Timsbury community website

Facilities, groups, parish council and business information for the village of Timsbury, near Bath

Smaller buildings

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View further information on each of the older smaller buildings in Timsbury.

The Guss and Crook was formerly called The New Inn until the mid 1970s. The building dates from at least 1784. In 1840 it was an inn owned by the Manor Company  and run by Eliza Nuth. In 1851 William Moore is the landlord. In addition to being an inn it was used for auctions and inquests during the 19th century.
Sleight Farm
Sleight Farm commands wide ranging views of the countryside around the village. Sleight Farm has an interesting history. One story relates to the son of the lord of the manor who married below his ‘station’ and was banished to live on the Sleight in the ‘dower’ house. It is a Grade II listed building.
The Church Room (The Legion)
The Church Room (now The Legion) – The Legion used to be located at The Hut on South Road but swapped with The Church Room in 1966.
The Laurels was formerly the home of Dr Crook who used the house as a surgery before the present surgery being built in St Mary’s Close. In 1784 there is no building on the site. It is a field set to pasture owned by John Flower. By the 1840 Tithe Map a building exists, called Laura Cottage and it is described a dwelling house, offices and garden. The owner is Joseph Langford and is occupied by William Collins.
In the 1861 Kelly’s Directory, Henry Fear is mentioned as running an Academy in the building. The 1871 Census lists the boarders: Charles Brooks aged 10 from Exeter, Roger Mayne aged 8 from Bitton, James Wyatt aged 7 from Thornbury, Elizabeth Parfitt aged 13 from Priston and Ada Rolf aged 8 from Taunton. The master and mistresss were Henry and Alice Fear. It is still listed in 1889. The 1872 Directory still describes it as Laura Cottage. By the time of 1884 OS map the building is described as The Laurels.
In 1897 the building is no longer an academy and becomes the home and surgery for a series of medical practioners – first Frank Wood MRCS then in 1902 David Hamilton Livingstone FRCS. In 1906 Thomas Whitwell Sewell Morgan MRCS is in place; he was interested in birds and used to keep peacocks. In the 1914 Kelly’s Directory Dr Bevir is in residence at The Laurels. By 1935 it is Dr Bertram Crook who becomes the resident doctor and continued until 1973 when The Laurels closed as a medical surgery.
Fields south of the village
Bartholomew Row consists of five cottages. No. 1 probably built much later than the other four which are pre-1784. Built of natural stone and having a pleasant southerly view. The buildings were owned by Bartholomew Smith in the late 18th and early 19th century, hence the name.
The Old School was built in 1830 as a National School. There is a sign saying erected and supported by public subscriptions. It is built in natural stone with a slate roof. It remained a school until 1970 when it transferred to the former secondary school building in Crocombe.
Church Cottage is one of the oldest buildings in Timsbury and was built before 1784.
Radford Mill
Radford Mill was run by the Collins family for many years. The mill house was built (or rebuilt) in stone in 1706, but the adjacent water mill had already been in operation by a member of the Collins family certainly since 1611.
View looking east along North Road with Tabor Farm on the left.
Tabor Farm is the oldest building on North Road. It was built early in the 18th Century. The southern front was taken down and rebuilt in 1898, but the remainder of the building is original.
The Temperance Hall was built in 1844 of natural stone with slate roof,  by the Temperance Movement. Later it became the base for the St. Johns Ambulance. The cottage  adjoining was built for the caretaker.
Crock Barton was originally four houses in a short, uniform terrace built in the 18th century. It is now two houses off Rectory Lane.
Timsbury House Lodge
The Lodge in Church Lane was built circa 1650 and is the old porter’s dwelling that is at the entrance to the now lost Timsbury House mansion of Tudor origin. This was the seat of the Somerset Samborne family who owned much of the surrounding land.
Bridges' the Shoemaker in Rectory Lane
Rectory Lane is a row of houses built of natural White Lias stone, the eastern part pre-dates 1784. Some of the buildings used to be shops. Rectory Lane used to be known as Back Lane.
Holbrook's on Maggs Hill
The Holbrook family ran a shop on the corner of Bakers Parade and at the bottom of Maggs Hill. They also owned the bake house in Bakers Parade. Charles Abbott then ran the bakers shop which also sold sweets, tobacco, fancy goods and toys. It is first recorded as Abbotts in 1923.
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