Earliest records: 1713
Date of building: c1808
Grade II listed

In summary:
The earliest deed is the one hanging in the hallway of the house; it mentions William King and his family.

He was in partnership with John Hedges and Thomas Butler. The names and dates are as follows:

William King
1640 John Hedges. King and Hedges were recorded as being Tanners from 1640.
1713 Thomas Butler and John Hedges. Release June 2nd 1713: William King , a Tanner of Charnham Street, had seven daughters who inherited half of the property known as Riverside House. It consisted of seven acres of land and a Tannery. His daughters were
- Elizabeth,
- Hannah who was married to William Butler,
- Martha who was married to William Westall,
- Sarah who was married to George Jennings
- Anna who was married to John Evans,
- Joanna who was married to Robert King, and
- Sarah who was married to Benjamin Dell.
Thomas Butler who traded as an Ironmonger bought the property from them for £130.
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1713 September 16th: Thomas Butler sells the said property for £160 to William Westall, the husband of Martha.

1719 William Westall. November 5th & 6th 1719: John Hedges owned the other half of Riverside. In his will, he left the property to his widow Francis and to his son Edward. They sold the property to William Westall for £140. He now owns all of Riverside .

Reverend and Mrs Fowler rented land at this time. "The Lost Charters of Hungerford", by Robert James, September 1999 mentioned the name of William Butler, Constable. Also the name of John Fowler, draper and juryman. Possibly descendants?

1723 August 30th: The will of William Westall. He leaves to his wife Martha, all the property and 4 acres of arable land, plus 3½ acres of meadowland called Charnham Marsh, and after wards to his eldest son Edward Westall. His other children each received £20, James, John, Elizabeth, Mary and Richard.
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1747 Edward Westall. September 11th 1747: The will of Edward Westall. All the property and 4 acres plus 3½ acres to his wife Jane for and during her natural life, and after to his son and heir William Westall. To both his sons Thomas and James £50 each paid within two years after the death of his wife Jane. Edward died on the 1st March 1748

In 1749, the cottage known as 2 Charnham Street may have been built for James Westall the son of Edward. There is a timber beam in the roof space of the premises of the Fireplace, formerly the Fire engine station, it matches the ones uncovered in the restoration of the cottage in 1995. It also has carved in the beam, the initials J W 1749. Joan Archer felt sure that a section of the east side of the cottage was demolished to make way for the building of the fire station in 1891.

1772 William Westall. March 19th 1772: The will of William Westall. All the property and 3½ acres of arable land plus 3 acres of marshland to his wife Anne and after to his son and heir Edward and his heirs forever, and to his daughter Jane, and his son James, £100 each.

William died on the 12th June 1786.
Anne Westall widow of William died in 1791.
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In 1783 there was some property rented out for 3/= per annum to Phoebe Hughes, maybe she was a tenant in the cottage. 1787 Bond 29th March 1787.

Edward Westall and Anne Burch were married on the 30th March 1787 in Hungerford.

Edward Westall has a bond with Moses Burch for £1,200 as a marriage settlement with Anne Burch. They had four children - William, Samuel, Thomas and John. William was born August 1788. John Westall, their youngest son lived in Marlborough and he was an auctioneer.

Moses Burch died aged 82, in Hungerford on March 2nd 1809. His trade was a blacksmith.

Edward pays to Job Kimber 5/= per annum; it is unclear why. He appears to have been in partnership with Moses Burch.

Job Kimber of Speenhamland died in Kintbury on the 21st November 1802, he was 54.

1808 Mortgage: Property pledged to Newbury bankers, Messrs Samuel Toomer, Bruce Bunny and Samuel Slocock from whom Edward Westall has a Mortgage for £3,905.17.4d. In addition, he paid £500 for insurance. Owing altogether, the sum of £4,405.17.4d.
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In 1808, the property was partly built, enlarged and improved. (Was it because of a fire?)

1810 May 9th Anne Westall died and was buried in Hungerford on the 14th May. She was 50 years old

1810 Edward Westall Bankrupt. 1810 Bargain and Sale: In London at Westminster, on the 9th November Edward Westall was declared bankrupt.

On the 16th January 1832. Edward died he was 70 years old. He was buried on the Island of Jersey. He moved there after he was declared bankrupt.

The creditors met at the Greyhound Inn at Bath on the 1st December and appointed assignees to Liquidate the estate.

1811 B. Bunney and S. Slocock. On the 1st February 1811, The Bankrupt Commissioners transferred the property to the assignees.

1811 July 10th Indenture: B.Bunney and S.Slocock had an indenture with S.Toomer as assignees. They formed a new agreement that made Bunney and Slocock owners of Riverside.
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1812 Benjamin Matthews: 1812 Lease and Release March 3rd: The assignees sell to Benjamin Matthews, who was the highest bidder at the Auction of Edward Westall's effects. The auction was held at the George and Pelican Inn at Speenhamland.

