The Hill, Upton upon Severn

The Hill first appears on the map in 1772, at the top of Tunnel Hill in Upton-upon-Severn. It was initially known as The Cottage. The house was 35 feet square and was evident on the plans of the Ham Court Estate map. The Rev. Joseph Martin was Lord of the Manor of Upton, living at Ham Court, and in 1809 Mrs G Martin (who was the widow of Joseph's brother George) occupied the house with her daughter. By this time the house was renamed as The Hill. The Lord of The Manor therefore appeared to be providing housing for his brother's widow and her daughter, as well as assisting her financially. Nineteen acres of parkland formed part of the estate.

The Hill was home to several important families; these included Samuel Kent, a local wine merchant, until 1841 (by which time the house had been extended), Rev. Charles Allen until 1855, then Rev. T W Hayward until 1863. For the following years it was the home of the Martin family. The house was further extended in 1877 and in 1880 Col. Sir Charles Cooper Johnson and his wife Jemima lived in the house, together with a governess, cook, housekeeper, nursery maid, kitchen maid, page and groom. In 1888 the local Volunteer Battalion of 600 men camped in the grounds of The Hill as part of a rapid movement test. Sir Charles became a full General in 1894.

In 1900 a billiard room and separate stables were added to The Hill. Sir Charles died in 1905, and Lady Jemima Johnson subsequently moved out in 1913, selling 410 lots of furniture at auction. Maj. Jewell resided, with his wife and five daughters, at the Hill until the late 1960s. In 1915 Upton established a telephone exchange with 28 lines for the village - The Hill was allocated the number ‘Upton 23'. The Jewells were followed by Capt. Bannerman until 1978, and his stepdaughter Mercy Rimell and her husband Fred moved in from their National Hunt stables in Kinnersley; Fred died in 1981 and Mercy remained until 1995.

Detailed history contributed 20/05/2014

Type

Park

Principal Building

Domestic / Residential

Period

18th Century (1701 to 1800)

Survival

Extant

Civil Parish

Upton-upon-Severn