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Halton House

Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2019 8:51 pm
by ColinL
Whilst looking at some records of family history, I came across a property named Halton House in the mid 1800s. I had not heard of it before so looked for some more background and discovered that in 1861, it was occupied by a Mr Patrick Robertson and two of his relatives, plus one visitor who had brought with her one personal servant.

The household was serviced by 7 live in staff. Mr Robertson had had the property built for himself and was in fact the person who developed Robertson Street. He was the MP for the borough. It seems that the house did not last for very long as it was demolished to make way for the present day Hardwicke Road as an extension to the Halton estate, the older part having been the site of a military barracks

Re: Halton House

Posted: Tue Aug 27, 2019 11:33 am
by Richard
August 16th 1853 - A fete was held at Halton House, Robertsons Hill (off Old London Road), by owner Patrick Robertson MP, with music, dancing and fireworks.
The said house was up for sale in July 1867.

The June 1882 issue of the parochial magazine covering Clive Vale said that the district lay within the old parish of All Saints, and contained nearly 140 acres. Twenty years before [in 1862] there were only four houses in the Clive Vale part of the parish, namely: the old Clive Vale farm-house; the house in the Springfield nursery grounds opposite Halton House, and now [1882] occupied by Mr Gilbert; a newly-built house now known as Sunny Bank at the junction of Edmund Road and Mount Road (the residence of H Stephens Esq), with a cottage adjoining; and half of the Hare and Hounds Inn in Ore (the present structure [in 1882] is entirely in the Parish of Ore).

The News (March 18, 1898) said: “Can nothing be down to save the Castledown House Estate?” Access to the West Hill was still only via Castle Hill Road, through the Estate, “one of the few pretty spots still to be found” in Hastings. There were plans being considered to build a new road up onto the hill, and the News feared that the Estate would be lost or ruined by that, and subsequent development [as indeed it was]. As an example of what could happen, the News recalled the Halton House Estate, “with its fine old trees, and pleasant glades.” This “has been swept off the face of the earth, and the site now lies desolate and bare. The destroyed house, for many years the residence of Mr PF Robertson MP … was erected during the early years of the present century, when the Napoleonic flotilla lay off Boulogne and the heights of the Sussex seaboard were lined with troops, sheltered in wooden huts or canvas tents, waiting to repel the invaders. Halton House was the residence of the commander of this district and the military hospital was placed on the grounds. Some of the wooden huts are still standing on ‘The Barrack Ground’ but Halton House has ceased to exist. It had no great historic interest, but the trees and grounds formed picturesque features in the landscape, and blended pleasantly with the green downs.”

Mr. Robertson was a 'liberal' Tory M.P. [1852 - 1859] and again in [1864 - 1868].
It appears that Mr. Robertson lived at Halton House basically for the 1852 to 1868 period when he was M.P.

Re: Halton House

Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 12:27 pm
by ColinL
Richard that is very interesting as well as the included item about Castledown House. I posted a short item about the latter area a few months ago after my last visit.