Fountain Of Information (Part Three)
By 1887 the Norbiton Park Hotel was deeply embedded in New Malden society. Trading for twenty years, it was the headquarters and starting point for the Malden Harriers running team, and the headquarters for the village cricket team (Malden Wanderers). The hotel was also the base for the local lodge of the Oddfellows Society, and the local Working Men’s Conservative Association. It was commonplace to arrive at the Hotel midweek to find one of the spacious rooms used as an auction house and filled with bedsteads, chests of drawers, pianos, carpets and chandeliers. Catalogues were also made available for livestock auctions from the local farms. A particular point of sale was Blagdon Stud Farm, where Mr Clement Keevil earned an enviable reputation for breeding magnificent Shire Horses, This, together with the regular auctions of building plots in the area, made the hotel a popular rendezvous for all branches of society.
There was even a meeting held at the Hotel to consider the formation of a local golf club. This would have been on a course laid out close to Malden College on land now covered by Haddon Close, Chatsworth Gardens, Woodfield Gardens and the Cromwell Avenue Open Space. Although it was agreed that a club be formed, nothing came of the idea. Golf was only to come to the area more than 10 years later with the formation of Coombe Wood GC.
Dangerous profession
The hazards of being landlord even in a place like New Malden continued. Charles Airey, a labourer of no fixed abode, but hailing from Wimbledon was charged with assaulting Mr Radford at the Hotel knocking him out. It had taken nearly a year for the case to come to court, and Mr Airey was actually arrested while trying to apologize to Radford. This was all the landlord wanted, but because of the arrest, it had to go to court. Obviously, Airey pleaded guilty, and was fined 1 guinea (£1 5pence). Radford was also assaulted by George Robinson a bookmaker who lived at Avenue Lodge which stands at the junction of Avenue Road and Cambridge Road. Robinson threw a bottle and two iron match stands. Fortunately, the stands missed but the bottle hit Radford on his side, no doubt causing some degree of bruising. Robinson’s language was disgusting, and he refused to leave the premises, but by the time the police arrived, he had surprisingly fled! He was fined £5 6shillings and sixpence (£5 32½ p).
The early 1890s also saw the start of New Malden being included on some of the coaching routes out of London. “The Magnet” operated by Mr Christmas started its journey from the hotels in Northumberland Avenue and travelled south to Reigate, changing horses at the Norbiton Park Hotel. The journey each way took three hours, and the return cost was 15 shillings (75 pence) with half a crown 12½ pence extra (each way) if you wanted to occupy a box seat. Hiring the whole coach (12 seats) would cost 8 guineas £8-40pence. Various other coaches passed through Malden in the following years including the “Shamrock” and “Defiance” culminating with the Venture driven by Mr Vanderbilt, all changed horses at the Norbiton Park Hotel providing an interesting sight for the locals. Small boys were known to hitch a ride on the back of the carriage for a short distance.
After several days illness, and contracting pneumonia John Radford died at the Hotel on Monday 3rd December 1893 aged 62, the funeral was an important affair involving a transparent hearse followed by many private carriages and preceded by twenty members of the oddfellows, who walked ahead of the coffin to the cemetery at Bonner Hill. Ten days later the hotel’s licence was transferred to Emma his widow.
Back in the old routine
Life went on at the Hotel, the Malden Harriers reformed after a couple of years dormant using the hotel as its base, and Mrs Radford seemed to have coped quite well with the routine of smoking concerts and dinners together with the regular clientele, but it must have been difficult for her when she had to cater for a cricket match played at the Wanderers ground in Burlington Road between the married and single men of the village which attracted over 200 spectators. For the sake of recording history, the single men were triumphant.
A major local event in 1894 which ultimately had a profound effect on the Norbiton Park Hotel, was the building and opening of the original cattle trough and drinking fountain, practically in front of its main entrance (see Fountain Of Youth VV May 2010). A pedestrian refuge now marks the spot, and the edifice ultimately led to the change of name to The Fountain Hotel in 1929.
On 25th February, Emma Radford the landlady of the Hotel married George Henry Edwin Morgan a coachbuilder who worked in Kingston, but lived in Derby Villas Malden Road. These villas are/were a row of houses which stretched from the junction of Kingston Road to roughly where Pengillys is in the High Street, although there were originally sixteen, there are only four remaining today.
More building land was being auctioned off at the hotel, particularly on the Kingston Road which was still comparatively empty near to where Dunbar Road was to be built. Other parts of Malden were still quite rural. The new landlord of the Hotel (Mr Morgan) liked a bit of fishing, so when he heard that Mr Kent the proprietor of the pottery works in Blagdon Road was going to drain a small pond on his premises, he asked whether he could fish there first. It proved successful as he and some friends caught several roach, some chub, and a jack which must have survived from when the pond was part of the Blagdon Farm estate.
