The wondrous tale of Buckmaster House

Hopes are high that this very special building in Broadstairs will be Grade II-listed

Peter Lorenzo, chairman of CPRE Kent’s Thanet committee and member of our historic buildings committee, tells the fascinating tale of the Buckmaster Memorial Home, or Buckmaster House, highlighting the need for its protection.

Buckmaster House was built, furnished and endowed by Jane Buckmaster in memory of her husband, Thomas Buckmaster, of Bruntsfield House in Brixton. It was built as a convalescent home for ladies of the Protestant faith without sufficient means to enable them to pay for holidays at the seaside.

Thomas and William Buckmaster were successful tailors in Savile Row. They became substantial property-owners, with two houses in Savile Row, a large house in Piccadilly and property in Brixton.

Thomas died in 1891 and the planning and design of the house was put in hand in 1983. The land was bought in 1894 and the architect was H.B. Langham of Broadstairs and the builder Wise of Deal.

Broadstairs was probably chosen because a nephew and two nieces of her late husband lived in Thanet – William Buckmaster’s children (Reverend John North Buckmaster, Maria and Marion).  Maria’s husband (Reverend Alfred Whitehead) joined the management committee to oversee the running of the home.

The Ward Lock travel guide published about 1905 referred to the town as “our watering place” and quoted Dickens describing it in 1894 as “a good sea, fresh breezes, fine sands and pleasant walks. It is one of the freshest and purest little places in the world”. The guide went on to say that the Buckmaster Memorial Home building “is one of the most handsome in the town”.

The original and many of the later trustees were members of the Buckmaster or Cheyne families, mainly through William’s line through his son, Reverend John North Buckmaster, who was born in 1837, educated at Rugby and Oxford and ordained in 1863. He married Catherine Tomson (of the Kentish brewery Tomson and Wotton) in 1872 and died in 1910.

John had two sons, William and Herbert. William was an original trustee and his brother, Herbert, founded Buck’s Club in London after the First World War and ran it for 50 years. The drink Buck’s Fizz was first served at the club. Herbert married Gladys (later Dame Gladys) Cooper and their daughter, Joan North Buckmaster, married the actor Robert Morley.

The Reverend John North Buckmaster’s nephew Walter, who captained England at polo and was for many years the Master of Warwickshire Foxhounds, founded the stockbroking firm of Buckmaster and Moore.

The last Buckmaster to serve as a trustee was Joan Morley, who retired after 47 years. The home was originally designed with 12 bedrooms upstairs built along three corridors leading off the main landing. Smaller rooms for domestic staff were at the back of the house.

During the period 1982-1994 the home was enlarged – long-term residence was given priority over short-stay. In 1995 there were 26 single bedrooms and only one or two were kept for holiday guests. Ronald C. McAlister and Molly G. Proctor wrote a history of the home from 1895 to 1995.

The Abbeyfield Society took over responsibility of the home some time thereafter and it is now expected to go on the market for somewhere between £3 million and £4 million.

The Broadstairs Society suggested and the town council agreed that the property should be locally listed and it is contained in the town’s Neighbourhood Plan as such, while there are hopes that, despite an original rejection, it will be Grade II-listed.