Lot 1. Comprised of the Capital and newly built dwelling house with garden, brew house, two stables and other convenient outbuildings, also a most extensive Tannery with various drying and other sheds, various barns, a Mill house, and other appurtenances. In addition, the 7 acres of land. The price he paid was £1,570.

In the Wiltshire Public records office, the tithing tax mentions a house destroyed by fire, possibly the old Tannery. In the back room of Riverside House there is scratched in the window the name 'Westalll'. Did he make his mark when the house was sold?

1817 Humphrey Carpenter. 1817 Lease and Release: Benjamin Matthews sells to the executor of Humphrey Carpenter for £1,700. Henry Robes was a tenant of the cottage at 3/- per annum.

In 1821, a Mr John Westall was Constable of Hungerford.
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1825 Henry, James and John Carpenter. 1825 Lease and Release: The executors of Humphrey Carpenter sell to Henry, James and John Carpenter, Tanners. William Toms was mentioned as an under tenant. William Hanning was a tenant at 3/- per annum.

1838 James Miller, Charles Pugh and Alexander Grant. 18th December 1838: At the above date, Riverside house was divided between the following people:
- James Miller and Charles Pugh of the 1st part,
- Alexander William Grant 2nd part, and
- Henry, James and John Carpenter of the 3rd part.

1847 Charles and George May. 1847 Conveyance: The Carpenters sell their portion of the property to Charles May and his brother George Edward May, for £1,800, they were also Tanners. The three brothers each receive £600 each being a third share of £1,800

1861 Census: George E. May, employing 19 men, 15 women.

February 16th 1864: Will of Charles May. He bequeathed to his wife Emma May an annuity of £150 to be paid during the lifetime of her mother. If her mother dies and she hasn't remarried, she receives £75. However, if his wife remarries she would lose the whole of the annuity. A Mrs Jepp occupied the cottage.

In 1st June 1868 Charles May died, and he was buried at Marlborough.
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18th May 1876 Emma May, his widow, marries Mr William John Stent and she forfeits all of her annuity and property.

1864. The Wesleyan Chapel in Charnham Street was built.

1877 Indenture 17th February: Indenture between George Matthew May, Charles B May, and George Edward May of the 1st part, William Clark Merriman of the 2nd part, and the said George Matthew May of the 3rd part.
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Indenture between C.B.May, G.E.May, and G.M.May of the 1st and 2nd part, and John Platt the younger, Brewer of Hungerford. John Platt secured a mortgage with Phillip Gibbons of Wantage an Agriculture Engineer for £1.200.

Henry Bryant (or Briant) was the "yard foreman" at The Tannery, and occupied the cottage.

1881 (CS) Robert Canning (aged 64 yrs, living in The Croft) is recorded as "Engine Driver at the Tannery".

1886 John Platt and Phillip Gibbon. Mortgage 24th June 1886: George Matthew May sells to John Platt all the property and land for £1,783.15.6d. The sum of £1,250 was still outstanding to C.B.May and G.E.May; this was paid to them from the sale of the property, leaving the balance of £533.15.6d to G.M.May. Francis William Leyborne Popham, who owned Littlecote House and vast acres of land, also owned the Bear Hotel and the land going towards Chilton Foliat, including the Tanyard Lawn.

1890/1: The Hungerford Voluntary Fire station was built.

1893 Richard Henry Hoskins. Indenture 24th March 1893: Indenture between John Platt and Phillip Gibbons of the 1st and 2nd part, and Richard Henry Hoskins builder and contractor. Richard H. Hoskins purchases the property and some of the land for £1,200. John Platt pays some of the money owing from the mortgage to Phillip Gibbons of £800.
F.W.L.Popham in addition sells to R.H. Hoskins for £125 the Tanyard Lawn on the 15th August.

With thanks to Joan & Geoffrey Archer, who researched Riverside & The Cottage, 2 Charnham Street in 2001.

Riverside, Feb 2010

Riverside, Feb 2010

Riverside House and The Bear, c1912

The ruins of Hungerford Tanyard Chimney, c1912

Plan showing Tan Yard Lawn, 1893

OS Map 1911, showing area around Riverside

Plan showing "Old Public Road" from ford to Charnham Street, 16th Feb 1912

Plan showing access for main sewer pipe - 2s 6d per year, 21st Feb 1912

Plan showing property leased to
Stradling & Plenty, 27th Mar 1912

Plan of property, 27th Mar 1912

Bridge Street, showing Tanyard Lawn, c1912

Charnham Street, showing 2 Charnham Street on right, c1912

Plan of property, 4th April 1946

Aerial view of Riverside, c2000