The Landsdowne Affair

Today started off dry and bright when the spaniel and I had our early morning walk but went rapidly downhill. When we came past the snowdrops the sun was shining. You wouldn't normally associate snowdrops with a heath landscape but we have drifts of them in the woods and around the old mill pond.

Until the late 1960's there were two cottages on the common. One was already in ruins the other ('Landsdowne') in a very poor state. Despite having no road access, no electricity or running water it was inhabited by an old lady. When she died plans were drawn up to put a road across the common, to demolish the cottage, put in water and electricity and to build a large house on the double plot. The plans were opposed over a number of years in what became known as the 'Landsdowne Affair'. Eventually a compromise was reached. The cottage and its garden were given over to the reserve in exchange for a piece of land of equal size on the edge of the village where a new house, of the same name, was built.

The original 'Landsdowne' cottage was demolished and almost all traces rapidly disappeared under scrub and trees. However, the midden still gives up some lovely old bottles from time to time and you can trace the old cottage garden because the snowdrops and daffodils come up in the spring and in the summer there are black and red currant bushes and a few roses.