Notes on the History of 23 and 25, Ridge Hill.

Information was obtained from Peter Shaw, now the owner of 25 Ridge Hill.

These houses were built on land earlier forming part of the garden of a house in Clarence St. (Sydney House). The whole plot was a garden with vegetables in 1840 according to the Tithe Map, plot No. 475, owned by Sir J.H. Seale and leased to Mr. John Colton. The 1844 Pigot’s Directory shows John Colton of Clarence St., tailor.

By 1868 the Clarence St. house was owned by Hugh Mair of Phyllis Court, Henley-on-Thames, having been purchased from previous owners William Stevens and his widow Sarah Stevens.

On 28 Nov. 1868 the Clarence St. house was conveyed to John H. Hurrell, tailor for £200 and on 6 Sept. 1869 the garden extending to Ridge Hill was also conveyed to John Hurrell for £90. Witnesses to these indentures were W.L.Hockin and J.Stevenson respectively. The garden plot measured 55½ feet along Ridge Hill and 77½ feet back from the road; the plot on Ridge Hill to the east (now 17-19) was owned by a Mr.Smith. John Hurrell was Mayor of Dartmouth in 1876/77.

In 1868 the plot in Clarence St. was bounded on N. (the garden plot) by land of Hugh Mair, occupied by James Ford; on E. by house/garden of Charles Seale-Hayne, occupied by John Tincombe; on S. by Clarence St.; and on W. by Trustees of Dartmouth Corporation, leased to John Hurrell.

In 1888 John Hurrell retired and moved to Kingsdown, Bristol. The house and garden up to Ridge Hill were sold by auction at Emmetts Queens Hotel (Smith St.) by Lovell & Son on 25 Oct. 1888, to James Charles Dawe, steward on HMS Britannia, for £400. This was confirmed by an indenture on 14 Nov. 1888, witnessed by Sophia Lilley of Mt. Pleasant, Brixham, and subject to tenancy of the Clarence St. house by George Love. The vendor’s solicitor was Robert Walter Prideaux.

James Dawe built the houses at Ridge Hill, then called nos. 1 and 2 Ridgeway Villas by 1889. No. 1 was mortgaged to John Stephens and No.2 to Miss Susanna Rushen for £900 on 25/3/1899. On 13/4/1904 after Miss Rushen’s death, the mortgages on No.1 and No. 2 were redeemed and the freehold ownership of both reverted to James Dawe. (witnessed by Philip Hockin solicitor).

Kelly’s Directory 1910 gives Rev. H.D.Wright, Chaplain BRNC occupying ‘Portelli’, and Mrs. Matty letting apartments at ‘Ridge Hill House’.

James Dawe lived at Seafield, Mount Boone in 1908 as a retired confectioner. He died on 28/11/1914 and by his will left 1 and 2 Ridgeway Villas (then called ‘Portelli’ and ‘Ridge Hill House’) in trust to his wife Rachel for life and then to his sons Charles Henry Dawe caterer and confectioner, Herbert James Grandin Dawe mineral water manufacturer, and his daughter Rachel Mabel Dawe. James Dawe also owned a house and shop in Clarence St., the Criterion Restaurant on the Quay, and a Bakehouse at Hawkes Slip. In 1908 Ridge Hill House was occupied by a Mr. Moorson of BRNC and Portelli by Rev. Dixon Wright. The sons were charged to support their sister with £60 pa. each, but this charge was cancelled on 18/11/1915 by mutual consent.

The Dawes mortgaged their houses to the London Joint City and Midland Bank on 22/11/1915, later redeemed on 1/7/1919. At this stage Portelli and the shop in Clarence St. were conveyed by the Trustees to Herbert Dawe alone on 4/7/1919. Apparently Ridge Hill House was given to Charles Dawe about the same time.

In 1921 (4//7/1921) Portelli was sold to John Green of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire for £1,150, with a right of way down the path to Clarence St. to which Charles Dawe at Ridge Hill House also had a right. The conveyance was witnessed by Arthur M. Davson, solicitor.

Next, on 6/12/1924 Portelli was sold to John D. Hawke Esq. for £1,125, and then on 25/3/1926 sold again to W.G. Douglas Conway, bank manager of Dartmouth, for £1,500. This was witnessed by Robertson Owen.

In 1930 the houses were numbered 23 and 25 Ridge Hill. On 21 March 1945 No. 23 (‘Portelli’, later renamed ‘South Lodge’) was sold by Mr. Conway, then of Gloucester to Caroline Hanson of ‘Syndal’, Dartmouth (later called Swinnerton Lodge and Summerhill, Kingston Lane) for £1,200.

On 12 August 1948 No. 23, now renamed ‘Portelli’, was sold again by Mrs. Hanson, then of Bideford to Miss Ella M. Kirkpatrick for £1,700. Soon afterwards on 26 March 1949 it was sold to James L. Farmer insurance broker of London for £1,750.

In August 1962 the title to No.23 was registered by the Land Registry as owned by Mrs. Stella L. Veal. No. 23 was split into two self-contained maisonettes in 1964. On 5/3/1965 the upper maisonette, comprising the 2^nd and 3^rd floors, was leased for 999 years by Mrs. Veal to Mrs. Mabel M. Featherstone of Cranbrook, Kent for £2,800. It seems that Mrs. Veal later married again and became Mrs. S.L.Davies.

The next owner of No. 23 was Mrs. Eleanor M. Brocklehurst, registered on 28/9/1967, who bought the freehold for £4,000 subject to the lease of the upper maisonnette. She died on 7/6/1977, and then Mr. and Mrs. Jack Tattersall were registered owners on 24/10/1977.

In July 1985 planning permission was given to Mr. and Mrs. Tattersall for alterations to 23 Ridge Hill, to convert a kitchen to a garage.

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