THE LANGLANDS FAMILY

(This article is in six sections, each of which ends with a clickable link to its neighbours.)

Part 4: 4th generation – Gerald Walter, 1862-1889

With Charles’ death at the end of 1889, the baton passed to his son, Gerald Walter, who in later life preferred to be known as Walter Gerald. Gerald had already been active in the family business and, in 1890, helped oversee the completion of Holmwood House at the crest of West Hill, Epsom. The particular reason for mentioning this – out of many other projects – will become clear below.

An early photograph of Holmwood House, West Hill.

This leasehold property was apparently built for residential use, but later housed the Tanglewood School for Girls. That school closed and, in 1920, the building was taken over by the growing Kingswood House School – which continues there today. In recognition of the building’s origins, the School’s 1973 extension is named the “Langlands Building”.

To revert to our timeline, on 18 November 1890 the 28 year-old Gerald Walter married 21 year old Rosalie Florence Pulleyn in her parish church of St John, Clapham.

The signatures of Gerald and Rosalie on the Register entry of their marriage.

The register entry records Gerald Walter as an “Auctioneer” – currently of 27 Bromfeld Road, Clapham – whose late father had been a “Gentleman”. Rosalie’s address was 69 Jeffreys Road, Clapham and her father, Robert John Pulleyn, was “Manager of a Fine Art Gallery”.

The 1891 Census records the couple (with Gerald Walter as an “Auctioneer and Surveyor”) at an address in Ashley Road, Epsom supported by two domestic servants. Very shortly afterwards, they moved to the now-lost Hazon House in West Hill (as mentioned at the beginning of this article), where they had their two children:

• Charles John Laurence (but for the alternative spelling of “Lawrence”, the same names as his grandfather), born on 15 October 1891; and
• Cecil Walter, born on 20 March 1893.

Both children – the fifth generation who we will be following in the next part of this article – were baptised at Christ Church Epsom Common (the parish church for West Hill) on, respectively, 25 November 1891 and 8 June 1893. In both cases, Gerald Walter is listed as a “Surveyor”.

The 1901 Census records the family of four at Hazon House plus Gerald’s brother, Percy (now a Captain in the 1st West Indian Regiment) nine days before his already-mentioned wedding to Daisy Braithwaite, who was also recorded there as a “visitor”. The household was supported by three domestic servants.

It was at about this time that Gerald, provided a photograph and brief CV for volume of biographies which appears to have been privately-funded “vanity project”. For ease of reference, the image and text immediately below are repeated from our page of those biographies.

Gerald (as “Walter Gerald”) Langlands, in about 1900
“Son of Charles John Langlands, auctioneer, of a well known land owning family in Epsom since 1798; born at Epsom in 1862; educated at Epsom College. Articled to Ventom, Bull and Cooper, of 35 Old Jewry, E.C., and commenced to practise as an auctioneer in Epsom in 1884; a Fellow of the Auctioneers’ Institute, 1898; was Chairman of the Urban District Council, 1902-04; Vice-Chairman, 1905-06; and re-elected Chairman in 1906; joint proprietor of the Langlands stands at Epsom Downs; a Freemason, P.M. of the Ebbisham Lodge, No.2422; P.M. of the Constitutional, No. 55; P.M. of the Royal York Chapter, No. 7; and a member of the Ionic Lodge, No. 227. Recreations: hunting; owner of several successful racehorses. Married Rosalie Florence Pulleyn, of Clapham, and has issue two sons, Charles John and Cecil Walter. Club : Sports’.”

Gerald was, for many years, a member of the Epsom Urban District Council. As noted in the brief CV immediately above, he was the Chairman in 1902-04. To assist the local celebrations of Edward VII’s coronation on 9 August 1902, he generously bought a Devon ox which was subsequently roasted by in Epsom’s Market Place. The roasted meat fed some 1,200 people.

Gerald (on the right, in his trademark boater) and, presumably, members of the Catering Committee, with the ox he supplied for roasting in the local celebrations of the 1902 Coronation.
The “mini-me” on the far right is doubtless one of his sons – either Cecil (then aged 8) or Charles (then aged 10).
Photograph courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum.

The early 1900s saw the height of Langlands & Son’s involvement in Epsom’s property matters. The firm’s range of interests is set out in the following 1902 advertisement for its services.

A 1902 advertisement for “Langlands & Son”.

The business’s telephone number of “No 2 Epsom” shows that it had been quick off the mark in embracing what was then new technology.  The claim (repeated over the door in the photograph below) to have been established in 1798 – during the time of first generation John (1755-1815) – stretches the truth more than a little. The move from cabinet-making and interior decoration to property came during the closing years of second generation Lawrence (1797-1867), and it was not until 1859 that “& Son” appeared alongside Lawrence’s name in the local Kelly directory.

An about contemporaneous picture of the Langlands offices at 135 High Street, Epsom.
(Note the Auction Room proper – No 137 – at the rear on the right.)
Photograph with thanks to Bourne Hall Museum.

As shown below, the upper floors of No 135 were subsequently incorporated into the frontage of what is today’s Marks & Spencer shop.

Today’s Marks & Spencer frontage which, as can be seen, incorporates the upper floors of the old Langlands offices.
Photograph by Roger Morgan © 2022

The 1911 Census records Gerald as a 49 year-old “Auctioneer and Surveyor” at Hazon House with his 40 year old wife, Rosalie and their older son, 19 year-old Charles John Laurence, who is listed as “Surveyor’s pupil”. Rosalie’s 50 year-old unmarried brother, Robert George Pulleyn (a “Manager”), was also recorded there as a “visitor”. The household continued to be supported by three household servants. (Younger son Cecil was recorded in the 1911 Census as a boarder in Hill Side house of Tonbridge School, which he left later that year. Older brother Charles had also been at Tonbridge School, leaving in 1909.)

In 1914, Gerald’s local profile was such that he merited a prominent caricature by “The Tout” on the cover of the Epsom Horticultural Society’s programme for 1914.

Gerald Walter Langlands caricatured in 1914.

Gerald died, aged 62, on 9 August 1924 at the Nursing Home in Bridge Road, Epsom and, on 12 August, was buried in Epsom Cemetery. His estate was valued at £53,875. The widowed Rosalie remained at Hazon House for some years but eventually moved to Wilmar Lodge Nursing Home in Epsom Road, Ewell where she was recorded as “Incapacitated” in the September 1939 Register. Aged 74, she died there on 3 November 1945 and was buried alongside her husband four days later. She left an estate of £31,362.

Roger Morgan © 2022
with special thanks to Terry Friday for his research from which this series of articles has been developed.

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