The Georgian House

6 The Plain, Thornbury

The Georgian House is a fairly recent name given to the house whose address is currently number 6 The Plain, but over the years the house has had several different addresses.  This can be attributed to its position on the junction of three roads which are now known as The Plain, Gloucester Road and St John Street.

We don't know for sure when the house was built.  It was there in 1839 when we have a plan of the property being sold at that time, and this is also confirmed on the 1840 Tithe Map.

We have several other documents relating to the property, the earliest dated 1767.  We believe from the descriptions of the buildings in these documents that the main house was not built at that time.

The indenture dated 20 March 1767 refers to:

"that toft formerly in the tenure or occupation of William Barrows and of and in two other tofts near or adjoining to the same with the several garden plots or parcels of ground to the said several tofts belonging and also of and in all that outhouse or must mill near or adjoining to the said toft with the press mill and appurtenances to and in the …..(farnd?) on the westward part thereof to a lane or highway called Collwell Street Lane and on the north unto the lands late of Richard Wilkins deceased and also of and in all that messuage or tenement wherein Joseph Wilkins wheelwright doth now inhabit with the work shops Backside Garden and orchard thereunto belonging situate and being in a street called St John Street all which said messuages or tenements tofts must mill gardens orchards premises above mentioned are situate lying and being in or near the borough of Thornbury aforesaid".

We believe that the toft and must mill referred to the buildings, immediately behind the Georgian House which are  referred to now by the addresses 1A, 1 and 3 St John Street.  These buildings were once part of the same plot of land as the Georgian House and became attached to it when it was built.  This is confirmed by the plan included in the indenture dated 1837 which shows the must mill clearly to the right of the Georgian House.  In the plan shown here, the black area is marked "must mill 1757".  The pink area is the property which later became known as The Georgian House.

 A "must mill" is for pressing fruit juice and in this case is presumably a cider mill and was part of the large orchard which used to be on land behind that site.  A "toft" is a homestead or hillock and may be a reference to the fact that the area of ground at the top of Gloucester Road is at the top of a long incline.

Click on the following link for more information on the OWNERS  of the Georgian House.

This page was last updated: 13/01/2008