Cecily Hill

For years all the displays on this row of houses in Cirencester were done voluntarily by a lady called Estelle although I am unsure if she still does them but they still look good.
The row built in 1802 was called the Tontine Buildings because apparently the local landowner, Lord Bathurst, won them in a Tontine. A group of shareholders clubbed together to buy an investment, such as a property, and shared the income. But there was a twist: the shareholders couldn’t sell their shares, and when they died, their shares passed to the other shareholders. The last surviving shareholder was very fortunate, inheriting the entire scheme.