In Lady Dacre’s Will four Trustees were to take care of her estate. Dormandswells was to go to Sampson Leonard, her sister’s husband, but he had not the money to keep it going and thus it gradually fell into ruin and, eventually, was pulled down. The site of the house was at the rear of what was Dormers Wells Farm where Telford Road now is. Near the Manor House was a well which produced Chalybeate Water (containing iron) which was considered beneficial to the health of the drinker. The mineral content in underground waters is so strong that crystals can actually be seen at times. Right up till the 1950s local people used to get watercress from nearby pools.
Around the time of the Magna Carta AD 1210, the population of this area (Sudhale) was 81, growing to 94 in Ad 1261 when known as `Southalle’. This was about the time the Norwood Green Church was founded as a chapel attached to the Parish of Hayes. More about the church later. In 1496, when the area was known as Hesse-cum-Southall, the figure given is 260. In 1710, when known as Southolt, 677. Between 1756 and 1801, under two different names — `Soutnoor’ and `Southwould’, the population increased to 697. There were 117 houses — 35 Southall Green; 56 Northcote; 27 Dormers Wells. 141 families — 346 female and 351 male. In 1831, still under the name of Southwould, the number was 1,220 and from here on one must include patients and staff of Hanwell Asylum (more later) which, by 1841, brought the figure to 2,385.
Areas
So just picture the scene coming from London to Oxford by coach along the Oxford Road (now Uxbridge Road) right up to the seventeenth century. Crossing the Brent over a wooden bridge, country on either side, on the right, a clear view across to Horsendon Hill; on the left, a clear view of Osterley Woods. A small road on the left hand side leading to Brentford (Windmill Lane) with a track leading off (Tentelow Lane) to Norwood Green and church. On the right hand side, a lane (Greenford Road) leading to Harrow. Next would come Dormandswells Lane, which of course lead to Dormandswell House and Mount Pleasant. On the left hand side Southall Green Lane, now South Road, this again leading to Norwood. There were footpaths on the right, one leading to where St Mary’s Church, Hanwell, now is, another leading to Northolt (now School Passage). On the left, one leading to Norwood (via what now is the ‘Devil’s Tunnel’) and Glade Lane. And, of course, the Church Path, via what now is Avenue Road, again leading to Norwood Church. The area between Brent Bridge was Norwood and between Dormers Wells Lane and what now is Hayes Bridge, was Northcote.
Perhaps here will be a good place to get Dormandswell Hall’s connection with Southall Green explained. Robert Cheeseman was followed by Francis Chamberlayne in 1548, and his son Robert; and the last to reside there was Lord and Lady Dacre. He died and Lady Dacre had the ‘Manor House’ in Southall Green built in 1587 (more of the ‘Manor House’ later).
There seems to be no record of when Dormandswells’ was demolished and there is no trace of it today.