A box of assorted ephemera relating to Hawley Manor (formerl...

Estimate

£50 - £80

A box of assorted ephemera relating to Hawley Manor (formerly Hawley House), Sutton at Hone, near Dartford, and the Temple-Johnson and Masters families that lived there, circa 1880s-1920s, including good quantity letters, postcards, legal documents, architectural plans, large folding map of the manor and surrounding area with manuscript red ink additions for proposed new roads and other development etc. On April 7 1919, a mystery fire broke out in Hawley Manor House, killing its owner Mr Temple Johnson. At the time of the fire, Temple Johnson's wife had left for a trip to the Barbados, for her health. Contemporary newspaper reports claimed that, although Mr Johnson’s arms and legs were burnt, his clothes showed no fire damage. Theories were put forward that it was a pre-planned arson attack, or that he had been killed before fire broke out. The mystery was never really solved, but his wife, Mrs Temple Johnson, remained at the house, having much of it rebuilt in an Arts and Crafts style.