5 Upton Park

Now known as Ravensworth but originally Portland Villa.

picture of no:5

Earliest history of plot 26

The OS surveys from the 1872 survey show no:5 to be a smaller half than no:7 and the property has been enlarged gradually over the years. Originally it appears to have had an enclosed yard overwhich there has been some house extension. The back bay appears to have been added to convert the back kitchen into a lounge while a new kitchen and subsequently a bathroom above occupy some of the former backyard.

An indenture dated 19 July 1870 conveyed the property to Mr Whitworth possibly as an absent landlord. The 1871 census records Miss Hilton as head of household.

By 1881 census the Bate family are recorded; still there in 1891.

The 1921 accounts show Mr Thomas Edwards and a sq yardage of 861.
By 1935 Mr S Moore still named as ratepayer in 1953 although it is understood that tenants resided at the house.
By 1958 Mrs Jackson

Conveyed on 9 Sept 1959 from Katherine Jackson to Julia (known as Jean) Birchall - of Belgian extraction. Jean was a buyer at Browns and her husband Willy was a bookie with the Duke of Westminster one of his clients. Carpets and curtains came from the Old Eaton Hall. After Willy's death in 1966, Julia Birchall had the house converted into two flats in 1967; the first floor flat then sold to William Dunstan Wilcox and Mary Parry Wilcox on 24 Aug 1968. Julia continued to live in the ground floor until her death on 6 Jul 1972. Dalzie Comyns was her executor.

The ground floor flat was on the market for many months until a chance remark from Ron Lloyd of no:28 to a teacher colleague at Ellesmere Port Boys Grammar that the house was a good buy. So conveyed on 30 Apr 1973 to Biology teacher Ellis Gareth Jones - later Deputy Head at the same school.

William Wilcox died in Dec1971 and Mary in Mar 1986. Gareth then bought the first floor flat on 14 Jul 1986 from their estate. Gareth then sold the property as a whole in 1997 to the current incumbents. So ended the 20+ year era of seeing various MGBGT and other sportscars parked in the drive.

Currently the home of Andrew and Susan Creeth and family (Josie & David) since Dec 1997.



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