Littleworth Village

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Archive Notes:

Study of Littleworth village in 2008/9 with photographs of most of the houses and information about the people who have lived in them. Original and updated version by Michael Heaton December 2019.

Kelly's Cottage, 22 Littleworth, was built c. 1810. 39 Littleworth is a cottage which was built in the 1800s, and these two houses and Nos. 14, 16, 20, Cricketers Arms, 31 and 33, 39 and 44 were all in existence in 1880 based on this earlier comnstruction, albeit, in some case, much altered.

The thatched Littleworth House was demilished in the 1950s. It had been the home of the market garden family of Smiths for years. In 1911, George and his wife Ann had three sons involved in the market garden business, Alfred, age 24 in 1911, Frederick 21 and John 19. According to the memories of Rose Robinson, Ann, who was later affectionately referred to a ‘Auntie Smith’, grew marvellous garden flowers and vegetables, and she rode an old sit-up-and-beg cycle for years.

The Cribbins family lived here before Edward Preston and his family were at this address in the 1950s. It was called Preston’s Cottage and at that time it was just the front stone cottage, two up two down. Late in the 1950s a flat roofed double storey extension was built on the back which doubled the size of the property.

The daughter Doreen Preston married Allan Reynolds and after Edwards Preston’s death, they lived in the cottage with Mrs Preston whilst they built a house of their own in the garden of No. 39, which is now no. 35 and took much of the garden with them.

When Mrs Preston died the cottage was very run down and Mr and Mrs Thatcher bought the property c. 1994 and completely renovated it, including building a double storey extension on the side housing the garage and an additional bedroom. The house was called Peppercorn Cottage with reference to a peppercorn rent that was paid on the property to the landowner at some point in history.

The Thatchers moved to Garsington in 2007 when Mr and Mrs Bell moved in, who live there now with their 2 sons. The property and garden has had further extension and renovation done to it.

Elsewhere, Reg Powell had his business on the site of what is today (2019) the car wash business. Powell was a haulier, builder, welder. He lived with his wife, son and daughter up the lane at the side of his workshed in a flat roofed bungalow. After this, it became David Axford car maintenance business.

In 2018, a Google Map was added showing the house numbers at that date.

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