{"id":539,"date":"2024-09-30T14:49:33","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T14:49:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kemnal-road.uk\/?page_id=539"},"modified":"2024-12-10T11:23:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T11:23:00","slug":"kemnal-warren","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kemnal-road.uk\/index.php\/houses-in-kemnal-road\/kemnal-warren\/","title":{"rendered":"Kemnal Warren"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kemnal Warren<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"South
South elevation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kemnal Warren has had a chequered history. It was built, occupied and named Homeleigh by 1880. It was a substantial house, indeed one of the largest in Kemnal Road, though originally the grounds were not so substantial. Between 1897 and 1909 the grounds were extended to the east, and then covered 2.75 acres. Behind the house the original glasshouse and stables were also extended. The house also had its own lodge in the southwestern corner of the grounds, where the original entrance to the house can still be seen, recently refurbished as the entrance to the rebuilt house called Kemnal Lodge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A print of the house is shown here, reproduced from The Architect Magazine. The architect was Joseph S Moye. Moye was a well-known architect who designed a number of other houses in Chislehurst, including his own, Fairview, in Southill Road, and the group of three houses to the east of Kemnal Road, Fairlight, Fallowfield and Sunnymead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Architect Magazine contains the following notes: \u2018We illustrate a residence in course of erection in the Kemnal Road by Mr Grover, from the designs and under the supervision of Mr Joseph S Moye, of Southwick Street, Hyde Park Square. The building is of Queen Anne character, somewhat freely but effectively treated. The whole of the exterior facings are in red brick; the door and window jambs throughout are rubbed and gauged, and BROWN\u2019S pressed bricks are used in sunk panels, cornices and strings. The roof will be covered with Broseley tiles, and the ridges and finials will be of red terra-cotta of COOPER\u2019S manufacture. The ground floor contains four handsome reception rooms, the floors of which will be laid in parquetry, with spacious outer and inner halls and all the necessary offices. The principal feature on the chamber floor is the picture gallery, forming the upper portion of the staircase hall. The staircase is lighted by a large and handsome window, filled in with lead glazing by Mr ODELL.<\/em>\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first identified resident of Homeleigh is Mr W B Walker, who appears in records for the house in 1884. He would appear to have died in 1890, since in 1891 his wife is recorded as the householder, and she remained as such until 1898 when Henry East moved into the house. He was born in Weymouth in 1846, and his wife, Elizabeth, was born in the same year in Somerset. Their daughter Ida was born in London in 1877. Henry recorded that he had \u2018no occupation\u2019 in the census information of 1901. He subscribed \u00a310 to the purchase of the Amenity Strip, but we know nothing else about him. Henry was to live at Homeleigh until 1907.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Horace
Horace Nelson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Emma
Emma Nelson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Horace Harrington Nelson purchased the house in 1907, when he chose a new name for the house – Kemnal Warren. He was then aged 64, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Horace was a banker. He was born in Bayswater in 1843, and probably moved to Hong Kong with his family in the 1850s. He appears to have been a director of Mercantile Bank Limited, one of the Hong Kong based banks that ultimately became the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank. He returned to England at some stage in the early 1880s, and was involved in liquidations and administrations of companies. He had probably met Emma Rostron Macauley, his future wife, in Hong Kong. She was born there, a daughter of a Scottish father and Australian mother. She was 25 years his junior. They were married in St Mary\u2019s Kilburn in November 1887 and had three children, all of whom are likely to have lived with them at Kemnal Warren: Horace, born in 1889, John, born in 1892 and Marion, born in 1896. The Nelson family lived at the house for 23 years. Horace died in September 1930 at the age of 87. He is buried in St Nicholas churchyard. Emma, survived him by 22 years. She died in June 1952, aged 83, and is buried with her husband, as is their daughter Marion, who died in 1986, aged 90. Marion is described on the headstone as a \u2018beloved daughter and family aunt\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nelsons left a number of images of the house:<\/h6>\n\n\n
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North elevation<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
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South elevation<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
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South elevation<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>
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Kemnal Warren<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t