| |
History of the House in the Rock (Fort
Montague) and the Hill Family
Nancy Buckle
The House in the Rock is a thing that dreams are
made of, and indeed was conceived through a dream of a humble
linen weaver, Thomas Hill - my great-great-great-great-grandfather,
who, like his forebears, lived in a whitewashed cottage at
the foot of the magnesium limestone cliff which was to be
the substance of his toil.
In the year 1770, armed with pick, chisel and hammer, and
with the goodwill of Sir Charles Slingsby Bart. - the Lord
of the Manor - and Margaret, Duchess of Buccleugh, he commenced
his assault on the rock face. Over a period of sixteen years
he hollowed out an elongated deep cleft in the rock; this
extended from the foot of the cliff at the Abbey Road area
to the top of the cliff at the Crag Top area thus facilitating
a split level system of dwelling. The resulting mass of rocks
and rubble caused by the excavation was recycled. The rocks
were fashioned into building blocks to build up the front
wall so that the completed dwelling consisted of three walls
of solid rock and a front wall of dressed, excavated stone.
Excesses of rubble were burned in kilns on site to obtain
lime to be used in the building process.
The River Nidd and buildings in front of the House
in the Rock
©
Alyson Jackson
Eventually the house was to have four rooms leading up from
one another, lighthouse fashion. The top room protruded from
the cliff face reversing the lower construction in having
a rear wall of rock and three built walls.
At a later date castellations were added to both upper
and lower levels by Thomas Hill and his elder son, also named
Thomas, giving the appearance of a fort. The house then became
known as Fort Montague at the request of the duchess of Buccleugh
- the principal sunscriber to it.
The views from all windows were, and indeed are to this
day, breath-taking. The very concept of viewing the Nidd
Valley from what is the interior of the cliff is enchanting
whether the valley be cloaked in a mantle of snow, russet
with autumn tints, dressed in lush summer foliage or the
delicate hues of spring.
Landscaping of the cliff top areas and lower gardens took
a further five years. By this time Thomas Hill was helped
by his son. Soil had to be carried for considerable distances
to give a good depth to the cliff top areas, and countless
shrubs, plants, ornamental trees and statues were provided
by the Slingsby's, together with pairs of exotic peacocks.
Following completion the gardens were likened to the Hanging
Gardens of Babylon. Doubtless the sub-tropical summers experienced
then were a tremendous advantage, even allowing apricots
to be freely grown.
Thomas Hill, his wife and six of his seven children inhabited
the house. The eldest son, Thomas, also a linen weaver, had
married and lived elsewhere but was still very much involved
with the House in the Rock. It was he who persuaded his father
to place two cannon on the roof battlements - one authentic
and the other a replica. These were in situ until the end
of the 19th century, the working cannon being fired under
careful control on "feast and field days". Both
cannon were removed when two "likely lads" - one
of the Hill family and his friend (a member of the Renton
family - well-known auctioneers) - fired the cannon without
permission, the cannonball allegedly landing in Calcutt village,
fortunately with no casualties!
The house was arranged with the kitchen/living room at the
top. Here was a great iron range for heating and cooking.
It was the most used room in the house and from then up until
the 1950's contained a "shut-up bed" in one corner.
This was of particular use in childbirth, sickness, and,
of course, over the years many members of the family would
die in it. When folded away it presented the appearance of
a chest of drawers with a cupboard on top but these were
mere artifacts to camouflage the two doors which hid the
folded-up bed from view.
The room was furnished with a plain wood kitchen table,
a large dresser with delpht rack, various high-backed wooden
chairs, and, towards the end of the 19th century, a large,
long settle which had a set of drawers beneath the seat.
The settle was purchased by Ann Hill, wife of the last of
the Hill men to bear the name Thomas. She paid the princely
sum of one shilling and sixpence for it and saved it from
being chopped up for firewood by a neighbour. When Ann died
the house went to the youngest of her seven children - Ellen.
The only surviving male - James - emigrated to Canada but
to this day the eldest male in his family line is always
named Thomas.
The Hill descendents lived in The House in the Rock
Ellen married a retired army officer whose father wove the
famous shirt
without a seam. On his early retirement John was the
accountant at Walton's
Mill
The room below the kitchen/living room was known as the
Ash Chamber because in the late 18th century, at the time
of completion of the house, a branch of a large ash tree
was level with the window and tapped on the pane when the
wind blew. The room was reached by descending a short flight
of wooden stairs comprising a trap door which, when lowered,
created extra floor space for the top room. Very much in
evidence here is the enormous chimney breast rising from
the fireplace in the lowest room of all. This chimney served
as a central heating system for the entire house, but the
fire had to be kept stoked up from the end of September until
the following March. It took two weeks for the chimney both
to heat up and cool down. As the winters were paricularly
severe at this time the "central heating system" was
a great asset.
Upon further descent down rock steps a little bedroom stands
to the side. It was lined with wooden boards in the middle
of the 19th century as the Hill wife of that time was alarmed
that harebells were actually growing in the room!
The lowest room, or "Bottom House", produces
a sense of genus loci which persists through the whole house.
There is a seething atmosphere which some find disturbing
and others comforting. Here the last Thomas Hill fell down
the steps onto the rock floor, breaking his neck and dying
several hours later. This happened at the end of the 19th
century and, of course, there was nothing anyone could do
for him except to make him as comfortable as possible, comfort
him and pray with him.
The same room was a very communal area where the door which
led to the Nidd Valley was never locked. The menfolk of the
valley congregated on winter evenings round the fire, fortifying
themselves with tankards of porter which were heated by dipping
in a red hot poker. It is easy to imagine the men tramping
along the four yard rock passage between the door and the
room.
There have been countless quirky events attached to the
family.
The house, although a dwelling place, was a viable tourist
attraction from its completion in 1786. The second Thomas
Hill, who helped his father finish the house and complete
the gardens, produced mock white five pound notes which were
sold as souvenirs at the house. The five pound notes were
withdrawn when the Bank of Newcastle was duped by them! There
are still copies in circulation but they are hard to find.
An image of one can be seen at smithson.org.uk.
In the early 19th century a rather strange child appeared
in the family, although not in the direct line. This child
had abnormal very blonde woolly hair resembling the fleece
of a sheep and was known as the Woolly-Headed Boy of Fort
Montague. He conducted visitors around the house and must
have been a great curiosity himself.
The House in the Rock, 1999
© Alyson Jackson
The wife of the second Thomas Hill bore sixteen children,
all of whom reached adulthood. Her husband, however,
died relatively young and she was left with several young
children dependent upon her. She had a marquee erected
in the gardens adjacent to the Crag Top and obtained
a wine, spirits and cigar licence which, together with
the income from visitors to the house, enabled her to
raise the rest of her family.
Up to the middle of the
19th century water had to be carried from the river - quite
an operation, especially in winter when a hammer had to be
used to break the ice!
The house was visited by tourists until 1994 and
lived in by the descendents of Thomas Hill until 1996
when I myself was forced to vacate it to enable it
to undergo renovations. My aim is for it to be available
to the public, as was intended by my great-great-great-great-grandfather
Thomas Hill, who made it by blood, sweat and toil.
It must not be lost to heritage.
|
|
