Page 39 - Froghall Drive Our Story

access up Froghall Drive to the bus stop in London Road near the Three Frogs. Telling had also
sold Froghall to the Charlesworths who insisted that there was a gate at each end of the footpath
and the residents of Buckhurst be provided with a key. This footpath and gates form part of the
property of No 46 Froghall Drive. Over the years this footpath and in particular the locked gates
fell into disrepair but were reinstituted by the owner. However when he died his widow had the
locks removed as she found it difficult to open them so that she could get through to Waterloo
Road and the Rances Lane shops. Unfortunately this meant that all and sundry could make their
way through from Waterloo Road and security became a problem in and around Froghall and the
blind end of Froghall Drive. (2004) All being well the owner of 42 (Alan Scott) hopes to re-establish
the lock on at least one of these gates when the new owner of the property to the west of the
footpath improves the fencing and gates on his land. .

Land registry maps of 1964 & 5 show this footpath but 46 Froghall Drive is not marked as it was
not built until later.

Land registry maps dated 1973 show both the footpath and 46 Froghall Drive. It ends on the land
leading from the right of way alongside Froghall leading to 46 Froghall Drive. Thus people coming
from Buckhurst would walk over land which presumably belonged to 46 Froghall Drive.

Changes

1. North of 40FHD was the walled garden which also contained a glass house. This area
plus other land was purchased by Andrews from Telling and he then built was in now 74
Waterloo Road. Later on Andrews built a house within the walled garden and subdivided this
plus the barn from the original parcel. The Andrews then moved into this house (Nether Staples
38 FHD) A further house was also built again accessed from the private road off Waterloo.

2. In 1988 Andrews sold 38 FHD to Wheeler a builder who bought a house, moved into it,
extended and or refurbished it, then sold it. He split off the barn which one of his sons bought
and did a barn conversion. The interior of 38 was upgraded and more bedrooms introduced.
Unfortunately about this time financial matters were difficult and both Wheeler and his son
had to move on. The converted Barn was repossessed by the mortgagors (Barclays) and for a
short time was rented out. In 1993 the owner of 74 Waterloo Road purchased the Barn and had
to do quite a number of repairs as the original conversion had not been carried out very well.
38 FHD was bought by the McKenzies and over the years further improvements including a
double garage carried out.

3. When Tilling built Buckhurst Grove he brought his foreman carpenter George Tapsel with
him as general foreman. He moved into and eventually purchased a building which was line a
rooms to the east of the Hall. These rooms were originally sleeping quarters for the servants of
visitors to the Hall. At one time a generator and storage accumulators were installed in the end
room to provide electricity to the hall and the cottage. Eventually these were removed when
the buildings were connected to the mains supply. Tapsel also purchased the old fruit storage
building with the chimney stack at one end which he used as a general (junk) store.
Tapsel carried many alterations and additions to the rooms and lived there with his wife and
three sons for many years. This became 42 FHD. When he died in 1987 he left the house to his
wife and the store to two of his grandsons (sons of the two of his sons who were still in the UK -
the third son had already emigrated to Perth WA). Eventually his wife who had difficulty moved
into sheltered accommodation and the house stood empty for a long time. In 1995 it was sold
to a developer, knocked down and a four bedroom house built in its place. At the same time the
storage sheds were recombined with the property and used by the builder as a store etc.
However the first purchaser of the new house did not want the store and eventually it was sold
off and was split into two. The end nearest the barn was rebuilt and became a garage for it. The