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Jack Hill moved with his wife and family to a house called Brookside at St Mary's, Chalford, Gloucestershire in 1962, and renovated it over a number of years.
For some reason, cost I imagine, the roof had been covered with Welsh slates, and it was my long term intention to replace with Cotswold slates to match the rest, but in the interim to keep the snow out of the cracks I had the roof 'Turnerised' with a layer of bitumen felt stuck to the slates.
The chimney to the dining room fireplace was built against the side of the staircase wall without being bonded in, and so being very tall to create a draught it began to tilt sideways, so I had it removed and the fireplace became a decorative element only.
The house had had many additions from when it was a mill. The main rectangle was constructed of rubble stone between inner and outer skins of stone, so the walls, after a hundred years or so, began to belly out as lengths of wood inserted as ties began to get reduced in size by the action of worms and compression and the stones then moved.
A staircase block was added to help stabilize the south side after a large chunk of wall was removed to give access to the stairs. Doorways cut in the wall would have been much more sensible. The addition of the dining room probably helped stabilise the bulging wall above it. The two annexes on the east face {front} with the two bathrooms helped that wall limit its bulges.
The main lounge and big bedroom block probably was built at the same time as the stairs block, but since no records were kept, dating is all surmise.
Before the arrival of the canal the road past the house had been a well-used route to Minchinhampton, but to get headroom for the canal barges a hump back bridge was constructed and the road level was raised by 400mms to ease out the approach for carts.
Thus the two rooms had a wall now partly below ground level that became damp. For some reason, the ground surrounding the main lounge was also raised above floor level but here at least a vertical slate barrier was inserted.
None of the walls in the house had conventional damp-proof courses but remained remarkably dry. But had once transmitted dampness to floor timbers and skirtings, thus requiring the cutting of gaps between the different materials.
Naturally, when we first moved in, the electrical wiring was condemned as being obsolete, and this required the invasion of a gang from Mitchell's of Gloucester. So in some respects, layouts were hurriedly devised and required alteration in the light of use.
The fireplace in the lounge hall was a tiled cast iron Victorian design so I decided to remove it and search behind in the huge depth of structure. A great deal of dust and rubble was removed, revealing a large cavern that gradually reduced in size as it climbed to the chimney top.
I inserted a rough tray of concrete to take an outlet from a slow-burning stove, which immediately changed the character of the space, and by drawing across heavy curtains it became a snug with its black-painted wall linings giving extra insulation. This room had a level boarded floor and so was suitable for the upright piano.
Continued ......
Jack Hill, St Alban's, Hertfordshire, 2002
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