The History of Heath House

The story of the building wouldn’t be complete without including our part in it…but I’ll keep it brief. Heath House Kitchen and Restaurant opened on the 20^th May and was a project which was inspired by lockdown. We bought the building back in 2005 and converted it into a training and conference centre, specialising in providing training and consultancy to schools and colleges. Prior to that it was owned by a property development company who rented the space to companies such as Brookes and Vernon.

Local people remember the building as a clinic, with stories of an infamous dentist ‘daddy duck’ who terrified small children, hanging them from upstairs windows from their feet to bring them back around from the gas…well at least those are the stories. In his defence, I’ve also spoken to people who said that the dentist was actually a lovely man who was kind and helped them.

Lots of people have fond memories of the Heath House clinic, bringing their new born babies to be weighed.  

…but lets head further back in time.

Delving further back in time, the first family that we meet at Heath House is councillor William Clarke and his wife Emily, their children Mavis, Phyliss and Amy and Emily’s father Mr William Browne.

The family lived at Heath House up until 1950 when it became a clinic. The story of their departure from this much-loved family home, is a sad one.  They were evicted from the ’20 room Georgian Mansion’ in 1950 when it was acquired by Uttoxeter Urban Council under compulsory purchase of Heath House Estate.

Councillor Clarke didn’t vacate his home easily. There is evidence of inquiries, court proceedings and injunctions which made it to the national press.

Councillor Clarke fought to keep Heath House. He disputed the councils right to purchase the estate, and photos exist of him breaking back into the ground floor window. (The area we now use as a coffee lounge) In various photos he was restrained by police. And what is very clear in the articles is that he had the support of local people who cheered him and booed the police and bailiffs.

What is so difficult to understand is that Councillor Clarke was Chairman of Uttoxeter Urban Council…so people who he worked alongside were responsible for the heartache and suffering that he went through.

Eventually Mr Justice Lloyd-Jacob passed an injunction preventing Mr Clarke from re entering Heath House.

A report on 11 October 1950 describes a desolate and abandoned Heath House, with autumn leaves strewn across the ‘spacious lawns’ and broken windows in the outhouses.

Less than 10 days later, on the 20 October to be precise, councillor Clarke’s two daughters and his three grandchildren sailed for America, leaving councillor Clarke and his son in law behind. The family boarded the Mauretania. Looking through the passenger list for 1950, Mavis Clarke’s name appears clearly, stating her date of birth as being 1923. She was just 27 and according to newspaper reports, her father was 70.

He lived out the rest of his days on a double decker bus in what was then called Barlow’s scrap yard. Having refused to accept a penny for Heath House and maintaining that the council were trespassing.

Despite the sad nature of his departure from Heath House, it sounds as though his time here was happy. People can remember the ‘Wake’ (funfair) traveling to Uttoxeter and being located in the garden at Heath House. Older gentlemen remember being caught scrumping in the orchard when they were boys.

I particularly like the description of Williams daughter Phyliss. In her engagement announcement in April 1936 she is described as “having achieved the unique attainment of becoming a fully qualified motor mechanic” [Staffordshire Advertiser 18 April 1936] This headstrong young woman married Harold Ayre whose parents owned Dove Bank Garage where she worked.

Emily Clarke, Williams wife died in July 1946. The article says that her funeral was a quiet affair, and that her ashes were scattered “among the rose gardens and grounds of her home at Uttoxeter for which she had a great affection”

The rose garden was located at the back of Heath House and a house now sits on the site. The lady who lives there now says that roses still often appear in her lawn and she can only assume that they are linked to the rose garden.  

In 1912 the Harley Jones Family moved into Heath House.

A sale report in the Derbyshire Advertiser for 12 May 1911 describes Heath House as having pleasure grounds, gardens, orchards and paddocks and was sold to Mr Harley Jones of Fenton. There are a couple of conflicting newpaper reports which indicate that the building sold for the sum of £1675 or £1450.

