Weeping Ash
Our first Council Houses, set face-on to the Tisbury Road opposite Springwater Fisheries (previously the watercress beds) were built in the mid 1930s. Arranged in two blocks with four houses in each terrace, all the houses had a large front garden, and an even larger one to the rear.
Since at that time the tenants were not car owners, no provision was made for car parking. However, in later years when car ownership became the norm, parts of the front gardens were sacrificed in the interest of a parking bay for resident’s cars.
The Elms
Undoubtedly delayed by building regulations during the World War II, our next Council House estate was not built until the early 1950s. Sited at the northern end of Tisbury Road, a short access road led off to a cul-de-sac where eight pairs of semi-detached houses were arranged in a roughly circular layout Once again large back gardens went with each house, but this time the front gardens were somewhat smaller in order to provide a car parking space.
The Poplars
Built during the late 1960s on the upper levels of an access road leading off the Sutton Road, this estate was a two-phase development. The first phase consisted of a small terrace of four houses and five pairs of semi-detached bungalows set around a small car parking area at the top end of the steep access road.
The second phase added seven more bungalows to the estate. Set below the previous group at right angles to the access road, four of these buildings were placed in a line horizontal to and on one side of the road, and the remaining three in a similar line on the other side. . A small lay-by on one side at the bottom of the road served as parking space for these resident’s cars
Clay’s Orchard
Sited on Council land at the Junction of Sutton Road with Moor Hill, this two-storey building, was named for Dr. RCC Clay. Built in 1969, it provided homes for eighteen elderly people. Their accommodation consisted of a small, single-bedroomed flat for each person or couple, with a communal meeting room and small kitchen on the ground floor for joint social occasions. Initially there was a resident warden, but when that position became vacant the post lapsed in favour of a visiting warden.
Forward Planning
In 1989, a village survey was undertaken to ascertain if there was sufficient need in the parish for low-cost housing for Fovant people. The survey showed that there were nearly 300 dwellings at that time. Most respondents indicated a need for new housing, particularly for young people, but it was noted that the amenities, employment opportunities and public transport services available might not be sufficient to attract young people back into the village or to encourage them to stay. The scheme was blighted by the lack of suitable building plots and the problem of affordability, a situation that still remains today.
S.M.
January 2006