In 1947 Albert and Lily Roy moved to Garwood House, Hempstead right opposite the Forge. This is now an imposing flint house set in about 2 acres of garden and paddock. It has an engraving on a metal wall dated 1784 but parts appear older and it is mention in Parson Woodforde's diary as a home of the Garwood family. How did Albert come to own such a house? I am indebted to the present owner of Garwood as it is now called. Mo Williams, who allowed me to examine the deeds and associated documents related to the ownership of the house. The earliest name mentioned is George Garwood who was tenant from 1863 to 7 May 1905 along with other pieces of land in Hempstead. There is a gap until 7 April 1909 when Walter William Garwood became tenant. He died 17 February 1920 and the property passed to Mrs V. M. M. Wight of Kelling Road Farm, Holt via John Rix Garwood and Florence Mary Garwood who presumably inherited it from Walter Garwood. The price was £185. The tenants were C. Saxham, J. Pointer and H. Block who also occupied the arable land. She in turn passed the Manor of Hempstead Loosehall as it was called to A. J. Roy, milkman for the sum of £135 on 29 August 1924. Now the 3 cottages or tenaments with well, were occupied by A. Grand, H. Reynolds and T. Nurse (possibly Tent Nurse who was a well known tramp in Holt in the 1940s). There was also two acres of arable land 'lying in Headiscroft' occupied by J. Stearman. The document of sale was witnessed by H. Bartell of 14, Parkside Avenue, Littlehampton who was his brother-in-law and also signed by 'The Steward'. Albert James became what was known as a Copyhold Tenant until he bought the Freehold on 3 September 1935. The agreement was between C. R. Gurney Esq of Northrepps Hall (presumably Lord of the Manor - the Gurneys owned most of Hempstead at that time) and A. J. Roy, smallholder. For a compensation agreement of £143. 9s. 6d. Gurney gave up all mining, sporting and other rights in the Manor of Loosehall. Over the next 10 years the cottages became derelict with about a third of the roof collapsed. This coincided with the ongoing decline of village populations and nothing could be done until the war ended. Then Albert James set about renovating and converting the three terraced cottages to a house with an extension at one end consisting of a tiny bathroom (ahead of its time - outside privies were still normal in rural areas), a box room and a narrow kitchen beneath. He took out a mortgage with Barclays Bank on 10 November 1947. His original purchase seems not to have involved any borrowed finance. Mo Williams believes that this returned it to something like its original state as a single house. Each cottage had one large square room upstairs and a similar room downstairs - an unusual design for a workman's cottage. Even more convincing was the uncovering during renovation of an enormous bricked up inglenook fireplace on one end wall, while the other cottages had very modern fireplaces and chimneys. In 1956 he agreed Wayleave Consent with Eastern Electricity to pass a cable over his land for a rent of a few shillings per year. This cable is still in place at the top of the field. He and Lily moved in and lived there until 24 July 1959 when he sold it with the 2 acres to J. H. Rawlings for £2,800. It has changed hands several times since.