decorative well" for watering the garden.  The house is built on Thornbury rock and has no cellar.

The catalogue for the auction of the house in June 1984 explains that it is currently one house but

"it is apparent from inspection that the existing dwelling was originally TWO SEPARATE HOUSES and there is a fascinating range of outbuildings to the rear which have established use as a BUILDER'S YARD AND PREMISES."

The catalogue describes four rooms with rear lobby and hall on the ground floor, five bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor with a concealed staircase to a second floor and two more bedrooms plus an integral garage and a two storey workshop. The total building is so large that the Local Planning Authority indicated that they would welcome the property being converted into two or three townhouses and they suggested that the buildings at the rear could be demolished, which is interesting as the house is also said to be in a Conservation Area.

Click here to read about the earliest owners of the houses

Click here to read about the Riddiford and Freeme families who owned the properties.

Click here to read about the early occupants of 28 Castle Street.

Click here to read about the early occupants of 28A Castle Street.

This page was last updated: 16/07/2010