By the turn of the century Stephen <strong>Moulton</strong>’s youngest son, John, was the Chairman of George Spencer <strong>Moulton</strong> & Co. He lived at <strong>The</strong> <strong>Hall</strong> with his wife Alice <strong>and</strong> their sons John Coney (born 1886) <strong>and</strong> Charles Eric (born 1889). John <strong>Moulton</strong> was a local Justice of the Peace <strong>and</strong> a County Councillor. <strong>The</strong> photograph on the left, taken on the last day of the 19 th century, shows the <strong>Moulton</strong> family (the children as Eton schoolboys) at <strong>The</strong> <strong>Hall</strong>. Thanks to the tremendous success of the Spencer- <strong>Moulton</strong> company, John <strong>Moulton</strong> was a very wealthy man. He made substantial improvements to the grounds of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Hall</strong>, including the new stable block designed by Sir Harold Brakspear. He was a notable benefactor to the town, giving both l<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> money for the building of the Queen Victoria Jubilee swimming baths; <strong>and</strong> restoring <strong>and</strong> converting what is now St. Margarets <strong>Hall</strong> into a Drill <strong>Hall</strong> <strong>and</strong> later the Alex<strong>and</strong>er Picture <strong>The</strong>atre. 3 <strong>The</strong> 1911 census record for <strong>The</strong> <strong>Hall</strong> reads as follows: John <strong>Moulton</strong>, 71 yrs Alice Blanche <strong>Moulton</strong>, 46 yrs Charles Eric <strong>Moulton</strong>, 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 <strong>and</strong> a chauffeur.
Top left, interior of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Hall</strong> c. 1900. Above, John <strong>Moulton</strong> in his ‘new’ Garden Temple c. 1902. Lower left, John Coney <strong>and</strong> Charles Eric , c. 1895 4
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