He was determined to live in Mathon

Dennis George James Fairfax (1914—1989) was born in Mathon, in a black and white thatched roof cottage at Smiths Green. His father, Thomas Brace Fairfax was a postman who had to retire at 39 due to a serious heart complaint, so he decided to start a poultry farm, a dream of many men in those years. He was not entirely committed to the venture, and was perhaps unduly concerned by what the doctors had said about his future health. Since he lived to be eighty, they may have been too pessimistic. He had a donkey cart and sold some poultry in Malvern, but the family income was low, and his wife, in order to supplement it walked over the hills to clean the Post Office in Malvern

Dennis and Iris (b. 1916) met when they were 19 and 17 respectively and when they married they lived and worked in Worcester. Dennis was determined to live in Mathon, and Iris says “If I had disagreed, he would have dropped me like a stone” Would they have persisted if they had known how long it would take?

Thomas and his wife had found it difficult to bring up and educate their five children in the thatched cottage and Mary moved to Worcester and opened a boarding house for the theatrical profession, while Thomas stayed on in Mathon, being visited regularly by the family. After a time, he joined them in Worcester and the Mathon cottage fell into disrepair., having been unoccupied for some time. When Thomas died in 1947, the cottage was in a ruinous state, and Dennis and Iris realised that they would have to re-build.

They did not of course know, at this stage what a battle they were about to begin which would occupy their attention for years, Iris typing out endless letters of appeal to overturn refusals of planning permission. It is an experience which has become familiar to others who have sought to build in this village, but few can have shown the persistence of the Fairfax family. They visited the cottage frequently, travelling first by bus, then on foot, taking a picnic with them, and getting a cup of tea from a friendly neighbour, Mrs. Fox. The children enjoyed the day in the country. In 1953, the acquisition of a car made the journey less tiresome.

The cottage was quite uninhabitable, and the chimney was so dangerous that it had to be demolished. When planning permission was finally given, a 93 foot borehole had to be sunk to provide a water supply before building could begin. Building progressed to the plastering stage, and the family were living in a caravan on the site, and maintaining 6 paraffin heaters to protect the new plaster. They finally moved in in 1964. The children were 20, 19 and 17.There were pear trees on the site, and a cider mill, so the house was named “Perrymill”

Cradley, Mathon & Storridge Home Guard

Robin (Bob) Wood, Blacksmith & Special Constable at Mathon Gymkhana