Hodgsonites was the first of a number of detached houses, designed for one of the masters to live in and "for the reception of boarders", that were built on Charterhouse Hill away from the main school buildings. It was erected in 1873/4 on Hindhead Road, later Frith Hill Road and now Twycross Road. The architect was Mr. C. V. Hayward of Montagu Street, Russell Square, London and the first master to occupy the property was Reverend James Thomas Hodgson^[1]. A "rearing supper" was held in January 1874 at the Little George Inn to celebrate the successful erection of the boarding house. A Bermonsdsey builder, Mr. C. King, entertained his workmen and presided over the event ^[2]. The house was featured in the Illustrated London News of the day and must have been considered to be of architectural importance^[1]. Several more masters' houses were to be built along the ridge of the hill ^[3], each owned by the master who took the risk to erect it^[4].

Rev. Hodgson passed away on 3 Sept 1880 at Brighton "of congestion of the lungs"; he was aged 35^[5]. He was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Ethelbert Page, who had founded Pageites, the boarding house directly opposite Hodgsonites on Hindhead Road^[6]. Rev. Page had been the 6th form master since 1873 and after he retired at the end of 1910 he continued to live in Godalming where he served as an alderman and a Justice of the Peace^[7].
For more about Dr. Page see Pageites

Ernest Edward Bryant took over as head of the house in early 1911, assisted by 33 year old Henry Kemble^[8]. Bryant, a Fellow of Emmanuel College Cambridge where he was a chaplain for about 2 years, had been appointed to the school's staff in 1898; he retired in 1924^[9]. Kemble had joined the staff in 1900; he became a member of Charterhouse O.T.C. and joined the London Regiment, Territorial Force, at the outbreak of the First World War. He was awarded both the Military Cross and the D.S.O. but was to die of wounds during the conflict^[10]. One of the boarders under Bryant and Kemble's care was Charles Francis Hussey, who was killed in Italy in 1918. He was just 19 and had only received his commission in the January of that year^[11]. Both Kemble and Hussey are commemorated in the War Memorial Chapel. Between 1910 and 1919 there were 56 boys living at Hodgsonites. Few of the school's pupils were day boys - in one quarter there were just 4 in total^[12].

Shortly before the outbreak of war in 1939 Vincent Russell was the Housemaster of Hodgsonites and taught classics. It is unclear when he moved out but he was still a member of staff in 1956. He died whilst performing in a masque that was staged in Founder's Court that summer; he was playing the part of Judge Jeffreys who the school governors had defied in 1687^[13].

Richard Fletcher, the son of a former headmaster of the school, started teaching at Charterhouse not long after demobilization. He had been captured by the Italians in 1942 and subsequently imprisoned in Oflag 79. He became housemaster of Hodgsonites in 1954, but he left Godalming in 1959 as he was appointed Headmaster of Worcester College for the Blind^[14].

The imposing property had extensive sloping grounds, which included a fives court and kitchen gardens. We can see the greenhouse in the above early twentieth century image. The main entrance to Hodgsonites was on Hindhead Road but the garage block was accessed from Sandy Lane, now Charterhouse Road^[15].

Hodgsonites and its next door neighbour Bodeites were to be demolished in the 1970s. They were among a number of the school's boarding houses that had never been modernised and renovation would have been too costly^[16]. Part of a notice published by the County Council in 1973 referred to them: section "(b) about 4½ acres (gross) between Frith Hill Road and Charterhouse Road, comprising "Hodgsonites" and "Bodeites" it was proposed to build three blocks of flats, up to five storeys totalling 78 flats with parking spaces for 132 cars."^[16]

The plans went ahead and the land was sold for re-development and the two houses were demolished. There are now two blocks of flats on the plots, accessed from Twycross Road and Sellars Hill, with houses on the gardens of the lower slopes next to Charterhouse Road. The remnant of the fives court can still be seen in one of the gardens.

Read more about what happened to Robinites and the other outhouses in the 1960s and 70s, including the Markenhorn project.

Bodeites

Lockites

Pageites

Robinites

Weekites

References and Notes:

^[1] James T Hodgson's father, the Rev. Francis Hodgson, had been the incumbent at Bakewell and then at Edensor in Derbyshire and later became Archdeacon of Derby ("Bell's New Weekly Messenger", 6 May 1838). His mother was Elizabeth, the second daughter of Lord and Lady Denman. The 1871 census records her as the daughter of a Peer.

^[2] "West Surrey Times", 10 January 1874.

^[3] "Illustrated London News", 23 January 1875. There are also drawings of both Hodgsonites and the main school building in this publication.

^[4] Jameson, E. M. (1937) "Charterhouse". Blackie & Son Limited, London and Glasgow. The houses eventually became the property of the Governing Body, either by purchase or bequest (Girdlestones)

^[5] "London Evening Standard", 8 September 1880. This was just one of a number of newspapers that published the announcement of his death.

^[6] Obituary for T. E. Page, "The Times", 8 Apr, 1936. He lived at Woodcote.

^[7] "Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser", 24 December 1910. He was no longer an alderman in 1913 (Kelly's Directory, 1913) but remained as a J.P. until at least 1924 (Kelly's Directory, 1924).

^[8] 1911 census of England and Wales. Ernest Bryant was by then 47 born Tonbridge Kent was head of the house, assisted by 33 year old Henry Kemble. Both men were single.

^[9] Charterhouse Appointments. "The Times", 7 Jul, 1924. He was one of two housemasters to retire that summer.

^[10] "Surrey Advertiser", 13 June 1917. Charterhouse Master Killed. Lieut.-Col. Henry Herbert Kemble's Death from Wounds. H. H. Kemble, M.A., had taken a first in Mathematics at Cambridge, so presumably taught the subject. He was buried at Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery.

^[11] "Gloucestershire Echo", 16 October 1918. He was buried at St. Sever Cemetery, Roeun.

^[12] Tod, A. H., M.A. (2nd Ed., Revised) (1919) "Charterhouse". Handbook to the Great Public Schools. London : George Bell and Sons Portugal St. Lincoln's Inn W.C. Cambridge: Deighton, Bell & Co New York : The MacMillan Co Bombay : A. H. Wheeler & Co.

^[13] 1939 Register and "West Sussex Gazette", 12 July 1956. He had been at Charterhouse since 1927.

^[14] 1939 Register and "Surrey Advertiser", 17 Jan 1959. Mr. R. C. Fletcher's appointment.

^[15] This is shown on historic Ordnance Survey maps of the area.

^[16] "Surrey Advertiser", 17 August 1973. Charterhouse Gets New Look in October. The decision to build the replacement boarding houses had been taken in 1971.

^[17] "Surrey Advertiser", 27 April 1973. Local Planning Authority notice that would involve a departure from the Local Plan then in place. The new proposals superseded an advertisement placed in the previous September and included the other boarding houses.