Melbourne Road, "Boat House" (Holmesdale Meadows)
Road: Melbourne Road
Property: Boat House
The Munster Estate spanned a large frontage onto Broom Road including Munster Lodge, its stabling, outhouses and kitchen garden and the meadows backing into the River Thames. It has been suggested that Munster Lodge and Munster Road take their names from George FitzClarence, Ist Earl of Munster of the 2nd Creation, eldest illegitimate son of the Duke of Clarence (later William IV) and Dorothea Jordan and born at Bushy House.
The river frontage was developed with a cut coming in from Trowlock Island, which gave rise to two boathouses.
In 1868 the land was owned by John Cornelius Park, the builder of Teddington Hall in Hampton Road, Teddington and Old Broom Hall in Broom Road. He sold land to George Henry Lee, Henry William Field and Edward Julius Allcard between 1871 and 1889. A new house known as Holmesdale was built in or about 1871 and occupied by Mr Lee. He also seems to have claimed one of the boathouses for his own. This was before the roads of Trowlock Avenue and Melbourne Road were developed.
The house Holmesdale was acquired by Edward Allcard in 1888 and here he lived until his death in 1932. His widow stayed on until her death the following year. By 1936 both Trowlock Avenue and Melbourne Road were built up and Holmesdale seems to have been demolished as part of that development. However the boathouse survived and continues to do so.
This page is part of the Directory of Buildings of Townscape Merit (BTMs) and Listed Buildings in Teddington assembled by the Planning and History Groups of The Teddington Society. Click on any photo for a higher resolution version. Copyright for the material on this page rests with the contributor.