LATEST NEWS July, 2008

HILLSIDE HOUSE, WEELEY, ESSEX. BUILT 1858

(GRADE 2 LISTED)

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DATE OF VISIT: OCTOBER, 2000

BACK TO RESIDENTIAL INDEX

HISTORY & INTRODUCTION.........

IN 1856, MR. GORDON SMYTHIES COMMISSIONED THE CONSTRUCTION OF A HOUSE ON CLACTON ROAD, WEELEY. BY 1858 IT WAS COMPLETED AND MR. SMYTHIES HAD MOVED IN. NOTABLY, HIS WIFE WAS A POPULAR & PROLIFIC VICTORIAN NOVELIST. THE HOUSE WAS DESIGNED & BUILT IN THE "GOTHIC REVIVAL" STYLE -WHICH WAS A VERY POPULAR STYLE IN VICTORIAN TIMES (IF YOU COULD AFFORD IT!!) HILLSIDE HOUSE CHANGED OWNERS, AND WAS EXTENDED TO THE REAR TO ALMOST DOUBLE THE SIZE OF THE HOUSE. LOCALLY KNOWN AS "THE ADDAMS FAMILY HOUSE", IRONICALLY THE LAST OWNERS IN THE EARLY 1980's WERE THE ADDAMS!!! (YES REALLY). LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LAST OWNER OF HILLSIDE HOUSE, OR WHY THEY LEFT. SINCE THE 1980's THE HOUSE HAS BEEN ABANDONED AND LEFT TO FACE THE ELEMENTS & VANDALISM. I FIRST VISITED THIS HOUSE IN 1991 BUT DID NOT TAKE ANY PICTURES BEFORE PARTS OF THE HOUSE COLLAPSED. FROM WHAT I REMEMBER, IT HAD AN OPULANT INTERIOR, WITH WOOD PANELLING ON THE WALLS AND A GRAND STAIRCASE AND MANY FINE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES. ASTONISHINGLY, HILLSIDE HOUSE IS A GRADE 2 LISTED BUILDING, BUT NOT SUPRISINGLY LITTLE HAS BEEN DONE TO ENFORCE IT'S PROTECTION. OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, A NUMBER OF PLANNING APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED TO BUILD HOUSES WITHIN THE GROUNDS OF THE PROPERTY, AND EVEN TO CONVERT THE HOUSE INTO A NURSING HOME. AT THE TIME OF WRITING (MAY, 2007) THERE IS NO SIGN OF ANYTHING BEING DONE TO SAVE HILLSIDE HOUSE, SO IT CONTINUES TO DECAY, WITH IT'S CHIMNEYS AND BELL TOWER REFUSING TO SUCCUMB TO GRAVITY AS THE REST OF THE HOUSE GRADUALLY FALLS DOWN.

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