Vencourt, Nos. 267 and 269 King Street West

XLII.—VENCOURT, Nos. 267 and 269 KING STREET WEST

Ground landlord, leaseholder, etc.

Copyholder and occupier, Sir William Bull, M.P.

General description and date of structure.

At the time of the admission of the present copyholder these premises were described in the Court Rolls as "all that cottage or tenement situate and being in Hammersmith on the South Side of the Great Road there and holden of the said Manor with the stableyard and garden thereto belonging containing in front at the north end next the common footpath 45 feet and in depth from North to South in the west side thereof 166 feet. At the south end next the orchard of Ann Wilson 37 feet and on the east side thereof 160 feet as the same was enclosed with fences and were formerly in the occupation of William Pilton and afterwards of Ann Pilton." In the same admission a further description is given of the premises, viz. "all that piece of copyhold land situate and being on the south side of the turnpike road leading from Hammersmith to Brentford and near to Beavor Lane together with the messuages erected thereon known as Claremont House and George Place respectively and formerly in the occupations of Mr. Skeels and Mr. M. Cooke and now known as 267 and 269 King Street West."

There is no difficulty in tracing back the property under the first of the two descriptions given above. It is referred to in 1842, 1823, and again in 1809 and 1808. A William Pilton was admitted 18th April, 1808, on the surrender of the trustees of the will of William Pilton, deceased (presumably his father), dated 20th July, 1793, the said William Pilton having been himself admitted on 22nd March, 1788, to "all that piece or parcel of meadow land containing one acre 27 perches lying and being in Chiswick Field theretofore in the occupation of Samuel Bever and then of Daniel Springthorpe upon which piece of land two messuages and also one cottage or tenement have since been erected late in the several occupations of the said William Pilton and John Clark and now of the said John Clarke, Anne Wilson and William Pilton." One more reference to the property should be quoted, viz. the admission of William Pilton in 1788 when Richard Eaton and Thomas Palser surrendered: "the meadow land formerly in the tenure of William Fletcher, since of Samuel Bever (fn. 1) and then of Daniel Springthorpe." In this admission no reference is made to any buildings at all, consequently the date of the houses numbered 267 and 269 King Street West can be confidently ascribed to approximately the year 1790.

The house is a pleasant example of its date without any features of outstanding interest. It retains its old wrought-iron railings.