Briar Cottage, Back Lane, Holywell

A thatched cottage with a tall brick chimney stands beside a country lane, partially obscured by climbing plants and a fence.

History of Briar Cottage

Built in 1654 and rebuilt in 1988

Home of Mary Tabbitt

A man in a suit, a woman in a dark dress, and a younger woman in a light dress stand side-by-side against a leafy background.

Fred and Amelia Tabbitt with daughter Mary

The Holywell Story by Joe Newell has a chapter about the Tabbitts. Mary had been courted by a local artist but she married Walter Wilmer whose sister married Mary’s brother David. They lived at Pantiles initially but Mary had always wanted to live at Briar Cottage.

In 1939 Mary is listed in the register as living at Pantiles.

Mary bought Briar Cottage at auction in St Ives for £120. Walter died in 1971 and Mary continued at Briar Cottage on her own.

A whitewashed cottage with a tiled roof, brick chimney, and three dormer windows sits beside a narrow lane under a clear sky.

Briar Cottage, Holywell IRGL2025)

Projects

Holywell cum Needingworth

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