Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The story of Romilly Lodge, Hornsey Rise
This house was designed by George Truefitt and built in the early/mid 1860s on the east side of Hornsey Rise, about half-way down the hill. The photo was taken 100 years after the house was built, in 1960. Note the cross on the southern end of the roof ridge.
Extract from 1869 Ordnance Survey Map
By at least 1878 the occupant was City wine merchant Jospeh Spawforth. He named the house Sandall Magna, I assume after the suburb of Wakefield. Spawforth was probably living in the house from the outset. (See my note in the comments below).
A photo taken further down the hill at arond the turn of the century is posted here.
Spawforth died twenty years later, in 1898. His widow stayed on at the house until her death in 1908, after which time the house was acquired by the Islington Board of Guardians. (Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. Boards administered workhouses within a defined area).
An advert in appeared in the Evening Standard for the sale of Mrs Spawforths effects. But none for the sale of the house. So perhaps the sale was by private agreement.
London Evening Standard October 31, 1908
The house name disappeared and it became simply 59 Hornsey Rise.
It was put to use as a children's receiving home. With accommodation for up to 74 children, it processed children newly arriving into the parish's care.
By 1913, the five houses to the north of number 59 had also been acquired and had become part of the receiving home.
Extract from 1913 Kelly's Directory
After 1920, numbers 65, 57 and 59 were disposed of and the home was run from the three remaining houses.
Between 1930 and 1939, the house was run as the 'Council home for Mentally Defective Boys' and took the name Romilly Lodge.
Extract from 1944 Ordnance Survey map
Just after the war, until 1957, the house became Romilly Lodge Primary School.
Much of Hornsey Rise was redeveloped in the 1970s, including all of the wets side. All the houses, including Sandal Magna/Romilly Lodge were demolished.
They were quite some houses on the stretch. Just up the hill was 'Belmont', on the corner of Crescent Road.
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Comment by Hugh on July 6, 2021 at 10:41
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I'd reached the text limit above so am adding this note as a comment:
A electoral record of 1878 has Jospeh Spawforth at "Sandall Cottage, Hornsey Road". A record of the Company of Biologists in 1864 has him at "Sandall Cottage, Hornsey Rise".
I assume the difference in road names was because this was the period when this part of Hornsey Road was becoming known as Hornsey Rise.
Given the very limited number of houses on the Rise part of the road at this point, it seems to be a fair conclusion that Sandall Magna and Sandall Cottage were one and the same.
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Comment by Tony Spawforth on July 6, 2021 at 19:24
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Fantastic sleuthing Hugh for which personally I’m v grateful having searched online in vain previously for a pic of my great-grandfather’s house. He was Yorkshire-derived, and his wife Anne was a Yorkshirewoman born and bred: hence the name Sandal M . His will mentions a coach house and stabling and the one story bldg left of the house in the photo I think must be one or other. My late paternal aunt (d1981) reminisced about the house which she knew in childhood and its « drive ». Joseph and Anne had moved out from the City, having previously lived off Little Knightrider St south of St Paul’s. His business was based in Crescent Distillery, Barbican. My father showed me the building, which disappeared in the great 1960s Barbican redevelopment. The auction ad you found is interesting to me not least for the musical instruments. Joseph’s offspring included a Royal College of Music-trained composer, another Joseph Spawforth, now forgotten, with living descendants. He grew up in Sandal Magna, as did my grandfather Arthur, youngest son of Joseph and Anne, b. 1864. In 1898 Arthur inherited the Barbican-based wine merchant business which he let go in 1910. I’ve inherited a few bits and pieces once in Sandal Magna which my grandfather reserved for himself in 1908 as an executor of his mother’s will. I looked in vain for physical traces of No 59 in 2011. Again thanks so much for such an illuminating post.
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Hi Tony, Great to hear from you. I'm surprised at how quickly you found this. Do you have an alert set up on your family name?
For at least 10 years prior to moving to Hornsey Road/Rise, your ancestors lived at 1 Cambridge road, in the same parish, but I can't locate where it was. I rather got the impression that Little Knightrider Street was a business address since Joseph is listed there in commercial directories.
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I’ve wondered about the mysterious Cambridge Rd. was it a former name of Hornsey Rise I wondered, and if so because it did indeed lead eventually to Cambridge?
Knightrider: like you I know this address only from records on the internet. But my impression is that home and business only became firmly separate when Joseph acquired his Barbican premises. Joseph’s father George seems to have both lived and worked (same family business) from nearby Castle Court in now-vanished Budge Row (also nr St Paul’s).
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I don't think Hornsey Rise was ever referred to as Cambridge Road. As far as I know it used to be part of Hornsey Road. Before that, it was Duval's Lane (sometimes rendered as Devil's Lane). The route of Seven Sisters Road, west of what is now Finsbury Park, was Hem or Hern Lane.
Stories apart, no Cambridge Road.
Have you tried Islington Archives?
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Thank you I should try that.
One thing, the date of the house, « early/mid 1860s »: is there hard evidence you came across?I have also wondered whether Sandal Cottage = a more modest predecessor wh JS rebuilt « large » (= Magna if he knew basic Latin and liked wordplay, for neither of wh I’ve any evidence….
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RIBA has 1860. That was my only source. I’m sure they can let you know if that date is an assumption or based on evidence. I suspect the latter.
I’d wondered if the two were the same houses, but given the small number of houses on the road, I thought they might be one and the same. I must say though, the Truefitt building doesn’t look like a cottage!
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Is that architect George Truefitt (just looked him up in my total ignorance)? Hadn’t realised there was a RIBA ref either which I must look up too….
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I messaged you the link yesterday, Tony.
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Whoops yes thank you have now opened link. Stand-alone No 56 surely can’t have been speculative so I rather assume JS commissioned GT in 1860 acc RIBA. JS was then 41. His business trajectory was ever upward over his lifetime as far as I know. The house and move out of the cramped etc City I take to be a sign of this. His will says he owned the freehold.
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