Home with a history is demolished and rebuilt

A HOUSE in which a murder was committed during the Occupation has been demolished.

Overdale, in St Peter, which had be owned by the Le Gresley family since 1920, was knocked down earlier this month and developers Style Group Ltd will be building a new house in its place. Fred Le Gresley sold the house earlier this year after a 12-year battle to get planning permission came to an end last January.

The house has been plagued by tragedy over the years. Mr Le Gresley’s great-uncle Ernest was killed after burglars broke into Overdale, formerly a shop, to get food rations during the Occupation. It is thought that they may have been Russian slaves who were starving. Mr Le Gresley interrupted them and was stabbed and died at the house. He had lived there with his sister, Albina, who continued to run the shop after his death until it closed in the 1960s.

As well as that tragedy, there have been several fatal or serious road accidents at the site. They include one during the 1960s when three teenagers were killed and one was critically injured after their car lost control on the bend and crashed into the house. Transport and Technical Services have been concerned about the junction at Carrefour à Cendres for some time, and architect Richard Le Sueur said: ‘The proposal moves the house back, improves the junction and widens the road. TTS were very keen to have the road improved.’

Mr Le Gresley had originally applied to refurbish the Building of Local Interest and build two two-storey homes and garages, but that application was withdrawn. On 28 January Planning agreed that the house could be knocked down and a seven-bedroom house built.

• Picture: The house stood at the junction at Carrefour à Cendres in St Peter, where there have been several serious road accidents. Picture by Richard Wainwright (00607795)

The house, as it will look, viewed from the other direction

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