by Alan H J Green
Every week I make a trawl of eBay to see whether any items of Chichester interest might be lurking that could prove to be worthy additions to the ‘Grumpium’ collections. Recently I found – and won – the sales particulars for the first stage of the East Broyle Estate.
The East Broyle Estate was developed in the 1960s and early 70s by the Romford Finance and Development Co on the former East Broyle Farm which had been sold by the Henty family. It had a long and painful birth owing to continual planning disputes with Chichester Corporation: the first (rejected) planning application was made in 1960 and when construction finally started it took over 10 years to complete. You can read the full sorry saga in my Chichester in the 1960s book.
These particulars comprise a card wallet containing 10 individual documents which furnished prospective purchasers with a layout of the first three roads, floor plans of the houses and artists impressions of what they would look like, specifications for the materials and a price list. The only document in the wallet to carry a date is the specification which is dated 1964. Interestingly the 1964 Kelly’s Directory carries no entry for East Broyle but the next one (1966) does for the three roads in question which ties in with a 1964 start.
What was on offer?
The estate agents were Hilbery Chaplin & Co of Romford, Essex, doubtless handy for the developer but not for purchasers; one would have expected Chichester agents such as Stride & Son or Wyatt to have handled the matter. The wallet boasted that ‘distinctive features to all houses’ included gas central heating, polished teak flooring fitted kitchens, metal-framed windows in timber surrounds, ‘quality sanitary ware in colour’ and decoration to the purchaser’s choice. Curiously, although the houses all have eight rooms only four radiators were to be provided!
The map shews the entrance to the estate off St Paul’s Road and the first three residential roads. They are not named but would become Canterbury Close, Winchester Drive and the first stage of Norwich Road. The building plots are numbered and a schedule lists what type of house would be built on each, all of which were variations on detached and semi-detached designs. All had three bedrooms but only one bathroom – the current, extravagant, fad for having as many bathrooms as bedrooms was a long way off.
What did it cost?
For an example of what it would cost for your brand-new house on a brand-new estate, in 1964 look at plots 25 and 26 at the far end of Winchester Drive where a pair of semis was to be built. Plot 25 was to be a type HB3 and 26 a type HB1. The cost of the house on Plot 25 was £4645 plus an extra £185 if a garage was required. The deposit was £465 and a 25-year mortgage weighed in at £27 7s 0d per month. Plot 26, having smaller grounds, was only £4595.
On the other hand, if you fancied something detached, Plot 1 in Canterbury Close would host a type HC1 house priced at £5400 (the dearest one – but it did come with a garage) requiring a deposit of £540 and monthly mortgage payments of £31-16s-0d.
Envoi
The East Broyle estate was eventually completed in 1975 and its spacious layout meant that the houses were ripe for extensions and the first planning application for such was made in November 1967 for No 9 Worcester Road. The £4645 asking price for the house on lot 25 equates, at today’s prices, to £78,725 – probably not a bad investment considering that at the time of writing a detached house on Worcester Road was on the market for £565,000!
The chance of these rather flimsy but important documents having survived intact was rather remote, so I was delighted to be able save them for the princely sum of £10. I was the only bidder.
Is this the Henty farm that was owned by James Henty who went on to become a politician in Australia?
You are indeed correct that the estate was built on East Broyle Farm, owned by the Henty family, who sold it to the Romford Finance & Development Co in 1960. I cannot however confirm whether it was James of that ilk who made the conveyance on behlf of the Hentys. Hope this helps – even if only partly. Response by Alan Green
Bravo, Alan. Such interesting documents yet so easily lost.