Housing in the rural villages of North Oxfordshire – Part 6 Barley Close and Sycamore Close
Early in the 1970s, on either side of the Colony Road, parcels of land were sold for family homes to be built. These developments were privately owned residential homes in Sibford Gower and were met with a mixed reception. Some welcomed the idea of new young families in the village whose children would attend, and boost numbers in the village primary school while others resented the change to the village street scene.
Barley Close – Frederick Inns, pictured, bought a parcel of land extending from the Meeting House footpath down to the gate on the Baulks footpath on Colony Road. In the 1930s he built a new home, called Barley Close House, for himself and his wife which enjoyed wonderful views across the Sib valley. The triangular piece of land above the house was rented as allotments and provided 12 allotments for village families. Allotment holders included:- George Waterson, Sally Haynes, Ralph Padbury, Frank Barton, Albert Hanks, Bill Spicer, Albert and Gilbert Keyte, Freddy Barnes, Percy Gardener and Jess Tanner. The allotment land was sold with planning permission for five houses to a development company in Thatcham, Berkshire who reapplied and obtained permission to build 12 houses. These were completed in 1972/3 and retailed at just under £10,000.
Sycamore Close – at the same time four larger detached houses were built by a Stratford building firm on land sold by the Sabin family who farmed at Temple Mill. These retailed at around £12,000.
These modern, bright homes brought people to Sibford from a wide range of places and backgrounds and did bring new lifeblood to an ageing village community. High mortgage rates and the 3-day week challenged home owners in the 1970s but the community benefitted overall from the families in these new homes.
Maureen Hicks
