This post has been created at the request of a reader who was concerned the Parish Council land making up part of The Square off Pump Hill in the centre of Parwich village is to be sold without any public consultation. At the March Parwich Parish Council meeting Item 14 “it was agreed to sell Pump Hill back to the previous owner for the sum of £1“. (This “previous owner” is not named in the minutes, but it is presumed this reference in the minutes is an error as the previous owners have no current connection to the village, see below.) The minutes make no mention of any conditions as to the future use of this land being specified as part of the sale.
This land, in front of Parwich Hall, was originally part of the Parwich Estate. Some time around the 1820s it was made into allotments for use by villagers. The 1843 Tithe Map refers to it as ‘gardens’. The estate was bought by Sir John Crompton-Inglefield in the 1930s. After World War II the allotments went out of use, and Lady Crompton-Inglefield had trees planted here to hide the separately owned garden at the south end of the land, in front of the former Shop, which was then being used to cure deer hides amongst other things.
After the sale of the bulk of the Parwich Estate in the 1970s, this land remained in the hands of Sir John’s heirs, one suspects on the speculation that restrictions on building here might someday be removed. Over a number of years Dorothy L gardened this land on a voluntary basis, and created a very attractive woodland garden, much enhancing this part of the village.
When it came up for auction in the early 2000s, the Village Action Group raised buying it with the then Parish Council. There was strong local support for protecting this land in the heart of the village against any future development. In the light of this a number of potential buyers agreed not to bid at the auction and the land was purchased by the Parish Council.
A number of options then were considered for this land, but local opinion was strongly in favour of Dorothy continuing to garden it for as long as she wished. She has now left the village.
What are your views on the future of this land?
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