Miss James

Marian Julia James (7 August 1830 – 10 November 1910), also known as Miss James, was an English philanthropist. She inherited money from a friend and built a house in Hindhead, Surrey. Land she gave to the National Trust is crossed by Miss James' Walk and in 2009, the Miss James footbridge was constructed across the A3 road.

Miss James
Miss James in 1866
Born
Marian Julia James

(1830-08-07)7 August 1830
Died10 November 1910(1910-11-10) (aged 80)
NationalityBritish
Known forMiss James' Walk, Miss James footbridge

Life

Marian Julia James was born on 7 August 1830.[1] She lived in London, boarding in a house with her mother and Miss Emily Coates. In 1888, James became wealthy when her friend Coates died, leaving her an inheritance of around £80,000 (equivalent to £9,000,000 in 2019).[2][3] She then moved to Hindhead in Surrey, buying wooded land and building a house called West Down where she lived with the Bulley family.[4][1] Between 1892 and 1896, architect George Faulkner Armitage constructed the home along with a coach house and stable, dovecotes and some cottages for the gardeners. James gave some of the land she had bought to the National Trust, which continues to manage it.[5]

Death and legacy

Miss James died on 10 November 1910.[6] She left an estate of £92,240 (equivalent to £10,400,000 in 2019). Among her bequests, she gave West Down to Margaret Hattersley Bulley. She also gave money to churches, hospitals and the Bramshott Chase Hostel, a place set up for single people to have respite care.[1]

Sign for Miss James' Walk

On the land she gave to the National Trust is a path, Miss James' Walk, through Nutcombe Valley.[7] The Hindhead Tunnel and approaches enable the A3 road to undershoot its old route along the upper lip of the Devil's Punch Bowl, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The south approach cuts the Walk. From the beginning of the planning process, the National Trust thus asked for a bridge, a spokesperson saying "We know how important this access between Tyndall's Wood and the rest of Nutcombe Valley will be".[8] The Miss James footbridge was completed in 2009.[9] It is earth-lain and provides a crossing for animals, pedestrians and horse riders.[8]

References
  1. "Houses and Buildings". Grayshott Heritage. 14 April 2017. Archived from the original on 7 September 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  2. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  3. "Untitled". The Morning Post. London. 2 November 1888. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  4. Smith, John Owen (1997). On the Trail of Flora Thompson: Heatherley to Peverel : Grayshott to Griggs Green. John Owen Smith. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-873855-24-9. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  5. ""West Down" Hindhead – Building". Architects of Greater Manchester. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  6. "Miss Marian Julia James, deceased" (PDF). The London Gazette. 20 December 1910. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  7. Smith, John Owen (1997). On the Trail of Flora Thompson: Heatherley to Peverel : Grayshott to Griggs Green. John Owen Smith. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-873855-24-9. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  8. "Crossing point over A3 tunnel". BBC News. 26 March 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  9. "A3 Hindhead Road Tunnel". Verdict Traffic. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
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