Site map
A History of Preston in Hertfordshire
Houses at the junction of Crunnells Green and Back Lane
Maps from 1766 and the early nineteenth century show one house at the junction of Crunnells Green
and Back Lane. Nowadays, its replacement is known as 3 Crunnells Green.
1844
1811c
1766
This article focuses on the historical homes at the junction of Crunnells Green and Back Lane,
together with their occupants.
In the eighteenth century there was one building at the corner - today there are three. The
early cottage was demolished and replaced in 1913.
3 Crunnells Green
The paper trail in the Temple Dinsley manorial roll reveals that John Elms bequeathed the cottage at
the junction of Crunnells Green and Back Lane to his son-in-law, the carpenter Daniel Joyner, in April
1729.
By 1761, Daniel had transferred it to his ‘kinsman’, Henry Pedder (also a carpenter). Henry, in turn,
left the property to his son, Joseph Pedder, in 1771.
In 1799, it was occupied by Richard Osbourne. Two years later, the widow, Mary Andrew was also a
resident in the dwelling, which may have been divided into two homes. The following year, 1802, its
occupants were the families of Joseph Osbourn(e) and Joseph Sharp. Also in that year, Joseph
Pedder bequeathed the property to Sarah Andrew.
By around 1811 (when the map shown above right was drawn) the ownership of the cottage had
passed to John Jeeves. William Taylor was living there. Sometime between 1811 and 1844, the Lord
of the Manor, Joseph Darton, purchased the property as part of his family’s policy of acquiring the
houses of Preston.
When the Darton’s sold the Temple Dinsley estate to Henry Pryor in 1873, Police Constable D Farr
was living in the cottage. Apart from this, it is impossible to pinpoint residents here during this period.
The first electoral register of Preston residents in 1897 shows Henry Powell living in the property.
Next, the 1901 census recorded the farm worker, William Boston (born 1846), and his family living
there. He was still in residence when the Inland Revenue surveyed the village in 1910 - its ownership
having passed from Henry Pryor to his son, Ralston de Vins Pryor. We now have the first description
of the cottage as it then was: a brick and tiled cottage, with a living room, scullery and kitchen - in
good repair. It also had a barn.
In 1911, the building foreman William Kenward Miles was living in the cottage, together with his wife,
a bricklayer and an electrician
William was the son of a blacksmith and was to live at Crunnells Green for around thirty years. He
married Emma Pratt at Burgess Hill on 12 April 1884:
The 1901 census showed the couple (who had no children) at Clayton Sussex - William was a
foreman/bricklayer.
Emma, William Miles’ wife, died and was buried at St Martins, Preston on 6 February 1924. William
continued living at 3 Crunnells Green until at least 1929 (where his housekeeper was Betty Palmer’s
mother, Evelyn Mary Davis) as this cutting from that year establishes:
In 1913, the cottage was demolished. The owners of Temple Dinsley, the Fenwicks, had a new house
designed by Edwin Lutyens for their estate bricklayer, Mr Miles, who likely helped with its building.
In 2008, North Hertfordshire DC included 3 Crunnells Green in its catalogue of listed buildings, from
which the details listed above have been extracted. There is a lengthy description of the house. It had
narrow dark-red bricks in English-bond, with lighter red angles to corners and window jambs. Its ‘tile
infill’ was described as similar to the detail on Chequers Cottages. The large rectangular central
chimney was “typical of Lutyens’ buildings in Preston” (note the inset comparison photograph below).
Also in 2008, Dr Mervyn Miller (architectural advisor to the Lutyens’ Trust) wrote, ‘the cottage on the
inner corner of Crunnells Green as it approaches the school is certainly by Lutyens’.
Today, in 2024, the house is not included with the other listed buildings in Preston. After making
enquiries, Meta Reeves kindly informed me that it was de-listed at the time extensive alterations to the
property were made. When it was recently on the market, it was noted as being a ‘Lutyens-style house’
- ie not designed by him.
