Recent articles
© DT Online 2010 - 2024
| GreenviewThis appropriately named cottage (it looks east over the village green) has a neat but vaguely off-centre appearance explained by its history. It was originally connected on its northern gable to other buildings which were demolished in the 1930s to allow road widening to take place to permit the through passage of public service vehicles to and from Birstwith and beyond (a similar fate befell property at the junction with Hollins Lane – see the article for 'The Old Post Office'). This extract from the Ordnance Survey map of 1909 shows the cottage coloured red and the demolished properties hatched red. A portion of the demolished section can be glimpsed at the far right in the old postcard also shown. Little can be said about the property beyond the fact that at the time of the 1910 Land Tax valuation it was in the ownership of one Joseph Simpson who also owned the five remaining and adjacent properties extending into the Birstwith road. The valuer described all six as follows . . .
“5 Cottages and lock up shop Occupiers: Moon, Ellis, Brooke, Grange, Haxby & Atkinson Tenancy: half yearly Rent: £30.6.0d Old stone & blue slated property in fairish repair for age 1 cottage (Ellis) Stone & blue slated Each cottage has small garden at rear. Old stone ( ? )in common, (yard?) at rear Moon: Lock up shop & ( ? ) over Ellis: 1 sitting or living room. Kitchen & scull. 3 bedrooms Brooke: 1 living & 1 bedroom Grange: 1 sitting or living room. Scullery. 2 bedrooms Haxby: 1 living room & Back kitchen. 2 bedrooms ( 1 large) Atkinson:1 sitting room, 1 living room, Scullery. 3 bedrooms” The census returns for 1901 and 1911 do not clearly identify which property is occupied by which family although they do include the names Haxby, Grange, Atkinson and Ellis in locations apparently proximate to these cottages. |