Saxby Wood

SAXBY WOOD

Saxby Wood provides housing for the elderly by West Kent Housing, although it is owned by Leigh United Charities.

The land was formerly the site of Leigh’s Poor House plus three other tenements.  The land had originally been given to the village by a William Saxby and a William Wood in the 17th century.  Following the 1834 Poor Law Act, large centralized Workhouses were built.  For Leigh that meant at Sundridge.  Therefore, Leigh’s former Poorhouse gradually lost its role, and the Poor House was adapted into individual lodgings, providing three tenements.  In 1856 the three Poor House tenements were pulled down and three new cottages built.  The other three cottages on the site were also pulled down, in 1854, by Leigh Vestry and replaced with three new cottages.  All these six cottages were let to the parish poor and were owned by the Parish.

The 1872 drainage map and report gives some more information: one block of these of parish houses were occupied by Mr Hitchcock, Mr Wickenden, Mr Croucher, the other block by Mr Groves, Mr Crowhurst and Mr Marchant. They continued to be owned by the Parish for the parish poor until the 1960s.

The Drainage Report also gives some further information on these parish cottages – one pari is described as “guttering moderately good, led into water buts by two down pipes.  An old gulley at the back has been rebuilt, and one new one fixed, 2 closets without pans for the three houses.  Sinks connected to drains.”  For the other 3 cottages, the Report says the same applies.

In 1879 part of the land of the former Poor House site was purchased by Samuel Morley.  This land would today form the Leigh allotments and is part of the Morley Trust managed by the Parish Council.

In 1901 the Leigh United Charities Trust was formed bringing all the various legacies left to the village under one umbrella.  This included these six parish cottages which were maintained by Leigh United Charities and used for the parish poor until the 1960s.

In 1964 Leigh United Charities agreed to lease the land and six cottages to Sevenoaks Rural District Council on a 99 year lease, on the understanding that the premises would be used for the elderly.  In due course, the Council decided to redevelop the site and did so with the agreement of the Trustees of LUC.  The Trustees chose the name of Saxby Wood for the new development to reflect the charitable origins of this land and in 1968/69 the two blocks of cottages were replaced with the current housing for the elderly.  From 1988 the housing at Saxby Wood has been managed by West Kent Housing.

The meadow at the back of Saxby Wood would form part of Leigh Allotments and is still owned by the Morley Trust for use of the village.

For background to Saxby Wood today and photographs of the cottages that used to be located on Saxby Wood, see Leigh Poor and Leigh Poor House.

 

Joyce Field (July 2021)