247 Hills Road Cambridge

247 Hills Road, Beaconsfield House, Cambridge

History of 247 Hills Road

1911 census:

Joseph Turner Bailey, 62, widower, private means, born Cambridge

Jane Spicer, 36, niece, single, born London

Joseph Bailey (1849-1917) inherited £300 from an elderly friend and bought the Earl of Beaconsfield public house on Mill Road. He married in 1878 but his wife died in 1890 leaving no children. He became quite wealthy and when he died left a considerable amount to Addenbrookes Hospital. For more detail of his life visit the Mill Road Cemetery web site.

There is also a connection between Joseph Bailey and 7 Gwydir Street.

This house was home to a fellow of St Catherine’s College, William Henry Samuel Jones in the 1920s. It was occupied by the army during World War Two and after that the builders, Sindalls, transformed it into two houses. An architect called Hiblin owned the house for a time before it was bought by Sir Andrew M Claye, the gynaecologist (1896-1977).

Sources: Cambridge News (Cambridgeshire Collection)

1946 09 05
Squatters occupy Nissen huts in grounds of 247 Hills Road, a house formerly occupied by Army Lancers Regiment and the R.E.s which empty for a year; huts empty for two 46 09 05
Credit: Mike Petty, Cambridge Cherryhinton Road Area Scrapbook 1897–1990.