Page 8 - Leighton News May 2019
P. 8
-8-
Happy Valley Horndale Distillery & Wine Cellars
Stone Building left designed and built 1900 by Richard Cholmondeley
Leighton Hall can throw up a great deal of History Georgina Naylor in 1900 and returned to Australia
because it was always open to the Naylor family and with his new wife, Hilda. They had 7 children 5 girls
friends, particularly after Georgina Naylor purchased and 2 boys.
Richard
the Hall in 1931 when her Cholmondeley
great nephew sold the estate. died and was
Here is one such story. buried in
Australia in
Some years ago an 1918.
Australian lady called at
Leighton Church and asked The family
about a Lettice returned to Stokesay Castle Tassy left (with fag')
Cholmondeley. This lady England and and Powder the dog, Lettice right
told me that Lettice I came across some of them in a photo album
was in the ATA (Air of Leighton Hall, found at a church fair in
Transport Somerset and offered to me. It appears that
Victoria Millicent Cholmondeley Auxiliary) and had the Cholmondeley family were the house guests of
(aka) Tassy been a pilot with her mother
during the war. Georgina Naylor at Leighton Hall in the early 1930s.
I had not then heard of any connection between Lettice and her mother were on the Parochial Church
Leighton and the ATA, or the Cholmondeley family.
I was aware that John Naylor’s eldest son Council from 1932 to 1936, and Lettice was PCC
Christopher had a daughter Hilda who married the
Vicar of Hodnet’s son, a Richard Vernon Secretary during this period.
Cholmondeley. Their youngest son Charles
Cholmondeley came to fame as a MI5 officer during One of the ladies in the photos was referred to as
the war, for using a dead body to fool the Germans in Tassy. It was only after looking up the family on the
‘Operation Mincemeat.’ Ben Macintyre has written ‘web’ that I realised that the lady was called Tassy
an excellent account of this true spy story that because she was born in Tasmania, unlike the rest of
changed the course of World War II. Charles was the family who were born in Australia. Her actual
awarded the MBE for his service to the nation. name was Victoria Millicent Cholmondeley.
So I started digging. Richard Cholmondeley had Tassy studied at Harper Adams Agricultural College
emigrated to Australia and had established a and then returned to Vale Royal,
Vineyard, the Vale Royal Winery in Happy Valley, Australia. She featured in the
Adelaide. Richard designed and built the stone Adelaide Mail of 10th July 1926
cellars and distillery in 1892 at the neighbouring under the headline, ‘Manless
Horndale Winery. This vinery and Cholmondeley’s Agricultural Eden.’ Apparently she
building still exists. and 4 other single women, possibly
also ex Harper Adams students,
Richard returned to England, married Hilda returned to Tassy’s 140 acre family
farm at Vale Royal, in about 1922,
where they farmed 40 acres of
Lettice
Happy Valley Horndale Distillery & Wine Cellars
Stone Building left designed and built 1900 by Richard Cholmondeley
Leighton Hall can throw up a great deal of History Georgina Naylor in 1900 and returned to Australia
because it was always open to the Naylor family and with his new wife, Hilda. They had 7 children 5 girls
friends, particularly after Georgina Naylor purchased and 2 boys.
Richard
the Hall in 1931 when her Cholmondeley
great nephew sold the estate. died and was
Here is one such story. buried in
Australia in
Some years ago an 1918.
Australian lady called at
Leighton Church and asked The family
about a Lettice returned to Stokesay Castle Tassy left (with fag')
Cholmondeley. This lady England and and Powder the dog, Lettice right
told me that Lettice I came across some of them in a photo album
was in the ATA (Air of Leighton Hall, found at a church fair in
Transport Somerset and offered to me. It appears that
Victoria Millicent Cholmondeley Auxiliary) and had the Cholmondeley family were the house guests of
(aka) Tassy been a pilot with her mother
during the war. Georgina Naylor at Leighton Hall in the early 1930s.
I had not then heard of any connection between Lettice and her mother were on the Parochial Church
Leighton and the ATA, or the Cholmondeley family.
I was aware that John Naylor’s eldest son Council from 1932 to 1936, and Lettice was PCC
Christopher had a daughter Hilda who married the
Vicar of Hodnet’s son, a Richard Vernon Secretary during this period.
Cholmondeley. Their youngest son Charles
Cholmondeley came to fame as a MI5 officer during One of the ladies in the photos was referred to as
the war, for using a dead body to fool the Germans in Tassy. It was only after looking up the family on the
‘Operation Mincemeat.’ Ben Macintyre has written ‘web’ that I realised that the lady was called Tassy
an excellent account of this true spy story that because she was born in Tasmania, unlike the rest of
changed the course of World War II. Charles was the family who were born in Australia. Her actual
awarded the MBE for his service to the nation. name was Victoria Millicent Cholmondeley.
So I started digging. Richard Cholmondeley had Tassy studied at Harper Adams Agricultural College
emigrated to Australia and had established a and then returned to Vale Royal,
Vineyard, the Vale Royal Winery in Happy Valley, Australia. She featured in the
Adelaide. Richard designed and built the stone Adelaide Mail of 10th July 1926
cellars and distillery in 1892 at the neighbouring under the headline, ‘Manless
Horndale Winery. This vinery and Cholmondeley’s Agricultural Eden.’ Apparently she
building still exists. and 4 other single women, possibly
also ex Harper Adams students,
Richard returned to England, married Hilda returned to Tassy’s 140 acre family
farm at Vale Royal, in about 1922,
where they farmed 40 acres of
Lettice
