The West Prospect of New Place East Barnet

Little Grove, originally Danegrove, was a house and estate that once existed in

East Barnet East Barnet is an area of north London within the London Borough of Barnet bordered by New Barnet, Cockfosters and Southgate. It is a largely residential suburb whose central area contains shops, public houses, restaurants and services, and ...

on high ground to the south of Cat Hill. The original house on the site dated from at least the mid sixteenth century. In 1719, it was demolished and replaced with a house known as New Place but the house soon returned to the name of Little Grove. That house was demolished in 1932 to make way for a housing development and primary school known as Littlegrove.

Early history

A house had stood on the site since at least the 16th century. David Pam dates the construction of the house to 1553. The court rolls of the manor record that William Copwood of

Totteridge Totteridge is a residential area and former village in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is a mixture of suburban development and open land (including some farmland) situated 8 miles (13 km) north north-west of Charing Cross. It ...

disposed of some part of Danegrove, or what it then was composed of, to David Woodroffe, citizen and haberdasher of London (died 1563), who as sheriff oversaw the execution of two protestant martyrs in 1555 and was criticised for the cruelty of his methods. Woodroffe's wife Elizabeth took a life interest in the property following her husband's death but surrendered Danegrove (9 acres) and Daneland (12 acres) to other members of the Woodroffe family. Little Grove, East Barnet

17th century

In 1610, Sir Christopher Rooper was renting the property and was threatened with a fine of 20 shillings if he did not remove a manure heap his servants had placed on the King's road between Bourn Gate (later referred to as Bohun Gate) and Doggett's Hill. Meanwhile, the estate continued in the ownership of the Woodroffe family who purchased additional lands and made sales of others, such that

Frederick Cass Frederick McIntosh Cass Q.C., C.D. ( August 5, 1913 – November 25, 2000) was a Canadian politician who served as both Attorney-General of Ontario and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. He served as a Progressive Conservative Member ...

argued in the 1880s in ''East Barnet'' that the composition of the estate had no consistent identity over time.Cass, pp. 94-95.
/ref> Anthony Bouchier, clerk in the Remembrancer's office of the Exchequer, leased part of the estate in the early 1630s. He is mentioned in church records in 1632 and 1633 as "inhabiting Mr. Woodroffe's house". Little Grove 1860s Ordnance Survey map

18th century

In 1719, the existing Little Grove was replaced by John Cotton of the Middle Temple with a house that he called New Place, but the house and estate soon reverted to the original name. Cass, Frederick Charles. (1885-92)
East Barnet
'. London: Nichols. pp. 88-92. In 1767, Edward Willes, then Solicitor General for England and Wales, purchased the estate. The

landscape gardener Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures for constructio ...

Capability Brown Lancelot Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783), more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English gardener and landscape architect, who remains the most famous figure in the history of the English la ...

, received £700 from Willes for work carried out at Little Grove in 1768. A number of closes or meadows were amalgamated by the Willes family to create the estate.

19th century

Frederick Cass senior, father of

Frederick Charles Cass Frederick Charles Cass (1824-1896) was the rector of the parish of Monken Hadley in north London. His father, also Frederick Cass, owned the relevant advowson giving the right to make such appointments. He was the author of works of local histor ...

(1824–1896) who wrote ''East Barnet'', lived in the house in the mid 19th century and died there on 17 May 1861.Howard, Joseph Jackson, & Frederick Arthur Crisp. (1893
''Visitation of England and Wales''
Vol. I. Privately printed. p. 114. The house was then bought by the Conservative party politician Alexander Henry Campbell in July 1862. In October 1868, ''The Times'' carried advertising stating that the house, having failed to sell at auction, was now available for offers. It was stated to be "a moderate-sized mansion, in the Italian style, with charming terraces and gardens, overlooking a delightful and finely-timbered park, with a model farmery; the whole in perfect order, and extending over about 110 acres". It was sold in December 1871 to Sigismund James Stern.Little Grove.
British History Online. Retrieved 17 October 2016. After Stern's death in 1885, the house was occupied by his widow Margaret, who was buried with her husband at St Mary the Virgin church, East Barnet. She was described as the "

Lady Bountiful ''The Beaux' Stratagem'' is a comedy by George Farquhar, first produced at the Theatre Royal, now the site of Her Majesty's Theatre, in the Haymarket, London, on March 8, 1707. In the play, Archer and Aimwell, two young gentlemen who have fall ...

" of the parish.

20th century

In January 1912, ''The Times'' reported that Little Grove with 112 acres had been sold. From 1921 to 1924 the house was owned by the American actress

Shirley Kellogg Shirley Kellogg (born 27 May 1887 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) was an American actress and singer who found greater success in Britain than in America, mostly in revue. Early life She was born on 27 May 1887 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Career She ...

who was said to have spent £10,000 restoring it, a very large amount of money at that time. The house was known as Shirley Grove during her ownership. On 21 June 1927, the house was sold again by auction, the advertising noting "pleasure grounds of nearly three acres" and "three exceptionally fine building sites". In August 1931, the house was offered for sale again on behalf of the executors of Mr J.J. O'Brien with the completion of the sale announced in ''The Times'' in November that year. Little Grove was demolished in 1932Taylor, Pamela, & Joanna Corden. (1994) ''Barnet, Edgware, Hadley and Totteridge: A pictorial history''. Chichester: Phillimore. Image caption 48. to make way for a housing estate. Only the remains of a cottage garden now exist.Little Grove (site of).
London Gardens Online. Retrieved 13 August 2015. The house is remembered by the street Littlegrove in East Barnet which runs from Church Hill Road to Eton Avenue but is some distance from the site of the former Little Grove house.

Danegrove Primary School Danegrove Primary School, formerly Littlegrove Mixed School and Oakland School, is a primary school in East Barnet in north London. It is on two sites, Ridgeway Avenue and Windsor Drive. The school buildings at Ridgeway Avenue, which joins Dane ...

(formerly Littlegrove) and the residential street Daneland are near the former site of Little Grove.

References

External links

{{coord, 51.6449, -0.1534, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title East Barnet Former houses in the London Borough of Barnet Gardens by Capability Brown Houses in Hertfordshire Buildings and structures completed in the 16th century Buildings and structures demolished in 1932 Buildings and structures demolished in 1719 1932 disestablishments in England