Holdenhurst Village Conservation Area Appraisal - Bournemouth ...

5.11 Prior to the Inclosure Act (1802)
Holdenhurst would have had an open
field system divided into strips of
arable and pastoral land. However,
the Inclosure Act resulted in heathland
surrounding Holdenhurst which was
previously open to common access
being parcelled up by appointed
commissioners and sold to several local
landowners. The enclosure of the fields
encouraged speculative development
on the heathland, ultimately resulting
in the development of Bournemouth
and the shrinking of Holdenhurst.
5.12 A significant portion of the land in and
around Holdenhurst was bought at this
time by William Dean, a descendant of
the Yeoman farmers of Holdenhurst.
The Dean family built Littledown House
and until the death of Alice Ellen
Cooper-Dean in the 1980s, the direct
descendants of the family continued
to manage their land holdings in
the Bournemouth area. Today this
is managed by the Trustees of the
Alice Ellen Cooper-Dean Charitable
Foundation and a large portion of the
land within the Conservation Area
remains with their control.
5.13 Throughout the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries the village
appears to have developed organically
with new buildings added when
required, as opposed to the fashion for
estate villages at this time.
5.14 A significant number of the existing
buildings in Holdenhurst date from
the period 1800-1900, particularly in
the western residential pocket. During
this period The River Barn and The Old
Dairy appeared, along with the Village
School (now known as The Old School)
and School House (1840), Vicarage
Cottages (1867) and the Vicarage (now
known as The Old Vicarage) (1883).
5.15 To the eastern part of Holdenhurst
a number of dwellings and barns
were also constructed during this
period. Hockeys Barn and Manor
Farm Barn (extended in the 1990s)
were built, along with Rose Cottage,
Bramble Cottage and Nos. 21 and 22
Holdenhurst Village.
5.16 In the nineteenth century (1800-1900)
a new church was constructed as the
population of the village far exceeded
the capacity of the Saxon chapel. In
1834 a new church for Holdenhurst
was opened, close to the old chapel
(reusing some of the materials of
the chapel in it’s construction). The
site of the Saxon chapel is marked
by a commemorative stone with an
inscription.
Commemorative Stone to Saxon Chapel
5.17 Whilst Holdenhurst remained an
agricultural based settlement, as
neighbouring Bournemouth grew so
did the opportunities for villagers
within the building trade. In the mid
nineteenth century Holdenhurst housed
many bricklayers, carpenters and
general labourers, as well as those
involved with service and cottage
industries such as laundry, dressmaking
and glove knitting.
5.18 In the nineteenth century the village
was linked to Townsend to the south
and Throop to the west. It was once
described as ‘one long winding street
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