Old Cottages next to the school in Shrivenham

This listing concerns an area along High Street, Shrivenham, very close to the school. There were many more cottages along the high street than there is today and occasionally it's possible to either get a description of what the missing ones looked like, or better still an image. Here you can see an aerial photograph that highlights the area concerned, and the buildings that stand there today. The following two photos show the modern buildings after they had just been built and the cottages that they replaced.

We also have a document in the form of a conveyance, which gives us a clue as to the date when the cottages were demolished and the new buildings erected. 

The Indenture concerns firstly, Sarah Knapp (Widow). The Knapps were a well-known family of Shrivenham throughout the 19th century, as both landowners and builders. In the document we learn that Sarah originally purchased the cottages and land from Amariah Fairthorne in the year 1900. She then demolished the cottages and replaced them with four new buildings that remain today. The indenture deals with the sale of a piece of land at this location to Jospeh Knapp. Note: On the map attached to the indenture, there is mention of the Head Teacher, Mr Causer. This must have been added at a much later date when the land was being acquired by the school.

From this document we are able to ascertain that the cottages were demolished in 1900 - 1901 and the new buildings were erected in 1901 - 1904.

Info collated by Neil B. Maw