Rose Lea and Avalon

 

Rose Lea Button End 2015

(Griffin)

 

Rose Lea, Avalon to the left and Greystones to right, seen from across field May 2020

(Roadley)

 

Baggot Hall sale 1932 of Greystones etc Button End

(CRO)

 

Button End children in front of coal shed

(Sellen)

Tied cottages

Rose Lea and Avalon are a pair of semi-detached cottages with the latter being joined to the much older Greystones. The cottages were shown clearly on the 1885 and 1901 OS maps. The 1799 Inclosure map also identifies them clearly as part of a row of buildings.There is little known about the cottages other than they formed part of the Hays family estate, possibly their early farmhouse, much of which was sold off in 1932.

Past occupants

George and Selina Stittle lived in Avalon from around 1909 with their 7 children – Bill, Alfred, Fred, Arthur, Annie, Nellie & Mabel. The photo of Button End children shows Ted Stittle, born 1936, son of Alfred to the left behind girls in front of coal shed and Bill Stittle, his uncle, to right in the background. Bill’s father George died in 1921 but his mother Selina was still resident there in 1955. Her grandaughter, Joan Rivers, can remember Selina lived opposite the artesian spring where they got their water, supplied there since 1928. A plinth had been put up and the water piped out. Joan’s grandmother used to take her vegetables over to the spring to wash the dirt off them.