Chequers Cottages,
Chequers Lane, Preston
By 1939, William had moved to Kenward Cottage at Preston Green, where Evelyn continued as his
housekeeper. He died here in 1948. It would appear that this cottage was named after him.
After William left 3 Crunnells Green in 1939, its occupants were Arthur Wilson and Mary Lucy White
together with their daughter and husband, Harold and Nora Tomlin (Harold was a school enquiry
officer). Arthur died there and was buried at St Martins, Preston on 20 July 1956.
Mary White was also buried in the village graveyard on 19 January 1970. Harold Tomlin passed away
at 3 Crunnells Green and was buried at St Martins on 22 January 1975, as was Norah (who was still
living in the house in 1981) on 2 February 2006. Meanwhile, Clifford Tomlin had moved to Dungarvan,
Back Lane, Preston.
By 1991, Patrick J and Susan Boyle were at No 3.
Crunnells Green Cottage aka Nos 1 & 2 Crunnells Green
In 1905, the owner of Temple Dinsley, James Barrington-White, ordered the building of two semi-
detached estate houses on the south side of Crunnells Green. It is these which bear the inscription
‘JBW 1905’. Their details were being picked out in black paint when I passed in April 2010:
Perhaps reflecting his earlier judicial appointments, one of the houses (nearest Temple Dinsley) was
for the village constable and had a lock-up in an attached outhouse. This was useful local feature as
in many towns and villages, there was no facility to remand prisoners and miscreants and, as a
consequence, sometimes arrests had to be deferred and the offenders later taken to a nearby
lock-up. An entry in the Preston School log book described a home here once as ‘Police Station’.
The houses were built with red bricks in a stretcher bond and rough-cast above, together with a dark
weather-boarded triangle at the front gable. Each house had a sitting room, kitchen, scullery, two
bedrooms and a barn. Both cottages are listed buildings.
Among the police constables who lived there were John George Hart (1909), Frederick W
Cumberland (1910), Albert and Lilian Shambrook (1911) and John Dale (1938). In the adjoining
cottage lived Ernest and Ethel Payne (1915). Later, the two cottages (known as No1 and No 2, see
below) were amalgamated and the resulting home is known today as Crunnells Green Cottage.
Other residents before WW1 included George Jenkins (1905) and George Westwood (1907).
In 1921, Robert Corbett was eking out a living here as a poultry farmer, assisted by sixteen-year-old
Frank Jenkins, son of Herbie and Phyllis Jenkins of Castle Farm.
By 1930, the two cottages were occupied by the families of William Arthur with Harriet Chalkley
(at No 1) and Jesse with Emma Smith (at No 2). Nine years later, the Chalkleys and Emma Smith
were still in residence, Emma being joined by Rosa Ayres. In 1934, John Wilson was also living here.
1975
1925
After WW2, in 1953, two families of Dartons were living in the two cottages,
Reginald H and Joan Alice (nee Stone) together with Charlie and Gladys
Darton. Reg was breeding budgerigars for sale - whitewings, lutinos and blues.
Both Reg and Charlie were farm labourers and, together with Clifford Tomlin,
played cricket for Preston - Charlie (shown right) was its first life member and
as opening batsman at one time had scored more runs than any other Preston
batsman.
In 1965, Alan G and Doris A Boxall, together with George and Grace E Christmas were at Cottage
No 1, and Alan and June K Ball were at No 2. The Balls remained there until after 1991.
In the early 1990s, Beryl Korman was at Crunnells Green Cottage, as it was now called. Korman
International Management had a clientele of opera singers including the tenor, Howard Milner, and
the soprano, Bolton Andrea. Beryl was elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 1998 and
has appeared in French & Saunders on BBC TV and played Principal Girl and Principal Boy in
pantomime.
In 2005, Henry A and Brenda Reintjes were residents in the cottage.