Unfortunately, sporadic outbursts of disorder still occurred. Mr George Dicker who was drinking alone in the public bar reading his newspaper, was seized upon and thrown through a glass door cutting his wrist. The assailant was a 42-year-old cab driver Peter Foote who with others, was celebrating in the saloon bar, the capture of Pretoria by the British in South Africa during the Boer War. Dicker was accused of being unpatriotic by not standing when “God Save The Queen” was sung, and his hat was forcibly removed. When Dicker objected, he was given two black eyes and forcibly marched outside through the glass door by Foote. Foote was fined £15, and sent to prison for one day, but this would be extended to a month if he did not pay. The hotel was renowned for its patriotism and when victory came in 1902 a marquee was erected on the lawn and a large crowd gathered to celebrate the news.
Death in the family
The hotel mourned the death of Queen Victoria in February 1901 when Mr Morgan draped the windows with purple and white ribbons, and a wreath of ivy tied with a bow of purple ribbon hung on the door of the entrance. The flag outside the stable was at half-mast. Unfortunately, the year also saw the death of George Morgan, Emma’s second husband and landlord of the Hotel aged 36. He, like his predecessor, was buried in Kingston Cemetery, his mother who died two months later was interred in the same grave.
Later in the year it was announced that the new tramway system to be operated by London United Tramways Company would have stops close to the Hotel on the route to and from Kingston, in fact a terminus would be built until the line could be extended to Wimbledon. This would bring added custom into the Hotel, although they were resigned to losing a small piece of land to the laying of the track.
During 1901/02 there was a major outbreak of smallpox in the London area. While mainly occurring north of the river, there were no physical barriers to the spread of the disease. So, when the driver of a vehicle carrying an infected passenger from Teddington to Cheam Hospital, stopped and went inside the hotel for a drink, suspicions were aroused. The vehicle (which was not an ambulance) carrying the unfortunate patient was left outside with the windows up and doors closed, but it soon attracted the attention of passers-by including children. The driver stayed for just one drink, but freely mixed with other customers. The patient subsequently died, and the driver was charged with the crime of exposure as a danger to the public, for which he was fined £3 or a month’s hard labour. Mrs Morgan and her staff were re-inoculated, and the other customers were advised to follow suit.
Most customers are welcome most of the time, while some customers are welcome some of the time.
Third time lucky
The Malden Wanderers last smoking concert of the year 1902 held at the hotel saw the first appearance of John Randall Burroughes a former schoolteacher from Norfolk with a very pleasant singing voice. He was to become the third husband of Emma Radford/Morgan on 15th November, and the new landlord of the Norbiton Park Hotel.
By 1887 the Norbiton Park Hotel was deeply embedded in New Malden society. Trading for twenty years, it was the headquarters and starting point for the Malden Harriers running team, and the headquarters for the village cricket team (Malden Wanderers). The hotel was also the base for the local lodge of the Oddfellows Society, and the local Working Men’s Conservative Association. It was commonplace to arrive at the Hotel midweek to find one of the spacious rooms used as an auction house and filled with bedsteads, chests of drawers, pianos, carpets and chandeliers. Catalogues were also made available for livestock auctions from the local farms. A particular point of sale was Blagdon Stud Farm, where Mr Clement Keevil earned an enviable reputation for breeding magnificent Shire Horses, This, together with the regular auctions of building plots in the area, made the hotel a popular rendezvous for all branches of society.
There was even a meeting held at the Hotel to consider the formation of a local golf club. This would have been on a course laid out close to Malden College on land now covered by Haddon Close, Chatsworth Gardens, Woodfield Gardens and the Cromwell Avenue Open Space. Although it was agreed that a club be formed, nothing came of the idea. Golf was only to come to the area more than 10 years later with the formation of Coombe Wood GC.
Dangerous profession
The hazards of being landlord even in a place like New Malden continued. Charles Airey, a labourer of no fixed abode, but hailing from Wimbledon was charged with assaulting Mr Radford at the Hotel knocking him out. It had taken nearly a year for the case to come to court, and Mr Airey was actually arrested while trying to apologize to Radford. This was all the landlord wanted, but because of the arrest, it had to go to court. Obviously, Airey pleaded guilty, and was fined 1 guinea (£1 5pence). Radford was also assaulted by George Robinson a bookmaker who lived at Avenue Lodge which stands at the junction of Avenue Road and Cambridge Road. Robinson threw a bottle and two iron match stands. Fortunately, the stands missed but the bottle hit Radford on his side, no doubt causing some degree of bruising. Robinson’s language was disgusting, and he refused to leave the premises, but by the time the police arrived, he had surprisingly fled! He was fined £5 6shillings and sixpence (£5 32½ p).
