Boxted Village Website

Photo credit: James Collitt

Houses of the Village

After 96 years in the same family, Pond House, a listed building, is about to change hands and start a new chapter in it’s history.

Bought in 1922 by the Blewitt family, Pond House has been a home to four generations of the same family. The house has two distinct living quarters and there were often three generations living in the house together at any one time.

Until now the attics have never been cleared and fascinating items have surfaced: Edwardian fancy dress outfits, Great Grandfather’s dress uniform complete with feathers, a blue velvet clown outfit decorated with marquisette embroidery. 1000 books, collected over the years, many of them leather bound, have also been found a new home.

In 1922 the household employed a cook and maids. There has never been central heating installed but the thick lath and plaster walls, a sunny position, and natural shelter from cold winds has meant that it has always been a warm house. Wood from the grounds has kept a wood burner ticking over in the winter.

A natural brook, which ran through the grounds, was harnessed and a lake added to the grounds in 1956 to irrigate the fruit trees that had been planted on the surrounding farmland, known as Hill Farm. In summer it was a muddy pool. The family were always very generous in allowing the public to share in the enjoyment of some of the grounds. When the fruit farming became uneconomic and the fruit trees taken out the lake became redundant and a fishing club was able to use it. People were always allowed to enjoy tobogganing on snowy winter days on the hilly field next to public footpath 125 which crosses the grounds.

There is a lot more historic detail and interesting photos about Pond House in the book “Boxted, Portrait of an English Village “ which can be purchased via:
https://boxted.org.uk/community/books/

The book also details the connection Pond House had with Boxted Hall Farms. The two properties and land were intertwined as two brothers originally occupied the two properties and farmed as a partnership. This partnership was later expanded to include the Carter family, who owned Hill Farm.