IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Leverington Common, WISBECH, PE13 5BH

Heading north.

Heading west.

Heading west.

This early 18th century property is fronted by mature parkland and The Red Engine Drain and was originally called The Grange, see https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101125902-peppermint-hall-leverington#.YBR9l5dxebg for a detailed description. Below is an interesting report taken from a local paper dated 24th March 1951 which explains how the house name change came about and how the road was named The Still, http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3505991 :- PEPPERMINT HALL & THE STILL RECALL OLD INDUSTRY It is many years now since the fragrance of peppermint essence filled the air down at The Stills, at Leverington but, to this day, sprigs of wild peppermint growing here and there in the fields nearby remind the older residents of one of Leverington’s most interesting industries. This industry was the cultivation of peppermint plants, to be treated and eventually turned into peppermint essence and used by confectionery manufacturers all over the country. Nobody knows how long ago it was when the idea first occurred to Mr Sammy Stockdale, who once lived at The Grange, Leverington, which came to be known as Peppermint Hall, but it was certainly over 60 years ago that he brought to the village the small plants of peppermint that started off the “factory”. Like ordinary household mint in appearance, save for the fact that their leaves are shiny and smooth instead of rough, the plants grew well and buildings were provided for distilling the essence. The distillery, or “Still” as it was called locally, was a large two-storey building, the lower storey being used for the actual work and the upper storey for the drying and storing of peppermint plants after it had been harvested. Brick drains were built and a drainage system installed to dispose of waste products and a 60 ft well, fed by a spring, was sunk to provide water. One man who can tell you all about the industry is Mr C H Gunn, who has lived with his family in the building for thirty years. It was converted in 1921 into two houses but there are at present several features in the building as reminders of the old use for the house. In the kitchen the wall has a decided curve in one corner and there, according to Mr Gunn, used to stand the huge copper in which the plants were boiled. He has a more personal reason for remembering the copper. “My great-grandfather, Mr J W Langford,” he said, “was employed to stand and stir the contents of the copper for hours on end, day after day and he used to tell me about it”. The old well has now been filled in, as have the cistern and drains. When Mr Stockdale retired from the business he had founded, he gave orders that all the plants were to be destroyed, but one or two stray plants lived on, though through the years they have returned to their wild state. Now they have only one use and there are not many folk who know of it. Springs of these plants with their pungent smell will keep flies away and if you wear it in your hair while you are in the open air on a hot day, flies will never settle on your face.

This early 18th century property is fronted by mature parkland and The Red Engine Drain and was originally called The Grange, see http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1125902 for a detailed description. Below is an interesting report taken from a local paper dated 24th March 1951 which explains how the house name change came about and how the road was named The Still, http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3505991 :- PEPPERMINT HALL & THE STILL RECALL OLD INDUSTRY It is many years now since the fragrance of peppermint essence filled the air down at The Stills, at Leverington but, to this day, sprigs of wild peppermint growing here and there in the fields nearby remind the older residents of one of Leverington’s most interesting industries. This industry was the cultivation of peppermint plants, to be treated and eventually turned into peppermint essence and used by confectionery manufacturers all over the country. Nobody knows how long ago it was when the idea first occurred to Mr Sammy Stockdale, who once lived at The Grange, Leverington, which came to be known as Peppermint Hall, but it was certainly over 60 years ago that he brought to the village the small plants of peppermint that started off the “factory”. Like ordinary household mint in appearance, save for the fact that their leaves are shiny and smooth instead of rough, the plants grew well and buildings were provided for distilling the essence. The distillery, or “Still” as it was called locally, was a large two-storey building, the lower storey being used for the actual work and the upper storey for the drying and storing of peppermint plants after it had been harvested. Brick drains were built and a drainage system installed to dispose of waste products and a 60 ft well, fed by a spring, was sunk to provide water. One man who can tell you all about the industry is Mr C H Gunn, who has lived with his family in the building for thirty years. It was converted in 1921 into two houses but there are at present several features in the building as reminders of the old use for the house. In the kitchen the wall has a decided curve in one corner and there, according to Mr Gunn, used to stand the huge copper in which the plants were boiled. He has a more personal reason for remembering the copper. “My great-grandfather, Mr J W Langford,” he said, “was employed to stand and stir the contents of the copper for hours on end, day after day and he used to tell me about it”. The old well has now been filled in, as have the cistern and drains. When Mr Stockdale retired from the business he had founded, he gave orders that all the plants were to be destroyed, but one or two stray plants lived on, though through the years they have returned to their wild state. Now they have only one use and there are not many folk who know of it. Springs of these plants with their pungent smell will keep flies away and if you wear it in your hair while you are in the open air on a hot day, flies will never settle on your face.

The B1169 winds around this bend on its way from Wisbech to Leverington