Ilbury House

Mary Vane Turner - The Story of Deddington (1933) Chapter 3. "...a much larger edifice with Queen Anne or early Georgian face upon a Jacobean structure, is the property of Dr. G. H. Jones. Originally belonging to Christ Church College it exhibits the characteristic of that establishment's fondness for white plaster renovations, which, however, time and creepers have here almost obliterated. Hence, though, its name more than fifty years back, of the 'White House'. Since then Mr. Slatter, who had retired from Ilbury Farm, re-christened it 'Ilbury House. Formerly Mr. Henry Churchill, coroner, resided there, the room above the arch still showing traces of an orifice in the ceiling through which clerks over-head in the top storey used to shoot papers for examination or signature into the lawyer's office below. Between the Churchill and Slatter occupancy a ladies' school was kept here by the Misses Miller, and the Misses Caroline and Mary Ann Bryant respectively." 

Historic England - Ilbury House is Grade II listed 

History of occupation/ownership

Early facts about ownership and/or occupancy are unclear. Victoria Counhty History records that Christ Church College owned it. The following information therefore largely records occupancy unless otherwise stated. 

1808 The house was owned by Nathaniel Stilgoe and occupied by Henry Churchill  according to GR Tibbet's history of the Churchill family.

?? The Misses Miller, and the Misses Caroline and Mary Ann Bryant ran a ladies school

1861 Census Mr Joseph Slatter (74) a farmer,  is now residing in it and has renamed it Ilbury House after his farm of the same name. It is probable that he owned it. His wife Susannah, son John (45 also a farmer) and his wife Mary are also there.

1869 Joseph died on 5 February. His son John occupied it in due course.  

1883 - George Coggin's Scrap Book No 2 (link is to an index compiled by David French) contains an entry for the Banbury Advertiser dated 24 May 1883 reporting a letter from Henry S. Payne, of 'Ilbury House, Deddington', criticising the Vicar (Rev. T. Boniface) for refusing to consent to a Nonconformist burial on a Sunday, ostensibly because it was undesirable to give the sexton work on Sunday, when he allowed a burial the following Sunday. [Editor's note: The 1881 census has Mary Slatter living on New Street (on which Ilbury House stands) as an 'annuitant' but not John. The only Henry Payne is living on The Stile]

1885 John Slatter died on 18 February

post 1885 - ???  

Sometime between the 1891 and 1901 census Dr Geoge Horatio Jones and his wife Emily May occupied the house. They either purchased it with title on moving in or before 1908. Whether this was from the previous occupant or Christ Church is not known.

Emily died in 1923. Dr Jones subsequently married Muriel Vane Turner in 1924. She was the daughter of Mary Vane Turner (author of The Story of Deddington). 

6 August 1908  Dr Jones purchased "..the close or orchard...formerly in the occupation of the said Henry Robert Franklin and now and for some time past of the said George Horatio Jones.."  The Orchard lay to the east of the house fronting on to Philcote Street. 

13 August 1956 Following the death of Dr Jones the house and garden were conveyed to Lt.Col Herbert Guy and Mrs Beti Evans Thompson. Buffy Heywoood's article on Deddington Schools records that " Mrs Thompson had a small school and a dancing school in Ilbury House, New Street, in the 1960s." 

28 April 1964 The Thompsons conveyed the former 'close or orchard' acquired by Dr Jones from Henry Franklin to Mr William John and Mrs Doris Alfreda Pullen who had received previous planning approval to build a bungalow on it called Whitegates. Following their deaths (1975 & 1978 respectively) the property was inherited by their son John who sold the bungalow and its immediately  adjacent area of garden in 1979 to Mr Ronald and Mrs Joyce Harper. It is now owned by Mr Steve and Mrs Kate Petty (Ron and Joyce Harper's daughter). At the same time the remainder of the property to the east of Whitegates, fronting on to Philcote Street, was conveyed to Triprocus Properies Ltd (Mr Mike O'Niel) who built a house on it and sold it to The Venerable Hewitt (former RAF Chaplain-in-Chief) and Mrs Joan Wilson. It is now owned by Cdr Robert and Mrs Maureen Forsyth and is called Broom House. 

???? Mr Spencer Chapman

???? Unknown lady 

???? Dr Hugh and Mrs Viv O'Donnell 

???? Mr Alistair and Mrs Pippa Kitchen

The former 'close or orchard'

Dr and Mrs Jones landscaped the former Franklin orchard with sunken areas which were very fashionable in the 1920s. An archway was created in the high stone wall between the house and new garden area and stone gateposts with stone balls on top were erected at the entrance into the garden from Philcote Street along with a paved terrace on the north side. They also created a  'dell', running parallel to Philcote Street, with a York stone pathway, three imposing stone steps in and out of it lined down each side with large granite stones to create a rockery. These must have been imported from some distance away and all done at some expense. However, Dr Jones was clearly a well-off man. He owned the first car in Deddington in 1905, purchased The Old Post House next door to Ilbury House to accomodate Muriel's mother and created a door in the wall to connect to its garden. In due course, Dr Jones comissioned stained glass windows to be installed in the church in memory of both of his wives.

The gardens of Whitegates and Broom House still contain the original landscape features. Photographs of them can be found in the Ilbury House album in the DoL Gallery by clicking on the image (l) of the sunken garden at Broom House