Charlotte Gell, wife and widow of John Henry Gell, was known for her benevolence.  Lasting examples are the village pump and Ickenham Cottages.  In 1857, Charlotte had these splendid edifices built from flint and red bricks on her land in Back Lane (now Swakeleys Road) adjoining the gardens of the original Buntings, where she lived.  They were originally intended for her retired servants and their descendants who also received eight shillings a week each.  To preserve the residents’ pride and avoid the word ‘almshouses’, they had to pay a weekly rent of one penny.  Each cottage was allocated a garden at the back, where they could grow their own vegetables and other produce.  Today these gardens are maintained in plots by a number of local people as well as the residents.

One of the latter is John Green, now in his nineties, who lives upstairs with his wife, Barbara.  Barbara makes the tea for the residents every Tuesday when they all meet in the garden summerhouse.  Apart from tending his own plot, John, who in former days was a supervisor of parks and school gardens, looks after the front garden and generally assists where needed.  He’s particularly proud of his dahlias!

The Cottages are divided into eight apartments as well as an up-and-down flat for the ‘Trustees’ Representative’.  This is Christine Franklin, who is there to field any problems the residents might encounter.  However, she reports that most of the time they tend to take care of each other and have developed a happy relationship.

Administration of the Cottages is undertaken by the Trustees, led by St Giles’ Rector, the Reverend Adrian Guthrie.  Then there are the two Churchwardens, a Treasurer, Secretary and David Fish who looks after the fabric of the buildings and oversees the garden arrangements, including his own little plot.  All the Trustees live within a long stone’s throw of the Cottages, which is a huge advantage, particularly in David Fish’s case since he can quickly bring one of his extensive number of contacts to bear on glitches such as the central heating failing just before Christmas.  One of the challenges of looking after listed buildings such as the Cottages is the need to obtain authorisations for the smallest changes.  However, Charlotte’s generosity continues to the benefit of the residents as well as the glory of Ickenham and may it continue beyond yet another 150 years!

Christine Franklin (left) with John and Barbara Green

 

Alan Noad