No.45 Lattimores– private residence
Lattimores is Grade II listed and much older than it appears to be, with an interior timber frame parts of which may date from a late medieval hall house of the 16th century. The brick facade and parapet were added in the late 18th century. The chimney stack is mid 17th century. The front has three identical triple casements with Gothic top panes and an 18th century door with Tuscan pilasters and cornice and three stone steps. Today the front door is at the south end of the house. There was another house adjoining Lattimores at the southern end but this was demolished in the 1960s to make way for Granary Close. (i)
Lattimore House takes its name from a wealthy family of brewers, who lived there and ran the Hope brewery on Brewhouse Hill. The family also owned Owens Corner at Lower Gustard Wood.
We are not sure who owned and occupied it in 1753 but it may have been Mr Francis Childs and his brother John. By 1791 Anne Lattimore was the owner-occupier and William Lattimore followed her in about 1825.
The 1851 census (ii) shows William with his son William Higby Lattimore and his wife Ann Eliza and three grandchildren living at the address, with two resident servants. William Senior died in September 1851, so the 1861 census (ii) shows William Higby Lattimore and Ann with their four children living here. William Higby died in 1864, and Ann died in 1879. Their sons, George and Charles, and daughter Sophia carried on with the brewery until the late 1890s. The 1901 census records George F. Lattimore, a farmer, living here, as he was in the 1911 census(ii). George F. is George Francis Lattimore who may have been known as Frank and is the one remembered by Gilbert Smith. Gilbert recalled a Mr Frank Lattimore, gentleman farmer and brewer, who farmed at Nomansland, living in this house in about 1900(iii). George F. died on 10th March 1918.
The Electoral Registers (iv) show Frederick Wright living on the High Street from 1920 and at Lattimores from 1930. His entry in Kelly's Directory (v) shows him at the High Street from 1922-1938 and at Lattimores from 1941. Frederick ran Dyke Nurseries at the top of Wheathampstead Hill. His father Walter ran another Nursery at Gustard Wood. Frederick died while living at Lattimores on 28th November 1953 and his wife Frances in January 1954 (vi). His daughters (Freda) Marjorie and Margaret then sold Lattimores and built a bungalow (Barleybeans) in Marford Road. His daughter Margaret (Wright) made the 'Village Peepshow' film in 1948; it can be viewed on the East Anglian Film Archive website at http://www.eafa.org.uk/search.aspx#&&page=1&navid=&vonly=1&tagid=3135%2c%2c%2c&psize=10
From 1958-1967 Mr Eric Charles B. Mares and his wife Catherine and family lived at Lattimores.(viii) Their son Charles worked at the company Charles Mares Ltd. , a gentlemen’s outfitters, which had shops in St Albans and Luton.
Owners of Lattimores during the 1980s include Jenny Thornton, Christopher and Elizabeth Beauvoisin and Mr and Mrs Mackintosh. The current owners, Mr and Mrs Peter Holland, have owned Lattimores since about 1988.
Researcher: Susan Mary Brind (nee Sparshott)
References:
(i) Information taken from publication 'About Wheathampstead'.
(ii) England census 1851, 1861, 1901, 1911
(iii) Gilbert Smith's letter to Ruth Jeavons, April 1976
(iv) Electoral Registers
(v) Kelly's Directories 1922- 1941
(vi) Ancestry.co.uk
(vii) Ruth Jeavons article ‘Wheathampstead in 1901’
(viii) Telephone directories