Arthur George Harley Jones was pottery manufacture specialising in Wilton Ware. He had a factory in Duke Street in Fenton.  

The Harley Jones had a number of children; Russel, Eleanor, Joyce, Phyliss- Margaret (Madge) and Gwendolen-Ruth

One of my favourite stories was a report from May 1914 entitled “Town And Country Gossip” (The name of original newspaper was impossible to read) The report is about a ‘blue Andalusian fowl’ which produced an incredible egg said to be 5 inches long, containing three yolks and weighing six ounces! This rather fetching chicken belonged to the Harley Jones children.

Not long after they moved to Heath House, the Harley Jones advertised for a parlour maid. This small add in a long forgotten newspaper made me realise that Heath House was not only home to a number of families, but was also a place of work for so many more.

The Harley Jones settled into life in Uttoxeter, Arthur was a member of the Forresters Masonic Lodge and was often mentioned in the newspapers; presenting prizes for boxing competitions or automobile hill climbes.

On 14 April 1928 Arthurs eldest daughter Eleanor May Harley-Jones married Dr William Neil Maclay. They were married at St Mary’s Church in Uttoxeter and the bridesmaids were her three sisters – Joyce, Madge and Ruth together with Miss Edith Knights Smith.

The reception for 100 guests was held at Heath House. It is interesting to know that it has been hosting such events long before Heath House kitchen was borne. Photos of the wedding at St Marys Church do exist but it would be incredible to trace any photos taken of the reception at Heath House.  

Tragedy befell the Harley Jones.

Joyce Harley Jones was the second daughter. On the 11 January 1930, Joyce, who was just 24 years old, had attended a dance with her brother at the OPS Rugby Club at the Kings Hall. She left the dance in the early hours of the morning when she was killed in a gruesome car accident. Guy Joseph Emery of Grove House in Cobridge who was just 21 at the time was driving her home. It was a wet and stormy night and as he passed a sharp bend on Whieldon road Fenton he was dazzled by a cars headlights causing him to hit a lamp post. A piece of glass from the windscreen severed joyce’s artery and she bled to death in Mr Emery’s arms.

Joyce had been engaged the year before to Mr Leslie France; eldest son of Mr & Mrs Gerald France. It isn’t clear from the news reports whether or not the engagement continued until her death.

Her funeral was held at St Mary’s and notable names amongst the list of mourners is Cyril Bamford.

Arthurs youngest daughter Gwendolen Ruth was engaged to John Francis Finch, the youngest son of Lieutenant colonel Dawson and the honourable Mrs Dawson who lived at Barrow Hill in Rocester.

In 10 February 1934 Phyllis Margaret Harley Jones married Dr. Frank Radcliffe at St Mary’s Church. (Madge?) The report says that they will “take up residence in London”

Arthurs time at Heath House seems to have been of mixed fortune. In 1934, at the age of 60, he appears in the Staffordshire Advertiser appeared before a bankruptcy court in Hanley for debts in excess of £35,000. Many of the debts seem to associated with his pottery business, with a debt of £30,000 in income tax.

Before the Harley Jones’s, there are reports of a Mr Frederick William Laserbrey of Heath House Uttoxeter marrying Louise Jane – second daughter of Thomas Oakley. The date is 28 May 1870. Both are names that I haven’t yet researched.

A ‘To Let’ advert in the Uttoxerter Advertiser from December 1866 gives a lovely glimpse inside the building which is described as having a dining room, a drawing room, a breakfast room, plus six bedrooms, a dressing room and kitchens. Outside mentions stabling and a carriage house with kitchen and flower gardens, a large orchard and several acres of turf land. The name associated with the advert is Mr R.B Wood, which is another name to research.

I hope you have enjoyed discovering the history of the house and it’s families.

If you can add to the story then we would love to hear from you, and if you know anyone who might have photographs taken at Heath House then we would love to know.