FREEHOLD BIJOU RESIDENCE, known as Rhodrons, in the village of Hook, with admirable stabling for six horses, conservatories, glass houses, ornamental cottage, farmery, charming grounds, and productive paddocks, in admirable order, being now occupied by the family of the late tenant. Also, in separate Lots, the Freehold Building Plots opposite the above, ripe for development, with extensive frontage to the high road and to the Epsom-road, with the well-built cottage and garden.
My 2 x great uncle, Georgie Bird, must have bid and purchased the property in 1887. At the time he was single and on the 1891 census he was living there with a live in domestic servant. Georgie married Nina Mabel Florence St Paul in the June 1891 quarter and ten years later they were still living there with five live in servants on the payroll.
In the book, "Hook Remembered" I found a photo of a painting of the property from 1912, which I can only imagine was commissioned by Georgie. I wonder where it is now ?
An auction took place shortly afterwards and, from what I can gather from the rather complicated Land Registry documentation which I have, it looks like the land was sold to a group of builders. Subsequently, The London Gazette of 18th May 1937 reported that it had been purchased by Leslie Henry Ransom and Arthur Elwyn Macdonald with planning permission to build a number of urban properties.
A few years ago I was contacted by a committee member of The Rhodrons Social Club who was trying to ascertain the history of the house. They bought the house from Ransom and MacDonald and invited me to come and visit the club - which sadly I never took them up on. She told me they have a print of the house in it's day hanging in the club and wanted to get the history of the house and it's residents documented in order to display next to it - this must be the painting referred to above.
Hook Remembered by Mark Davison