Westgrove, 9 Rollesby Road, Martham
Westgrove is a substantial early Edwardian house, built in 1915, and is set back from the east side of Rollesby Road. It was built in 1915 for Oliver Starling by local wheelwright and master builder Henry Futter. Henry was born in Martham in 1861 and married Arletta Skoyles in 1880. You can read more about him by clicking on his name. Henry built other houses of a similar style that still stand in the village and you can read about another he built called Rectory House by going to that page where you can see the similarities in style between that house and Westgrove.
Westgrove was built using locally made bricks called Martham reds and has a natural slate roof. It has six bedrooms and two fine receptions rooms in addition to a large kitchen/diner. Mature gardens surround the house occupying a plot of what is now just under an acre. It was larger when first built but in 2016 the east end of the garden was sold and bungalows were built accessed via Holly Close. These closed what was originally access through the back of the plot to the Village Green. There was a wide farm style gate there that provided access to workshops in the back of the garden. The map on the right shows the extent of the plot, coloured pink, and the rear access in 2000.
Just over 100 years before the house was built the plot it stands in was part of a 20-acre field that also covered part of the area where the Willows Estate is now. The field was owned by Harber Pettingal who was from a land-owning Filby family although he lived in Martham. Thirty years after the 1812 Inclosure Award the 1842 Martham Tithe Award tells us that ownership of the field had changed and it had been split up. 10 aces that included the area where Westgrove now stands were owned by Isaac Manship who was a farmer and part of the Manship family that would go on to become the major landowner and farming group of Great Ormesby. Maps of 1812 and 1842 showing the fields are shown below.
The railway arrived in Martham in 1878 slicing through the field shown in the 1842 map. This created a portion of land to the north of the railway line outlined in red on the 1906 OS map below that shows the railway but confirms that Westgrove had not been built. This plot was obtained by Oliver Starling and he had Westgrove built there in 1915.
Oliver was born in 1861 at Winterton-on-Sea and grew up at his parents home at The Tower Mill, Hill House, Hemsby. His father was the miller and Oliver may have learnt the mechanical workings of the mill from an early age which would have given him a good grounding for his future career. By the time he was 19 he was already an engine fitter. In 1890 he lived at Hope Cottage, The Green in Martham and in 1892 he married his cousin Laura May Thurtle by which time he was a successful agricultural engineer. Oliver greatly enjoyed playing cricket and he provided part of his garden, come meadow, between Westgrove and the railway line as a venue for the Martham cricket team to play their home games. It is shown on the above map outlined in blue.
Top right – Oliver is in the back row, 3rd from left. Westgrove is in the background.
Bottom left – Cricket tea break taken at Westgrove c1930
Bottom right – Cricket Cup Presentation 1920-30 with south facing Westgrove in the background before the conservatory was built.
Oliver & Laura had six children whilst they lived at Hope Cottage but two died as infants. The others lived to become adults and below we have some lovely photos taken with Westgrove in the background still under construction or very soon after its completion.
Below is a garden party on Westgrove front lawn looking west with the house in the background being across Rollesby Road. The date is unknown but there is a microphone for announcements so it may have been a party to celebrate the opening of Westgrove. Alternatively, although there are lots of ladies and children in the photograph there is a distinct lack of young men so perhaps, they were all at war and the bunting could also point to an end of the First World War celebration.
Oliver’s first wife Laura died in 1931 and in 1935 he married Ivy Palmer. Oliver & Ivy were living at the house at the time the 1939 Register was compiled. They were alone other than having a general live-in servant called Barbara George. Barbara was born and bred in Martham and married Cyril Green in 1941.
Ivy died in late 1949 followed by Oliver only about eight months later in July 1950. Oliver and both his wives are buried at St Mary the Virgin. The Starling children had all moved out of Westgrove before 1939 and so upon the deaths of Oliver & Ivy a new chapter began for the house.
The local farmer and cattle breeder William Rayner Chapman moved into the house with his wife Kathleen, nee Francis. Better known as Willie he had grown up living with his parents at Clarkes Farm in Staithe Road. His father had been a very successful farmer at Moregrove and started Chapmans butchers on The Green. William died in 1996 and Kathleen 2005.
My thanks to David Stretton & Richie Warnes for the cricket and Starling family photographs.