Moulton and The Hall: The Great War 1914-1918

By the turn of the century Stephen Moulton’s youngest
son, John, was the Chairman of George Spencer Moulton
& Co. He lived at The Hall with his wife Alice and their
sons John Coney (born 1886) and Charles Eric (born
1889). John Moulton was a local Justice of the Peace and
a County Councillor. The photograph on the left, taken
on the last day of the 19 th century, shows the Moulton
family (the children as Eton schoolboys) at The Hall.
Thanks to the tremendous success of the Spencer-
Moulton company, John Moulton was a very wealthy
man. He made substantial improvements to the grounds
of The Hall, including the new stable block designed by
Sir Harold Brakspear. He was a notable benefactor to the
town, giving both land and money for the building of the
Queen Victoria Jubilee swimming baths; and restoring
and converting what is now St. Margarets Hall into a Drill
Hall and later the Alexander Picture Theatre.
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The 1911 census record for The Hall reads as follows:
John Moulton, 71 yrs
Alice Blanche Moulton, 46 yrs
Charles Eric Moulton, 21 yrs
Servants: Joseph Hoggett, Footman, 23 yrs
Margaret Jones, Cook, 42 yrs
Blanche Blewitt, Housemaid, 35 yrs
Hilda Olney, Maid, 26 yrs
Henrietta Wills, Housemaid, 19 yrs
Ellen Hann, Kitchenmaid, 16 yrs
In addition, there was an outdoor staff of ten, including
five gardeners (the Head Gardener being Albert Keen), a
carpenter, a gamekeeper and a chauffeur.