Peasant Buildings and Bramshott Camp Hutments

Thanks to a tip from a local, I've discovered that a number of buildings associated with the Peasant Arts movement were likely to have originated from the WW1 Bramshott Camp.  Bramshott was a hutted camp on Bramshott Common, and was one of the main bases for Canadian troops during WW1, there are a few more details on Wikipedia.

Peasant Shop, Weydown Road, c.1919
reproduced courtesy of Haslemere Educational Museum
likely to have originated from Bramshott Camp

The buildings that appear to be have originally been hutments at the Bramshott Camp are:

• the Peasant Shop (photographs held by the museum) which still exists which was in the grounds of Wildwood / St Cross on Keydown Road
• Little St Cross which was in the garden of St Cross
• some houses which still exist on Bell Road which were built on land owned by Joseph King, presumedly part of the land owned when he lived at nearby Hill Farm

In Liphook, Bramshott, and the Canadians (Bramshott and Liphook Preservation Society, L.C. Giles, September 1986) a few more details are given: "Bramshott Common was completely cleared of buildings after World War I.  Huts, wagons, barbed wire, timber and other stores were briskly auctioned by Capt. Davey.  Some of the officers' 'pre-fab' quarters live on as Nos. 35-43 Haslemere Road (north side).  One hut ended up as the cricket pavilion at Highfield School, another was re-erected at Downlands, a third became the schoolroom at Stanford Hill Chapel; three more were in use as bungalows at Stanford Hill until about 1976."  Whilst this book does not identify the other buildings in Haslemere, it does seem to support the use of buildings locally for various purposes.

Highfield School cricket pavilion,
reported to originate from the Bramshott Camp

From reviewing the press in 1920 it seems that there were a number of auctions advertised selling hutments from Bramshott Camp.  I had thought that these auctions were for different parts of the Bramshott Camp, but closer inspection suggests that some of the buildings were difficult to dispose of!

The headlines from the Sussex Agricultural Express read:

1. 19th - 20th July - valuable camp buildings comprising "Bramshott Camp"
2. 17th August - most important sale of valuable corrugated iron and wood, hutments, and camp buildings at South Camp
3. 20th September - most important sale of valuable corrugated iron and wood, hutments, and camp buildings at South Camp
4. 18th October - highly important auction sale of 200 corrugated iron and wood hutments and camp buildings at South Camp

Bramshott Camp sale
from Sussex Agricultural Express, 2 July 1920

Tin Town, Witley / Bramshott Camp postcard
October 1918

The first auction in July, which does not mention that it is the first of a series of auctions, stated it included:

• "Officers' Quarters, well appointed, with pleasing exteriors, built of timber and felt roofing
• Excellent barrack stores - weather boarded and felt roofing.  Average sizes - 80ft. x 20ft., 60ft. x 20ft., 20ft., x 15ft., etc.
• Spacious regimental institutes - weather boarded and felt roofing
• Dining rooms - average size 120ft. x 30ft.
• Ablution shelters and latrines - average size 50ft. x 20ft. with part brick and part corrugated iron sides
• Cookhouses and washups - average size 40ft. x 20ft. with corrugated iron sides and roofs
• Guard rooms and detention cells - weather boarded and felt roofing.  Average size 40ft. x 20ft.
• Excellent office huts, with verandah - average size 50ft. x 20ft forming ideal Bungalows.  Weather boarded and felt roofing
• Timber and corrugated iron store sheds of various dimensions
• Brick built bath houses with corrugated iron roofs and fitted with excellent shower apparatus, etc.
• Valuable steel frame horse shelters - with corrugated iron roofs ans sides, with all fitting
• Corrugated iron destructor sheds, fitted with Horsefall Destructors
• Barrack huts 60ft. x 20ft...
• Special note, the Auctioneers would like to point out the excellent well constructed officers quarters forming part ideal bungalow residences of pleasing appearance, also that many of the hutments are partitioned into a number of rooms suitable for easy conversion into Dwelling Houses."

Bramshott Camp sale
from Sussex Agricultural Express, 20 August 1920

Then in September the following was advertised for auction, which suggests that the officers quarters, barrack stores, regimental institutes, dining rooms, office huts and guard room and detention cells did not sell in July.

