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Builders: The Jones Family

Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire

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Houses on Tory, Bradford on Avon, built by Henry and John Jones

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In 1796 Henry Jones, a stone mason, purchased from the executors of George Bethell a piece of land called Hilly Close, next to the chapel of St Mary Tory, on the edge of Budbury on the hillside on the northern side of Bradford. On this he built the westernmost rank of houses of Tory (numbers 33-37), finishing them by 1805. There was, until demolished in the 1960s, a short terrace of houses that was called Jones’s Court on the top of the hill behind. Henry’s brother John (died 1814) built the next rank on Tory (25-32), which were completed in about 1812. The brothers were extracting stone from a partially underground quarry to the rear of these buildings. Another Henry Jones, who died in 1861 aged 58, was a stone mason in Newtown.

The next generation, John’s sons -Daniel (1796-1866), Charles (1798-1852) and Brian (1802-1843)- were said to have employed 400 men and they operated further afield, often working with the architect Thomas Henry Wyatt (1807-1880). Their work with him took them to the restoration of many churches and to Badminton House, Gloucestershire, Orchardleigh near Frome in Somerset and Wilton, Wiltshire. At Wilton Brian died from a fall while working on the new romanesque church.

Another Jones, Isaac (1826-1881) was operating limekilns and underground building stone quarries at Gripwood from at least 1841. They went under the part of Westwood Lane that is known as Jones’ Hill today; in 1855 he was listed as a mason in Almshouse Hill, the name taken from land St Katherine’s Almshouse owned around there. His widow was listed as a lime merchant there in the year of his death, employing seven men and a boy, before passing the business on to their son, also Isaac (1862-1916).

Isaac Jones jr  built this house, called Hillside, for himself in around 1900. It is at the foot of what is now called Jones’ Hill.

Not far way, Isaac jr began a large Cotswold-style mansion called Elms Cross House in about 1908, but it was unfinished in 1913 when a fire left only the walls. Suffragettes were blamed, but no responsibility was claimed and no evidence found. It was later finished and became Granby House Hotel, now, after another fire in 1947, Granby House -see a history at House & Heritage (an external link, it opens a new tab).