Goldings estate

Goldings Estate refers to a Grade II Listed country house and the surrounding land North of Hertford, Hertfordshire, England. Designed by George Devey (1820–1886) in the late 19th century.

Although little is known about Goldings before the 18th century, an estate has existed certainly since the Middle Ages. The original Goldings mansion was built about 1700 for Thomas Hall, Squire of Bengeo and was situated nearer the river than the current building and was built "of red brick, with rustic corners, and a pediment over the middle with stone balls, on the front and corners," The ancient Mansion was then purchased in 1770 by "a fine old English gentleman," (R. Emmott, Esq.) whose remains repose in the old Church at Bengeo.

19th century

In 1813, the mansion was sold to Samuel Smith and sometime afterwards it was demolished and replaced by a newer building in the same location, built of yellow brick, this was said to be after a fire. His son Samuel George lived at Goldings, followed by various tenants including Sir Minto Farquhar MP for Hertford, lived in Goldings. He was a supporter of legislation against the use of child chimney sweeps following the death in 1852 of a 7-year-old sweep in a Goldings kitchen chimney.In 1861, Robert Smith, Grandson of a Liberal MP and son of Able Smith a Liberal MP and Merchant Banker arrived to live at Goldings with his wife Isabel and young family. They found the local village in a run down state which consisted of three pubs, the centre of all the poaching in the neighbourhood. The village had no school and no church only a small Chapel. There was not one decent cottage in the village. The young Mrs Robert Smith declared "some of the people frighten me by the roughness of their manners." She was quite a remarkable women.

Philanthropy

Far from letting this faze them, the Smiths set about making it their work of life to improve the village of Waterford with its inhabitants of 250.

They set about by purchasing one of the pubs and turning it into a coffee tavern as Thomas Barnardo was to do many years later in 1872 with the Edinburgh Castle. Isabel Smith also at her expense hired a school mistress and started a small school for the local children. Mr. Robert Smith was seen most mornings being driven in his horse drawn carriage to Ware railway station where he would travel by steam train to London.

They then set about buying some of the old cottages so they could be pulled down and re-built. There are many kindnesses recorded, dinners were sent from the main house for two weeks for mothers who had just given birth in the village.Robert Able Smith was a fine example of the Victorian ideal of the local landowner. In 1869 Robert Smith, Esquire, at his sole cost, diverted the roads, so that a means of access was obtained from Hertford to Watton and Bramfield. Mr. R. Smith constructed nearly one mile of turnpike road, and further erected five very handsome and substantial bridges, which he dedicated to public use. The Hertfordshire Mercury described the new road “a great public improvement”.

The old high road, which used to run in front of the Mansion, and through the middle of what is now the Park, is diverted, and a new road commencing on the top of the hill in front of the House diverges in two directions. That to the right leads to the pretty Hamlet of Waterford, within the Parish of Bengeo, now formed into a separate Ecclesiastical district, where Mr. R. Smith, at his sole cost, erected a charming little Church, St Michael & All Angels in Waterford. He laid the foundation stone on 28th October 1871 the work was completed 1872 and the Church was consecrated on St Michaels day 25th July 1872

The current mansion

In the early 1870s the family decided to build a new house, (the current mansion) One deciding factor was Mrs Isabel Smith felt the river mist was not a benefit for good health for her young family. They also decide to rebuild the stable block with laid out flower gardens to the side. The new house would be farther away from the mists and dampness of the river. about 100 yards farther west, and on a more elevated site. The building is chiefly of red brick construction with white stone dressings, a gabled slate clad roof and castellated tower. The windows are metal framed casements with stone mullions. The mansion is arranged over 4 storeys with extensive cellarage. The style of the architecture being very late Jacobean, or perhaps of the period of Queen Anne. The architect that was charged with the design was George Devey whose style for country houses tended to be rambling, irregular, and with traces of Dutch and Tudor influence. Goldings is recorded as being the biggest house that George Devey had completed. The work was completed in 1877 and wife Isabel noted that it had turned out larger than they would have liked. The family and their descendants were to live at Goldings for nearly fifty years.

20th century

Following the deaths of Robert on 21st Oct 1894 and Isabel on the 16th Sept 1913, their son Major Reginald Abel Smith. J.P who had married Margaret Alice, Holland, on the 15th Oct 1885 had taken charge of Goldings. Then on 26th April 1902 Major Reginald Abel Smith. J.P died of smallpox along with their son Cyril Ralph Abel Smith. This left Goldings to another Reginald Abel Smith, a Grandson of the original owner Robert Smith. Reginald married Myrtle and inherited Goldings in 1913 along with the staff which consisted of a butler, three footmen, a housekeeper, a stillroom maid, three ladies maids, "two cooks, two kitchen maids, two scullery maids, an odd job man, a head gardener, six gardeners, a. Maintenance engineer and a brick layer. Twenty five in all.

