This stove was made by J. Aldrich, an ironmonger in Diss. It came from Hall Hills House; a large house built in a gothic style around 1870 on Roydon Road.

 

The house had at least four servants, including a butler.

 

In 1884, Henry Murray and Laura Downton moved into Hall Hills House.

Henry died within four years, which left Laura Downton a widow and to raise their seven children alone.

 

In the years to come Laura became heavily involved in the local community and she cultivated the grounds of Hall Hills House.

She lived in the house for almost 45 years and died in 1931 at age 82.

 

The house was sold in the late 1960’s and Hall Hills House was demolished. New homes were built on the site and some of the old bricks were used in other buildings. Today some of the specimen trees planted by Laura Downton are still there.

 

Source: Extract from - Diss & District memories Facebook report by Roella Trudgill, Norfolk Family History Society, Diss Branch talk (9 January 2019) – Hall Hills – Downton Family of Diss; speaker Nick Woods