The Heyworth Family (Bradwell Grove Estate)
Colonel Heyworth-Savage was almost the last of his family to be called by that surname. His son, who was born in 1896 retained the complete surname until his marriage in 1922, when for personal reasons, the “Savage” was dropped. He was called simply Reginald Heyworth, and was Commander of the 1st Royal Dragoons. Sadly, he was killed in action in 1941 during the North African campaign. Reginald had a son, born in 1925, called John Heyworth. This gentleman, who became High Sheriff of Oxfordshire like his grandfather before him, is the present owner of the estate.
Bradwell Grove Hospital
At the end of the war, the Colonel agreed to lease out the now empty hospital, and for two years it became the home of the band of the Royal Marines. A newspaper article on the subject of the band school, commenting on the relative isolation of the buildings, says “they could blow their trumpets fit to wake the dead- there isn’t a soul to hear them for miles around.” The Marines were only here as a temporary post war placement, and they left in 1947 to go back to their own rebuilt quarters at Mildenhall. The Bradwell Grove Hospital buildings were left empty for a short time. Colonel Heyworth Savage died in 1948, and the burden of death duties fell on his heirs. The hospital buildings were leased for use as an institution for “mental defectives”, supervised originally by the Wiltshire Health Authority. The hospital had permission to take up to 400 patients, but for most of the time had a little over 200 patients, and a staff of 230, recruited in part from the Carterton area. Originally, the patients were largely middle-aged men, but later, women and children also lived at the hospital. In 1950, the Heyworth family moved out of the main house into another smaller property on the estate, which had formerly been occupied by the land agent. (The Estate Office is on the same site.) The vacated mansion, some outbuildings, some land off the Shilton Road and one cottage were leased (in addition to the hospital and its grounds) in 1951 and again in 1957 to the Ministry of Health for use mainly as accommodation for hospital staff. The leasing arrangements for the hospital, mansion and other property could be reviewed every seven years, and the lease was due to expire in 1987. (By 1958 the hospital had passed under the supervision of the Oxfordshire Board.) A certain number of houses next to what is now the Caravan Park were also built for staff, some of which Mr Heyworth retrieved in 1983 and which were then sold privately. Some of the houses, however, still belong to the Estate.
The first psychologist to work at the hospital was appointed in 1975, and he was joined by a number of therapists and teachers. A schoolroom for the children was established, which was managed by the Health Authority, but financed by the Local Education Authority. Outside, the hospital looked unappealing, despite being well maintained, and an account in 1976 talks of cold draughty corridors indoors. However, the wards themselves were warm and bright, and especially in the latter years of the hospital, the regime was very enlightened. Mr Norman James who was the head Gardener at the main house also looked after the hospital grounds. Judging by the beautiful trees still surviving on the site, and isolated vestiges of cultivated gardens, the grounds must have been very attractive and were surely extremely well maintained. There was also a sports field and a playground for the children. Nevertheless, the place was very isolated- visitors had a long walk from the nearest bus stop, and many patients were totally cut off from their families and friends. By 1977, the closure of the hospital was being discussed, because of the temporary nature of the buildings, the difficulty of maintenance and the remoteness of the site. Finding sufficient staff had proved a problem- a situation summed up in a wooden plaque said to hang on a wall in the staff room, which read, “You don’t have to be mad to work here- but if you are it helps.
The hospital for the mentally handicapped finally closed in 1986, but the Burford Cottage Hospital then used the empty wards as temporary accommodation for a brief period whilst refurbishment took place at the Sheep Street building. The lease ran out in 1987, and the site should have returned to being farmland. In the leasing agreement of 1957, the Ministry of Health had undertaken to “ carry out all works necessary to level, restore and make good the whole of the sites…. To first class grasslands suitable for agricultural purposes.” The lease did go on to say that if this was not possible, a financial package should be agreed. This is what eventually happened. The hospital site was deemed unsuitable for agriculture because of the mass of buildings, concrete pathways and the large quantity of asbestos, which had been used in the construction of the original army buildings. The hospital then lay partially derelict .But it was used for some years as a dog training centre for and from time to time the police would practise procedures such as riot control on the site. For the most part, however, it became a home for rabbits and rats, often used by travellers and gypsies until moved on.
Bradwell Village
Since the hospital area could never be returned to use as farmland, Mr Heyworth would have liked to obtain development permission from the Local Council to build. It soon became clear however that the Council would never agree, so eventually in 1995, the land was sold to London based property developers, Wates. They did nothing on the site for over 2 years. Then permission was obtained to build a Retirement Home, a Village Hall complex and houses for retired and elderly people in a style and using materials consistent with existing Cotswold architecture.
The project commenced, but whilst the Home was finished and occupied and the exterior of the communal building was completed, the houses did not sell well. Ownership of the site passed through the hands of a middleman and eventually to Prowtings, who applied for and obtained planning permission to build a range of houses and cottages in Cotswold stone designed to suit all age groups. This recipe proved to be successful, and the houses sold well. The last of the 140 properties were finished in summer 2001.
The Home has passed from its original ownership to the Elizabeth Finn Trust. Its clients include several elderly former Burford residents. The accommodation is very good, and includes both private and communal rooms. There is a high quality nursing service for unwell and disabled residents, as well as lovely sitting rooms, a dining room serving excellent cuisine, and a chapel. The central village building has a variety of facilities with the potential to become the hub of village life, offering a wide range of facilities and recreational opportunities for the residents of the new Bradwell Village.
Author : Muriel Pilkington 2001
Many thanks to Muriel for letting us reproduce extracts from her fuller history of our village, which was first published in Bradwell Life magazine.
updated 06/03/2008 mfe