Ash Lodge (Bath House)
54 Baston Road
Georgian, locally listed
Today Ash Lodge is within the Hayes and Keston Commons Conservation area and is locally listed.
Owners
A property stood on this site on the northern edge of Hayes Common from at least the middle of the 17th century, but it later burnt down. It was rebuilt in brick and by 1731 the land was owned by William and John Oliver, members of a wealthy family. Later owners have suggested that this Georgian building may contain some timbers from a much earlier date.
The Olivers sold the house and land in 1773 to Andrew Bath who had lived and farmed in the Pickhurst area since the 1750s. He was one of the largest ratepayers in Hayes and a Churchwarden from 1756 -1774, a role he gave up when he was 70. However, he could not yet move into the property as it was being leased by Edward Hall. Therefore, with the help of his son he continued to farm his Pickhurst lands until 1785 when, at the age of 81, he finally moved into the house which now became known as Bath’s House. His land included the area on which 87 to 133 Baston Road were later built.
His daughter Mary lived with him and they had one resident servant. On her father’s death in 1794 Mary inherited the property. She continued to live in Hayes, did not marry and on her death in 1813 the property passed to her cousin James – the last of the Bath family to live in the house. His son John inherited in 1828 and the house continued to be owned by the Bath family until 1948. Its name had changed to Ash Lodge by 1901.
Its rateable value in 1910 was assessed at £1387 and it was described as ‘a very old brick built and slate house detached. In very fair structural and decorative repair considering its age. First floor 5 bedrooms, bath, WC.’
The ground floor plans shows two drawing rooms, a dining room, kitchen and scullery
Post Second World War ownership
William St John Leonard bought the house and the land opposite in 1948. The following year the house, coach house and surrounding garden were bought by Hamilton Speller, the land on the east side of the road was sold separately. He lived there with his wife Eileen and daughter for 37 years. The exterior of the house was rendered and painted white as the brickwork, through age and war damage, was in need of considerable repair. In 1985 it was sold to Brian and Penny Walker and has since changed hands twice.
Occupiers
Edward & Esther Hall 1741-1775
The first definite occupant was Edward Hall. He leased the house and paid the rates from 1741 until his death in 1774. His initials EH and the year 1754 are carved in the brick garden wall.
He left instructions that after his wife Easter’s death the lease of his house was to be sold for at least £300 and their goods and furnishings shared between his cousins and their children. Apart from the linen, glass, china, books, pictures and carpets there were many silver items that bore her Seymour family crest, such as a large silver salver, pair of silver snuffers and tea canister. Easter died in 1778, two years after she had moved to the parish of St Dunstan in East London.
Bath family owner/occupiers 1785 – 1828
Young family 1828 – 1848
Samuel Young and his wife Mary took over the lease in 1828, He was at one time landlord of ‘The Mark’ at Keston and was previously a leather merchant in Leadenhall Street, London. When his beautiful daughter Mary died in 1831 at the age of 18 he arranged for her to be interred in the parish church because of great anxiety about ‘ ‘the resurrectionists’ of the time and the fear that should she be buried in the graveyard she might be dug up. Samuel died a year later but his widow continued to live there.
Back family – 1867
John Back, a merchant in cotton goods, Manchester had moved into Bath House by 1851 with his wife Anne, two young daughters and two servants. By 1861 his wife had died leaving him with 6 daughters and a son who were taught by a governess. He had one resident servant.
Short tenancies
Charles Heginbotham, a wine merchant, took over the lease of Bath House and his son Charles was born in January 1869. He was delighted as he already had four daughters, aged from seven to two. After five years the next tenancy was that of Henry Wadham Dalwood and his wife Lucy Anne, whose son Stanley was baptized in August 1875.
Captain Arthur Hill took the lease in 1879, the year he married Katherine, daughter of Dr Thomas Morris, who lived across the road at Baston Farm. Her brother Huson lived in the neighbouring house They had three sons before they moved in 1887.
Harold Paine was briefly there to 1889 before wine merchant John Selby who left in 1898.
It is probably at this time that the building was extended.
Hilton Skinner 1898 – 1924
Hilton Skinner, his wife Emily and son Douglas moved to Ash Lodge in 1898 where their son Charles was born. Hilton, at the age of 39, was described as a ‘retired’ civil engineer in the 1901 Census and employed a nurse, cook and parlourmaid. He was very involved with the local Parish Church, became a churchwarden and compiled the Hayes Roll of Honour after the ending of the First World War in which his eldest son, Douglas Hilton, was killed. The family left Ash Lodge in 1924 but remained in Hayes and moved to Fernlea in Baston Road.
Cyril Penman 1925- 1940
Cyril Penman, a bank manager and his family lived in Ash Lodge from 1925 but seemed to have left during the Second World War. His son Cyril married in 1932 and his daughter Audrey in 1937. Audrey was very involved with youth activities, founder of the 1st Hayes Brownie Pack, lieutenant of the Hayes Guides and organiser of events for Juventus, the local youth organisation for over 16s.
After World War II
The house was sold in 1948 and has remained in private ownership and occupation since that time.
