File:Hystfield Cottage - geograph.org.uk - 463023.jpg

Camera location	51° 39′ 49″ N, 2° 28′ 56″ W	View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap	51.663720; -2.482100

Object location	51° 39′ 50″ N, 2° 28′ 56″ W	View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap	51.663810; -2.482100

Hystfield is a small town land about 5 miles south of Berkeley, Gloucestershire and is an idyllic place to live. It was, at one time a thriving farming community with the residents employed on the farms, at Appleridge Farm and Newpark Farm. The houses the locals lived in were 'tied' to the farms, thus providing accommodation for their workers. The hedge rows were mostly elm trees that grew to some height and when the wind blew the trees would sway and the roots would move it was guaranteed that one would come down and you prayed it would not be on a house. When the Dutch Elm disease took hold it was a blessing no more fear of a tree falling onto your home, but it was very different when the wind, rain and snow arrived there were no wind brakes and the snow just drifted. Pear Tree Cottages was tied with Appleridge Farm and were named because of the large pear tree in the front garden, beside the well. There was another red brick cottage, called Appleridge Cottage tied also with Appleridge Farm and it was opposite to the entrance to the farm, this cottage was demolished around the late 60s/early 70s. when the Boyce family vacated it and moved to Doggate Cottage. Hystfield Cottage was a red brick cottage, tied to Newpark Farm (known locally as Troughtons) and was situated on the right hand side of the lane, approaching the gateway up to Newpark Farm. The original Hystfield Cottage was built of stone, with a slate roof and was a two storey building. The ceilings were extremely low and the walls extremely thick, with small windows. This cottage sat next to where the new Hystfield Cottage was constructed. The cottage had been occupied at one stage by a family called Wilson and they were followed by a Watkins family. This cottage was in fact tied to a farm over towards the town land of Hill and once the Watkins family left the cottage became uninhabitable and was taken/fell down. All these and the surrounding cottages had no running water or electricity, but over time this was rectified and by the late 50s/early 60s all had services. Passing Appleridge Farm, on the left, there is a lane (previously an old coach road) and down there is a cottage known as Doggate Cottage, which was tied to Appleridge Farm. It was occupied at one time by Grandfather, Gilbert (Gilley) Beard for some years Charity Cottage was in Charity Lane which is beside Hystfield Farm at the top of the lane, next to the milk stand.My late father Alfred (Alf) Beard built it, the original was wooden and was in the field near to the gate on the right side Charity Cottage was a stone, two storey building, again with no electricity or running water. The cottage had a large garden and the house was only accessible by a dirt lane. The author (Alf Beard) was in fact the last person to be born in Charity Cottage and his great grandmother, Georgina Hobby, was the last resident. The cottage fell down during the 50s, all that remains now are some stones from the walls and a lilac tree. Charity Cottage would have been a hive of activity when the Catgrove Poachers trial was in progress in 1816 when the men were tried for murder and indeed the inquest was held at Newpark Farm In Roundhouse Wood there is the remains of a round, red brick, two story house. (The only one as far as I know on the Berkeley Estate) The only way you get to this house was on foot, no mean feat when it was wet, frost or snowing. A journey I did many times. The outlook was fantastic (on a good day) you could look across the severn valley toward Aust , the bridge was not yet built. The last family to live there was the Boyce Family who moved down to Appleridge Cottage Near to Hystfield Cottage is Whitcliff Park, locally known as the Deer Park. with two separate houses built into the high brick wall which surrounds the park to keep in the deer. One was occupied by the Gazzard family was vacated sometime in the early 70’s and remained empty for some time, it now occupied and is a private property. and the other was empty. It was known by the locals as the Summer House and it was occupied by Earl Berkeley in the summer. All except the farms, no one had a phone and if some one fell ill or had an accident day or night especially in the woods every one that could rallied to help. The post man had to deliver the mail on foot to all the houses that were not in the lane and that was after cycling from Berkeley and then return finish is round and cycle back to Berkeley post office. Hystfield has changed a little. All the houses are now private sold off by Berkeley Estate, with new occupiers. , but it is still quiet. I wonder if still has the community spirit

This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. See this photograph's page on the Geograph website for the photographer's contact details. The copyright on this image is owned by Alf Beard and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

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