A House Through The Ages, S2, Ep6: A Bear Episode

Today’s blog sees Benfleet Hall welcome the Holman family, and with them, the drama of fire, burglary….and a pet bear by the name of Bruin! With thanks again to Clive Orton for his research:

A Bear Episode
After William Appleton died in 1898, Benfleet Hall seems to have been empty until the arrival of the Holman household in 1900. It consisted of Richard Haswell Holman, his wife Ellen, four sons, two daughters and six domestic servants. This was probably the first time that Benfleet Hall had anything like its full complement of occupants. They were a branch of the large Holman family of Topsham, Devon (the port of Exeter), who had long worked in the shipbuilding, ship-owning, and later the insurance businesses, from 1832 under the name of John Holman & Sons Limited, which still operates to this day.

Richard Haswell Holman (RHH) was born in Topsham in 1859, the eldest son of Richard and Eleanor Mary Holman (née Haswell). They had seven more sons, of whom only Francis Alfred (also known as Frederick) will concern us later, and one daughter. RHH and Francis went to school in East Budleigh, Devon, but by 1881 the family had moved to Wimbledon. This move seems to be linked to the increasing importance of the insurance side of the family business; to be a major player in marine insurance, one needed an office in the City of London. RHH and Francis were employed as an accountant and an articled clerk.

RHH became a partner in Messrs John Holman and Sons, Shipowners and Insurance Brokers, in 1882, and in the following year he married Ellen Clapham at St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich, Manchester, and moved to Streatham. They had five sons and two daughters:

Keith Richard Clapham (born 9 October 1884),

Lennox Clapham (born 5 August 1886),

Cuthbert (died in 1888 at the age of 7 months),

Geoffrey (born 1893),

Adrian (born 21 December 1895),

Victoria Gwendoline (born 1897), and

Helen Josephine (usually known as Josephine) (born 1898).

All the children were born in Streatham, where the family lived at The Chestnuts in Leigham Court Road until 1900. Richard senior died in 1898, leaving over £102,000 (about £8m in today’s money) in his will. This may have given RHH the opportunity to move to a larger house in 1900.

RHH had extensive business interests in the West of England and South Wales, as well as becoming a Director of John Holman and Sons. He was also a Director of various dock and engineering companies in and around Cardiff, and in 1899 he helped to set up the Minehead Pier Company. Its aim was to build a pier at Minehead, Somerset (which was completed within two years), so that paddle steamers from Cardiff could dock at all tides, encouraging tourist traffic between the industrial areas of South Wales and holiday destinations in the West of England. The pier was demolished in 1940 as it obstructed lines of fire in the Bristol Channel, and attempts to revive the route continue to the present day.

The Holman occupancy saw some significant events in the life of Benfleet Hall. There was a serious fire on 21 April 1907, though not as serious as the newspaper reports that it was ‘destroyed by fire’ would suggest. A photograph indicates that the fire was confined to the roof.

Benfleet post-fire, 1907, picturing presumably Victoria Gwendoline (born 1897), and
Helen Josephine (usually known as Josephine) (born 1898).

On 16 October there was a break-in by a burglar, who had forced the catch of a window at the rear of the house. He made off with a haul of silver ware, cups, and many wedding presents, without disturbing the family, the servants or even the dog. The total value was stated to be about £300 (over £20k in today’s money). He was later identified as Helmut von Lielmen, a German waiter, who made the mistake of trying to pass on a box inscribed “E. Holman” (a bit of a give-away) and was sent for trial.

Perhaps the most newsworthy event occurred in 1910, and was entitled A Bear Episode. I quote here the report from the Croydon Advertiser and East Surrey Reporter, 23 Apr 1910, p.16:

The bear which the “Daily Mirror” gave to the Croydon district of the Transport and Supply Column as a pet has been for some months housed by Lieut. Holman, at Benfleet Hall, Sutton, and recently it has exhibited rather more temper than is consistent with the conduct of a pet. Consequently arrangements have been made with the Zoo authorities to receive it in exchange for a less dangerous animal. On Tuesday the animal was led by Mr. W. Gale and his assistant through the Sutton streets en route to the railway station. Bruin walked very sedately but gradually became restive as the crowd around him grew in numbers. At last, when outside Coun. Wootten’s premises, he sat down and positively declined to go farther. A pot of honey and a bag of apples he graciously accepted and demolished, but he refused all overtures of his keepers and resolutely declined to move. At last he was got as far as Messrs. Bowling & Co.’s premises, near the station, and there his patience became exhausted. He entered the workshop and mounted a bench, where he struck a fighting attitude and declined to obey orders. Every effort was made to induce him to enter a large crate but he declined, and at last he had to be got into the yard at the rear of the premises and chained there for the night. His keepers left him there and he appeared very sullen. On Wednesday morning they returned with assistance, when the animal was, with difficulty, got into a large box and then conveyed by motor car to the Zoo.

Bowling, hardware store, Sutton High Street, now situated where the Old Bank Public House stands.

Lieut. Holman was probably Keith, who had joined the Territorial Army Service Corps South-Eastern Mounted Brigade Transport and Supply Column (based in Croydon) in 1908 as a 2nd Lieutenant. Mr W. Gale was the gardener at Benfleet Hall from 1907 to 1911, who lived in the Park Lodge.

The last time that we can see the family together is in the 1911 Census, although by then Adrian was at Harrow School and Victoria was at a boarding school in Bexhill. RHH was listed as a shipowner, Keith as a shipping clerk, Lennox as an insurance clerk and Geoffrey as an army student, all still living at Benfleet Hall. Then in 1914 came the Great War; Benfleet Hall became the Benfleet Hall Hospital and the family moved to a house called Wynnstay, 57 Putney Hill, which survives today as Lyle Park. RHH was still there in 1923, but died in 1925. Ellen survived him and died in Bayswater in 1936. What happened to the rest of the family will be told in the next blog.