How did the road get its name?
Drysdale Close is named after Bertha Drysdale (1861-1943) who lived in the village for over 30 years and was a pillar of the community.
When did housing development begin?
Drysdale Close was built in the 1960s as a development of 42 houses with access from Manor Road via Coombefield Road and Sally Close. Seven pairs of semi-detached bungalows, five pairs of semi-detached houses, 11 detached bungalows and seven detached houses were built. In about 2015, three detached houses, known as 1, 2 & 3 Drysdale Court, were built.
Numbering system
The numbers run consecutively in an anti-clockwise direction round the Close from 1-42. No 29A has been built as infill adjacent to No 29. There is no No 34, but three detached houses, Nos 1, 2 & 3 Drysdale Court, have been built on the spot.
19th and early 20th century auctions
The land on which Drysdale Close is situated was once part of the Elms Farm on the Wickhamford estate which had been owned by the Sandys family for several centuries. The estate was sold at auction on 10th July 1869 and bought by Captain John Pickup Lord, a Lancastrian landowner who had recently bought a large amount of land in Badsey.
On 15th September 1930 the land was put up for auction again, by the trustees of the late Captain Lord. Now, over sixty years since the former sale, the land was sold off in small parcels rather than as one vast estate. Not all of the parcels of land were sold; that which was remaining was sold in 1950 to Christ Church, which paved the way for housing development.