• "The excellent officers' quarters, well constructed, weather boarded with wood floor and framing, board and felt roof, and divided into 10 rooms (average size 72ft. x 21ft.)
• Well-appointed officers messes, weather boarded with wood floor and framing, divided into 2 large rooms, lobby and annexe (average size 72ft. x 21ft.)
• Excellent office huts, with verandahs, weather boarded with felt roofing divided into 3 rooms, forming ideal bungalows (average size 40ft. by 29ft.)
• Well-fitted barrack stores, weather boarded and felt roofing, containing 3 rooms (average size 97ft. by 21ft.)
• Spacious regimental institutes, weather boarded, with wood floor and framing, board and felt roof, and divided into 12 large rooms (average size 130ft. by 49ft.)
• The very fine dining room and canteens, weather boarded, with wood floor and framing, board and felt rood, and divided into 2 large rooms (average size 130ft. by 49ft.)
• Brigade office huts, weather boarded, wood floor and timber framing, board and felt rood, and divided into 2 rooms (average size 40ft. by 29ft.)
• Guard room and detention cells, with verandahs, weather boarded and felt roofing, divided into 5 rooms and 10 cells (average size 135ft. by 29ft.)
• Sectional miniature rifle ranges, weather boarded, with wood floor and framing, and corrugated iron roof (average size 200ft. by 49ft.)
• Well-fitted quarter master’s stores, weather boarded, with wood framing and floor, board and felt roof, and containing 7 rooms (average size 88ft. by 21ft.)
• Well-built barrack huts, weather boarded, board and felt roof, wood floor (average size 66ft. by 20ft.)
• Valuable hospital buildings, weather boarded on wood framing and floor, board and felt roof, containing large ward room and 4 other rooms, and fittings (average size 77ft. by 21ft.)
• Well-appointed sergeants’ messes, weather boarded, board and felt roof, wood floors, and divided into 3 large rooms (average size 77ft. by 21ft.)
• Sergeants’ cookhouses, weather boarded, with wood floor and framing, board nd felt roof and divided into 3 large rooms (average size 77ft. by 21ft.)
• Sergeants’ cookhouses, weather boarded, with wood floor and framing, board and felt roof, and divided into 3 rooms (average size 31ft. by 21ft.)
• Excellent officers’ kitchen blocks, weather boarded in wood framing, and divided into 8 roos (average size 72ft. by 21ft.)
• Spacious men’s cookhouses and wash-ups, weather boarded, with corrugated iron roof and concrete floors, divided into 6 rooms (average size 112ft. by 29ft.)…
• Note – The above buildings are particularly well constructed and lined with asbestos sheeting or match board, and are highly suitable for public halls, bungalow residences or dwelling houses, mission rooms, workshops, garages, farm and poultry buildings, and many other useful purposes.
• There are firms in close proximity to the Camp, who are making a specialty to cater for the removal and transport of huts and buildings on most reasonable terms."

The next advert in Sussex Agricultural Express, 10 September 1920, repeats the August advert with only a slight reordering of the items.

Bramshott Camp sale
from Sussex Agricultural Express, 10 September 1920

The final October adverts seem to be selling pretty much the same buildings as were advertised in previous sales, including some items that were listed in the initial auction in July.  This time there is a focus on the numbers of the buildings in addition to their measurements.

Bramshott Camp Sale
from Sussex Agricultural Express, 15 October 1920

“Highly important auction sale of 200 corrugated iron and wood hutments and camp buildings at South Camp, Bramshott, Hants., on Monday, October 18^th, at Eleven o’clock precisely.  To be held at the Camp, within easy reach of Haslemere and Liphook Stations, on the L. and S.W. Railway, main line from Waterloo to Portsmouth; motor buses run to the Camp from both Stations.  Comprising:-

• 62 excellent barrack huts with matchboard linings (average size, 60ft. x 20ft.), each containing one large room.
• 2 spacious regimental institutes average size, 107ft. x 60ft., each containing 12 good rooms
• 4 very fine dining rooms and canteens (average size, 125ft. x 49ft.), each containing two large rooms
• 4 well-fitted quartermaster’s stores buildings (average size 77ft. x 20ft.) each containing seven rooms
• 6 excellent office huts, with verandahs (average size, 30ft. x 20ft.), each containing lobby and three rooms
• A guard room and detention cells, with verandah (size 110ft. x 25ft.) containing 16 rooms
• 4 well-appointed sergeant’s messes (average size, 77ft. x 21ft.), each containing three rooms
• 10 spacious cook-houses and wash up buildings (average size, 110ft. x 25ft. and 30ft x 20ft. respectively)
• A very fine telephone office building, with two verandahs,. Measuring 70ft. x 20ft. and containing five rooms
• 4 brick-built bath-houses, with corrugated iron roofs (average size, 30ft. x 12ft.)
• 4 corrugated iron ablution shelters (average size 42ft. x 24ft.)
• 4 corrugated iron latrines (average size 50ft. x 24ft.)
• 2 corrugated iron “horsfall” destuctor sheds (average size, 26ft. x 12ft.)
• A brick-built “thresh” disinfector building (average size, 45ft. x 12ft.) containing four rooms
• A spacious sectional miniature rifle range (measuring 200ft. x 49ft.) containing four compartments
• 2 valuable and well-appointed hospital buildings (average size 80ft. x 20ft.)
• 2 sergeants’s living huts (average size, 68ft. x 20ft.), each containing 16 rooms
• several corrugated iron coal enclosures
• 61 well-constructed living huts (average size 68ft. x 20ft.), each containing one large room
• And
• Several other useful hutments of various dimensions.
• The camp equipment comprises:-
• 72in. Double Oven Kitchen Ranges and Glazed Earthenware Sinks, etc..."

I wonder if the final October 1920 auction was successful in getting rid of the 200 buildings?  Did Joseph King / Godfrey Blount purchase the buildings at these auctions or did they make a deal when the last advertized auction was unsuccessful?