Badsey Manor House - Bowler Archive

This archive was donated by Vivienne Bowler who lived with her husband, Geoffrey (1926-1999), and children, at No 6 High Street (the larger half of Badsey Manor House) from 1970-1987. Both Geoffrey and Vivienne were veterinary surgeons in Evesham. They had moved from Wiltshire to Evesham in the 1950s and bought the house in Badsey after the death of Harry Robinson in 1970 (it was Harry who had converted the Manor House into two dwellings in 1947). A full history of the Manor House may be read in Chapter 9, The Seyne House, in Aldington and Badsey, Villages in the Vale: A Tapestry of Local History (available at The Spar Shop, Badsey, or by mail order).

On buying the house, the Bowlers were given a bundle of documents dating back to the early 20th century. This bundle, covering the period 1907-1946, contains documents passed on to the Bowlers when they bought their half of the Manor House. The documents relate primarily to the period 1907-1912 concerning refurbishments of the Manor House at the beginning of the 20th century, following the purchase of the property by John Tutin Wingfield and his mother, Mrs Matilda Osbourne Wingfield (sister of the late Edward Wilson of Badsey Manor). The bundle also includes 1915 sales particulars and a 1946 plan showing the division of the house into two dwellings.

They Bowlers also saved documents covering the period of their own ownership of the house. The documents include sales particulars, timber preservation report, tree preservation orders, planning application and assorted documents related to finding out more about the history of the house.