Crossland Fosse - Box End Road, Kempston, Bedfordshire, UK
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Dragontree
N 52° 07.998 W 000° 31.716
30U E 669145 N 5778745
This impressive residence is Crossland Fosse.
Waymark Code: WM8682
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/06/2010
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member sfwife
Views: 1

The Bedfordshire Council website has some great information quoted below:
(visit link)

'Kempston Rural contains a number of impressive houses, among them Crossland Fosse. It is a Grade II listed building not due to age, it was built about 1889, but out of architectural interest as it is a William & Mary Revival house built out of red brick with clay tile roof. It was built by Captain Lindesay Beaumont Beaumont JP in 1889 on land conveyed from Mary Saunders Kitchen and Frederick Adolphus La Frobe Foster. Beaumont lived there until selling the house to Hugh Poths sometime between 1924 and 1927.

In 1927 Bedfordshire was valued under the Rating Valuation Act 1925; each piece of land and building was valued to determine the rates to be paid on it. The valuer at Crossland Fosse found that the owner and occupier was a Hugh Poths and that the house stood in 3.591 acres. He noted: "Has been All done up. V. Nice Place. Faces S".

Accommodation consisted of: a hall entrance; a dining room measuring 15ft by 24; a servants' hall; a back pantry; a kitchen measuring 14½ft by 15ft; a scullery ("good"); a larder; a wc and store; an electric light battery room ("now garage"); a lavatory and wc; a big store; back stairs; a main hall; a drawing room measuring 15ft by 25 with a 7ft by 5ft bay; and a study measuring 18 by 14ft with a 7 by 4½ft bay. Up the main stairs were: a bathroom ("good"); a wc; a north facing bedroom with a radiator and basin; a bathroom with wc ("good"); a south facing bedroom with radiator and basin and measuring 13ft by 16ft; a dressing room with radiator and basin; a bedroom ("office") measuring 15ft by 16ft; a dressing room with radiator and basin; a bedroom over the stairs; a west facing bedroom at 12ft by 15 with a basin; a dressing room with radiator and basin measuring 15 x 7½ft. On the second floor were four servants' bedrooms with radiators and basins. Outside were: a south side loggia ("big"); a brick and tile potting shed; a greenhouse ("poor");a wood shed; a brick and tile dark room; two pig sties ("bad repair now 2 loose boxes"); a brick and tile two stall stable and loose box; a garage for two cars; and a lean-to shed.

There were two adjoining lodges; one was occupied by a porter with two rooms downstairs and four bedrooms (a later hand has amended this to three bedrooms and a bathroom) as well as a washhouse and wc. The other lodge was vacant and comprised a pantry, living room, larder, kitchen and scullery downstairs with three bedrooms plus a box room, bathroom and wc ("good") above. The valuer noted: "Poor garden has been let down. House stands well up with a little Park in front".

W.H.Peacock Limited handled a lease of the house, its paddock, stabling and cottages in 1932-1933 to J.S.Mayhew of Box End Stables. In 1937 Hugh Poths sold the place which was then described as: "Crossland Fosse, situated at Box End on the Bromham to Kempston Road, erected in 1889 with H & C basins and hot water radiators in all bedrooms, coal store, entrance lodge, detached stabling, two garages and chauffeur's house, timbered carriage drive, double tennis court and pleasure grounds, access to the boathouse on the river Ouse and hunting with the Oakley situated at Milton Ernest, water supply from spring pumped by electric motor, electricity, septic tank, central heating, set in grounds with trees and shrubs, paddock at front and meadow at rear, having in all an area of 10.230 acres(part OS 400, 408, 409)".

Also sold were: "Entrance Lodge with WC, garage, electric light, water laid on and garden of approx 20p; Building land fronting main road containing 20a (part of OS 407); Building site containing 2a(part of OS 407); Building site containing 1.275a(part of OS 407); Detached building, stabling and garage with H & C water, WC, electric light, having area of .387a (part of OS 408). Note that property is suitable for Hunting Box; Pasture land containing 13.897 acres".

Other records show that the International Transport Workers Federation was based at Crossland Fosse in 1947 and that later Sir John Howard of CAEC Howard lived there.'
Public/Private: Private

Tours Available?: No

Year Built: 1889

Web Address: [Web Link]

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