The early 1890s also saw the start of New Malden being included on some of the coaching routes out of London. “The Magnet” operated by Mr Christmas started its journey from the hotels in Northumberland Avenue and travelled south to Reigate, changing horses at the Norbiton Park Hotel. The journey each way took three hours, and the return cost was 15 shillings (75 pence) with half a crown 12½ pence extra (each way) if you wanted to occupy a box seat. Hiring the whole coach (12 seats) would cost 8 guineas £8-40pence. Various other coaches passed through Malden in the following years including the “Shamrock” and “Defiance” culminating with the Venture driven by Mr Vanderbilt, all changed horses at the Norbiton Park Hotel providing an interesting sight for the locals. Small boys were known to hitch a ride on the back of the carriage for a short distance.
After several days illness, and contracting pneumonia John Radford died at the Hotel on Monday 3rd December 1893 aged 62, the funeral was an important affair involving a transparent hearse followed by many private carriages and preceded by twenty members of the oddfellows, who walked ahead of the coffin to the cemetery at Bonner Hill. Ten days later the hotel’s licence was transferred to Emma his widow.
Back in the old routine
Life went on at the Hotel, the Malden Harriers reformed after a couple of years dormant using the hotel as its base, and Mrs Radford seemed to have coped quite well with the routine of smoking concerts and dinners together with the regular clientele, but it must have been difficult for her when she had to cater for a cricket match played at the Wanderers ground in Burlington Road between the married and single men of the village which attracted over 200 spectators. For the sake of recording history, the single men were triumphant.
A major local event in 1894 which ultimately had a profound effect on the Norbiton Park Hotel, was the building and opening of the original cattle trough and drinking fountain, practically in front of its main entrance (see Fountain Of Youth VV May 2010). A pedestrian refuge now marks the spot, and the edifice ultimately led to the change of name to The Fountain Hotel in 1929.
On 25th February, Emma Radford the landlady of the Hotel married George Henry Edwin Morgan a coachbuilder who worked in Kingston, but lived in Derby Villas Malden Road. These villas are/were a row of houses which stretched from the junction of Kingston Road to roughly where Pengillys is in the High Street, although there were originally sixteen, there are only four remaining today.
More building land was being auctioned off at the hotel, particularly on the Kingston Road which was still comparatively empty near to where Dunbar Road was to be built. Other parts of Malden were still quite rural. The new landlord of the Hotel (Mr Morgan) liked a bit of fishing, so when he heard that Mr Kent the proprietor of the pottery works in Blagdon Road was going to drain a small pond on his premises, he asked whether he could fish there first. It proved successful as he and some friends caught several roach, some chub, and a jack which must have survived from when the pond was part of the Blagdon Farm estate.
Unfortunately, sporadic outbursts of disorder still occurred. Mr George Dicker who was drinking alone in the public bar reading his newspaper, was seized upon and thrown through a glass door cutting his wrist. The assailant was a 42-year-old cab driver Peter Foote who with others, was celebrating in the saloon bar, the capture of Pretoria by the British in South Africa during the Boer War. Dicker was accused of being unpatriotic by not standing when “God Save The Queen” was sung, and his hat was forcibly removed. When Dicker objected, he was given two black eyes and forcibly marched outside through the glass door by Foote. Foote was fined £15, and sent to prison for one day, but this would be extended to a month if he did not pay. The hotel was renowned for its patriotism and when victory came in 1902 a marquee was erected on the lawn and a large crowd gathered to celebrate the news.
Death in the family
The hotel mourned the death of Queen Victoria in February 1901 when Mr Morgan draped the windows with purple and white ribbons, and a wreath of ivy tied with a bow of purple ribbon hung on the door of the entrance. The flag outside the stable was at half-mast. Unfortunately, the year also saw the death of George Morgan, Emma’s second husband and landlord of the Hotel aged 36. He, like his predecessor, was buried in Kingston Cemetery, his mother who died two months later was interred in the same grave.
Later in the year it was announced that the new tramway system to be operated by London United Tramways Company would have stops close to the Hotel on the route to and from Kingston, in fact a terminus would be built until the line could be extended to Wimbledon. This would bring added custom into the Hotel, although they were resigned to losing a small piece of land to the laying of the track.
During 1901/02 there was a major outbreak of smallpox in the London area. While mainly occurring north of the river, there were no physical barriers to the spread of the disease. So, when the driver of a vehicle carrying an infected passenger from Teddington to Cheam Hospital, stopped and went inside the hotel for a drink, suspicions were aroused. The vehicle (which was not an ambulance) carrying the unfortunate patient was left outside with the windows up and doors closed, but it soon attracted the attention of passers-by including children. The driver stayed for just one drink, but freely mixed with other customers. The patient subsequently died, and the driver was charged with the crime of exposure as a danger to the public, for which he was fined £3 or a month’s hard labour. Mrs Morgan and her staff were re-inoculated, and the other customers were advised to follow suit.
Most customers are welcome most of the time, while some customers are welcome some of the time.
Third time lucky
The Malden Wanderers last smoking concert of the year 1902 held at the hotel saw the first appearance of John Randall Burroughes a former schoolteacher from Norfolk with a very pleasant singing voice. He was to become the third husband of Emma Radford/Morgan on 15th November, and the new landlord of the Norbiton Park Hotel.
