Local History talk

Buckinghamshire Local History Network

HOW ONE MAN TRANSFORMED A TOWN:
WINSLOW 1640–1770 AND WILLIAM LOWNDES

Why does Winslow Hall dwarf the rest of the town?  Why is there a vast open space in front of it?  Why has Winslow got so many houses with a mixture of architectural styles from different centuries?  Why are all the farmhouses hidden away in the fields?

This book tries to answer those questions, starting with Winslow in the 1640s when it was a town of small-scale farmers and craftsmen and had two visits from Oliver Cromwell.  William Lowndes went off to London in 1667 and soon made enough money to start buying up land in Winslow and knocking down houses.  He turned the town into a place where one family owned most of the land, and built a mansion in a style Winslow people had never seen.  Meanwhile the Baptists became very influential for a time and built their own meeting house.  Lowndes family money helped to create a town full of doctors and lawyers who modernised their houses, and the market and turnpike road provided business for inns and shops.  The open fields were enclosed and farmers moved out into newly built farmhouses.

The book’s 386 pages also include ten detailed studies of Winslow families and 28 photos and maps.  It is available from the Bucks Archaeological Society (https://bas1.org.uk/) for £11 + £3.50 p&p.  If you’re in Winslow you can get it for £11 direct from David Noy (16 McLernon Way, tel.711683, d.noy@btinternet.com).

Winslow books for sale:

• David Noy, Winslow in 1556: The Survey of the Manor (Bucks Archaeological Society, 2013): £5
• David Noy, Winslow Manor Court Books 1327-1377 and 1423-1460 (2 vols, Bucks Record Society, 2011): £10 (drastically reduced price)
• Alan Wigley, A Window on Winslow (Winslow, 1981): £5 - this contains many historical photos of Winslow

Please contact d.noy@btinternet.com for more information.