Chesterhill House

Chesterhill House

Chesterhill House

Chesterhill House stands on the back road to Tayport which goes over the hill via Inverdovat Farm and Washer Willy’s. It’s an impressive building with its square tower and parapets, and in the grounds behind the house is a beautiful and most unusual listed walled garden. The house probably dates from the 1870s, but it was built then on the site of an earlier house which was probably destroyed by fire. The walled garden certainly pre-dates the present house.


Justfield

The Walled Garden from the Tower

Until around 1850 the property was known as Justfield, a reference to the Just family who lived here in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Many members of this family built much of West Newport.

The Cliff

According to census returns, by the late 19th century it was very often occupied by prosperous businessmen with their large families and servants. In these early years, before the fire, the property was known as Cliff Terrace, then later the Cliff or Cliffs, presumably an acknowledgement of the steep ground to the rear of the house. Confusingly, until then, the much smaller house over the road which is now referred to as Washer Willy’s, was named Chesterhill. (The actual Chester Hill is in fact the high ground on the other side of the road.)

The Berry family

Chesterhill HouseIn the early 1900s the house was bought by the Berry family of Tayfield, and soon after that the name was changed to Chesterhill. Also around this time, a large extension, designed by Robert Lorimer, was added to the house, clearly seen in this photograph. One of the brothers in the family, Robert, was injured during the World War I, and he then lived at Chesterhill until the 1950s. Before the war, he had worked in India as a railway engineer, and as a reminder of this, the wrought iron gates at Chesterhill had the symbol of the Indian Railways worked into the design.

A Much-Loved Horse

In the grounds there is a grave-stone for a much-loved horse named Robin Hood. Robin belonged to Colonel and Mrs Soote who lived here in the 1890s and he had served with Lieutenant Colonel Soote on various army campaigns in the 14th Regiment. The inscription on the stone reads as follows:

Here lies Robin Hood, a much made of horse by both his mistress and master. He was for many years charger (and looked as well as the best) to Lieut Col JP Soote when he was major in the 14th regt. One of his last duties was to take Col and Mrs Soote to and from Forgan Church on October 6th 1895. It was their last drive together as though Mrs Soote was then even extra well, next day she turned ill. Was never out of the house again and God called her from the troubled waves of this world on November 28th 1895.

Newport’s only bomb during World War II landed very close to the property, causing some damage. On the evening of 19 November 1940 a high explosive device landed in the woods to the east of Chesterhill House, close to the road. The cottage over the road was wrecked and windows in Chesterhill House and Lodge were broken. The crater can still be seen, just over the wall from the road.

Chesterhill now under restoration

The Future

In recent years Chesterhill had fallen into a serious state of disrepair. It’s excellent to know that both the house and the grounds are now under restoration.

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