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Dog Gate At Bourne Hall.
By Uncle Monty.
Bourne Hall Photos By Alex Albion.
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In the quaint English village of Ewell there stands an
architectually-imposing and aesthetic Dog Gate at un-
usual Bourne Hall. I was on my way to Epsom for a few
days when I stumbled upon Bourne Hall from my car
window as my pal Gary Day was driving at the wheel. I
immediately got him to stop so that I could venture to find
out more about Bourne Hall. It was The Dog Gate (shown
above) that was irresistable to me although Gary was more
concerned about hitting the road than me spending 45 or
so minutes at Bourne Hall on a rather bitterly cold day.
Whatever, venture I did and here are a few historical notes
about the rather special and esoteric place that I found
and visited at Ewell.
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These Guyz Greeted Me!!
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"Bourne Hall was designed in about 1770 for Philip Rowden, a London
merchant who was looking for a country residence. Later the house
came to Thomas Hercey Barritt of Jamaica. He improved the grounds
by building a dairy shaped like a castle - the Turrets, demolished in
1967 - and by improving the entrance with The Dog Gate, which is
decorated with his coat of arms. After him, in 1859, came George
Torr, an engineer and charcoal maker, who became a village
benefactor. He gave helped to found the West Street School.
When he died, his widow Elizabeth found consolation in perfecting
the grounds of the house, relying on her head gardener James
Child. Along the walk to the orchards there were prize-winning
chrysanthemums, and orchids grew in the heated greenhouses.
Inside the house the entrance hall was paved with marble, and
there was panelling and plaster columns on the walls. There were
eleven bedrooms on the first and second floor, and on the ground
floor a library and billiard room, as well as two drawing rooms
whose fireplaces were carved with marble statuary and ornaments.
The servants had their rooms on the lower ground floor.
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The Horse Pond At Bourne Hall.
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"During the First World War the house (Bourne Hall ) was used
as a hospital for soldiers. From 1925 it housed a girls' school, run
from Ewell Castle. Part of the garden became a hockey field, and
the conservatories were turned into classrooms. The headmist-
resses ran it as 'a school for the daughters of gentlemen', and in the
earlier years tradesmens' daughters could be turned away. There
were three houses - Doric, Ionic and Corinthian - and the talbot
from the Dog Gate appeared on the school hatband. The school
lost money after the Second World War. It closed suddenly in 1953
and pupils arriving for the autumn term were surprised to find the
gates locked. During the following ten years the house, already in an
unsatisfactory condition, fell into further decay. It was demolished
in 1962 and the present Bourne Hall was built in 1969.
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She Dazzled Me With Her Swan Beauty At Bourne Hall.
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"In the summer of 1996, Bourne Hall Lake was in a sorry state.
The waters of this Ewell landmark slowly vanished due to a wide-
spread lowering of the water table - a longterm effect of reduced
rainfall and increased use. This was not the first time that the springs
had failed, but it demonstrated how local people could no longer
rely on the natural forces of geology to keep the lake supplied with
springwater through the summer months. Originally this was
a stretch of river, the headwaters of the Hogsmill. The lake was
formed in the middle ages as a fishpond, and in the 18th century
it was re-fashioned as a formal water feature, only to be given its
more natural outline to suit the Victorian garden. The water rose
at several points within the lake, and up until Roman times offerings
were made to these springs, which were sacred. . Water from
a nearby borehole is used to top it up as it evaporates, and a
continual overflow into the Horse Pond helps to keep
the river Hogsmill fresh and clean.
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Look At Those Feet For It To Waddle.
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And not far from Bourne Hall the Yankees came!
"(At) the turn of the century (there was) almost an invasion
of English racing by Americans at the nearby famous Epsom
Race Track. In 1900 five of the top ten jockeys were Amer-
icans. Some of them came to race, some were only interested in
arranging large betting coups by doping horses. Lester Reiff, an
American jockey, won the 1901 Derby after a very roughly ridden
race. He was disliked by English jockeys for his combination of
skill and dishonesty which made him a formidable opponent.
Finally, he had his licence withdrawn late in 1901, after stop-
ping a horse in a race at Newmarket. In 1907 the Derby was
won by Orby, a horse owned by an Irish American, Richard
Croker. It was reckoned that 'Boss' Croker had made his
money from racketeering and was boss of the powerful
Tammany cartel in New York. Orby was the first Irish horse
to win the Derby. One Irish lady told Croker's trainer,
'Thank God and you, sir, we have lived to see a
Catholic horse win the Derby'.
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I Must Say I Also Do The Same As
This Duck When I Shave My Pretty Face!!
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All of the above information I have used herein comes from
Ewell History Internet Files, which I think best explains some-
thing about Bourne Hall. But for me the accidental visit to
Bourne Hall saw the lovely layout of the gardens and grounds
with the beautiful white swan there - who actually pecked
me when she came out of the pond to check me out - and
literally dozens upon dozens of waterfowl from ducks to
drakes to seagulls. Although bitterly cold was the day at
Ewell just two weeks away from Christmas Day, 2011,
it was such a joy to find Bourne Hall and that marvellous
Dog Gate to first greet me and one and all. As I left, my
pal Gary Day quickly hit the acceleration pedal to make
up for my time spent at Bourne Hall. He stayed inside
the car while I got frozen stiff as the biting wind then bid
us goodbye as we swiftly hit the road again toward
Epsom ... Nice day, though, for me at Bourne Hall!
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The Dog Gate Upclose w/Barritt Coat-of-Arms.
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Cheerz Everybody & Have A
Very Nice Xmas, Too, Uncle Monty.
+Third Sunday of Advent, 2011.
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Feedback & Comments
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~ FREE EMMA WEST NOW ~
She's Britain's No. 1 Political
Prisoner Held At Her Majesty's
Prison Bronzefield.
Imprisoned By UK's Unjust & Unaccount-
able Croydon Magistrates For Opening
Her Politically-Incorrect Gob. It's the
Magistrates Who Should Be In Prison for
Their Open Treachery. And, Political
Correctness Is The Crime, Not EMMA WEST!!
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~ Breaking News ~
After her shabby and unjust imprisonment, Emma
West was released from HMP Bronzefield Prison by The
Honourable Judge Warwick McKinnon in a closed hearing
at Croydon Crown Court on Wednesday morning and was
released on bail. She'll now be home for Christmas. Next is
to get her two children back after they were snatched from
her by the local New Addington Social Services while
Emma West languished as a UK political prisoner at
the vile hands of the Croydon Magistrates.
Dec. 15th, 2011.
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Bad Mrs. Sting.
Trudie Styler:
The Sting of the Bad Star.
By Uncle Monty.
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After The Good David Cameron Stand Against
EU's Attempt To Consolidate More Power, It's
Now Time For The UK To Finally Say "E.U.F.U."
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