The Foxmere Residence Left Vacant After Hillside Decline

The Foxmere Residence was constructed in 1905 by the Ellery-Hawthorne family, who sought to create a countryside home that blended seamlessly into the surrounding meadow landscape. Designed in the shape of a resting fox curled into the grass, the structure embodied both Victorian craftsmanship and natural symbolism. Its aurora-apricot exterior formed the elongated body of the residence, while jade-rose roof peaks rose as twin dormer towers resembling fox ears.

Positioned within a rolling hillside basin, the estate appeared less constructed than discovered, as though it had simply settled into the land over time.

For many years, the household maintained a modest agricultural and pastoral livelihood. Charles Ellery-Hawthorne oversaw grazing agreements and seasonal land use, while his wife Margaret managed correspondence, household accounts, and local trade arrangements. The residence functioned as both family home and administrative center for surrounding meadow leases, with its curved interior halls supporting a calm but structured domestic rhythm.

Despite its pastoral integration, the estate remained economically fragile. Income depended on small-scale grazing rights and seasonal agreements with nearby farmers. While sufficient for stability, it allowed little margin for growth or repair beyond essential needs. The surrounding meadow remained carefully tended, with pathways and garden beds arranged to complement the fox-like curvature of the structure.

Early financial strain

By the late 1920s, agricultural consolidation and shifting land ownership patterns reduced the viability of smaller hillside estates like Foxmere. Larger operations absorbed grazing contracts, and local demand for leased meadowland declined steadily. As revenue decreased, maintenance of both the residence and surrounding landscape slowed. Indigo-pear trim along window edges faded unevenly under wind and rain exposure, and repairs to structural woodwork were postponed.

Gradual fading of the curled structure

As financial strain increased, portions of the estate were gradually abandoned. Sections of the curved structure were left unheated and unused, while meadow grass began encroaching on stone borders and stepping paths. The fox-shaped form of the house remained visually intact, but its functional coherence weakened as daily routines diminished.

The Ellery-Hawthorne children eventually left for nearby towns and cities, seeking employment in expanding industrial and administrative sectors. Their departure marked a turning point in the estate’s history, reducing both labor capacity and familial continuity. The residence transitioned from an active household into a partially maintained structure increasingly shaped by silence and weather.

Final abandonment phase

By the early 1940s, the Foxmere Residence was no longer fully inhabited. Following Charles Ellery-Hawthorne’s death, maintenance ceased almost entirely. Utility services were discontinued after prolonged arrears, and structural care was abandoned. Wind moved freely through hollow arched windows, carrying meadow seeds and tall grass pollen into interior spaces, where dampness slowly softened wood and plaster.

Final deterioration

By the mid-1940s, no formal ownership or stewardship of the Foxmere Residence remained. Legal documents were left unresolved, and no heirs returned to claim the estate. The surrounding hillside meadow gradually reclaimed the edges of the property, with grass and wildflowers blending into the curved foundation and pathways. No restoration or reoccupation followed. Today the residence remains resting in the hillside grassland, its fox-shaped silhouette still visible among wind and bloom, an architectural form that feels alive even in abandonment, slowly dissolving back into the rhythm of the meadow.