World War I

Most large private Houses were used as hospitals for the wounded of the Great War. Mrs Reginald Abel Smith was reported in The Herts Advertiser of July 1916 to have 16 beds available for injured soldiers at Goldings to convalesce till after the war. Two years later in 1920 it was reported Myrtle had died. Goldings was empty most of the time and was the charge of Mr. Burbridge the Estate Bailiff who resided in Wych Elms cottage Goldings. In July 1920 Goldings was put up for auction along with most of Waterford and the surrounding area, with Messrs Knight, Frank and Rutley as the agents.

Dr Barnardo

Due to dealings with the late Dr. Thomas Barnardo the Abel Smith family sold Goldings in 1921 to Dr Barnardo Homes for the sum of £100,000 which had been set off in a loan, that by all accounts was never called in. Goldings became The William Baker Memorial Technical School, in honour of the late Honorary Director, Mr. William Baker, to commemorate the life‑work of a noble, unassuming Irish gentleman.

Goldings was officially re‑opened by the Prince of Wales in 1922 as The William Baker Memorial Technical School [ [http://www.goldonian.org Goldings WBTS Hertford ] ] . Two hundred and sixty Barnardo boys arrived at Goldings to live and study trades such as printing, bootmaking, carpentry and metal working.

The first meal was served in the new MacAndrew Dining Hall at Goldings on the afternoon of the 19th April 1922., This was erected through the generosity of a single donor as a memorial to a beloved husband by his widow and was completed along with a new ablution block before the boys from Stepney arrived.

Goldings at this time did not have its own Chapel so services where held in the new dinning hall. It was estimated the cost would be in the region of £8500.00 and it was hoped that someone, family or friends see fit to honour some one by donating a church in their lasting memory, one friend of Goldings has most generously donated £5000.00 towards the erection of a Chapel building to accommodate 350 boys

The chapel

The chapel was built to enable staff and pupils to worship without the walk into Hertford. The Architect Walter Godfrey of Wratten and Godfrey (1881- 1961) was articled to James Williams, successor to George Devey, who had designed the Goldings mansion in 1870. The new Chapel would be built of Red brick in English bond with blue diaper patterns on end elevations, limestone base and dressings, yellow sandstone windows, slated roof behind brick parapet with stone copings, and parapeted gables at ends, lower ends with Dutch profile, and octagonal turrets. Mixed free Gothic and Jacobean styles, as on the main house. Side elevations divided by buttresses into 6 bays, each with recessed 3-light 4 central arched windows with traceried cusped trefoil heads. Projecting porches with hipped and gabled roofs, stone mullioned windows, and semicircular arched doors. The foundation stone was laid by Mrs Burnett Smith, Deputy Mayoress of Hertford on the 28th June 1923.

The sick bay

When Goldings first opened it was reported as having, on the first floor, two admirable Sick Bays, facing south over the River Beane. It was soon realised a new building was needed away from the main house to allow the isolation of infections. The Sick Bay was donated to Dr. Barnardo's Goldings by Reginald Abel Smith in the memory of his grandfather Robert Smith who had built Goldings all those years ago. In 1929 the deeds for the land and buildings were signed over to Dr. Barnardo's.

World War II

The school remained at Goldings throughout World War II. Leslie Thomas wrote that the air raid shelter was unusable:

“so we were all instructed in the oddest sequence of air-raid precautions that anyone could have concocted in the entire war”

It was recommended that the boys bury their heads under their pillows when they heard the air raid warning. A watchman had the duty of doing a roof watch and would sound the fire alarm of an incoming bombing raid.

Notable events

1960 Tuesday 18th October Princess Margaret visits Goldings to open the new Mac Andrew wing. This was the long awaited modernisation of the dormitories.

1964 a new detached art room was built by the boys and staff alongside the path to the cricket field.

1965 Sir John Hunt opens the new school block opposite the gymnasium. It appeared to most that Goldings had a secure future while other Dr Barnardo's home were being closed.

Hertfordshire County Council

Goldings closed as a Dr. Barnardo's Home on 26th July 1967 after 45 years as Barnardo's decided to move away from using large homes and to placing children in smaller family units. Goldings was bought by Hertfordshire County Council in the same year and has been home to the Transportation service, and then The Shire Consultancy.

Recent events

Then some 30 years later The Hertfordshire Mercury reported that Cash strapped Hertfordshire County Council was to sell the Goldings Mansion to be converted into flats and the workers were transferred to more cost effective properties.

Goldings was sold for £2.8 The new owner is a property developer Mr Eugene Flannery of London-based Harinbrook properties, who plans to convert the buildings into private residential apartments.

Buildings at Goldings listed as being of special architectural or historical interest include the chapel, former stables, walls to the north garden and the millstone in the verge outside Goldings Park in North Road. Listed buildings consent is required for any work which would demolish, alter or extend these buildings.

References