Never turn down a 'Poldark', ladies - the tale that rocked Worcestershire society

At the heart of the action was “Gentleman John Tustin”, a broodingly good looking chap in the mould of Cornwall’s Poldark, who lived at Ronkswood Farm, half way up the hill out of Worcester.

A popular figure in the area, he was a sharp dresser and remarkably well turned out for a farmer, leading to his “Gentleman” sobriquet. John Tustin was also a good businessman, making his money as a coal merchant and haulier. 

How or where they met is not recorded, but it became an open secret among society gossips of the day that the daughter of Sir Henry Wakeman of Perdiswell Hall had fallen for Gentleman John hook, line and everything else.

In fact the baronet’s daughter was on the verge of announcing her engagement to the handsome young Tustin and wondering how to break the news to her father.

The Coad stone pillars at the end of Perdiswell Hall drive

As she likely anticipated, it didn’t go down well, for marriage would have been flying in the face of the strict class structure of the day. Friendship might have been one thing, but conjugals were quite another and Sir Henry was having none of it.

The idea of his beloved daughter marrying a coal merchant was not on his social radar, never, ever.

Although Tustin’s business was a large one, he was not considered “class” in the mid-19th century and Miss Wakeman eventually decided on a tearful parting of the ways with her handsome haulier.

Which, bizarrely as it turned out, might not have been such a good move for his daughter as Sir Henry assumed.

Perdiswell Hall in its 1910 hey day. Image courtesy Ray Jones’ Around Worcester in Old Photos

Among his business portfolio, Gentleman John operated a huge team of shire horses and was a specialist in moving large loads across country. It was to Tustin that Lord Ward turned for assistance when revamping his Italianate mansion Witley Court.

Witley Court’s Perseus and Andromeda fountain roars back into life in 2017

Lord Ward, who was later to become the Earl of Dudley, was arguably the most wealthy and socially connected man in Worcestershire and as part of his improvements to the Court he commissioned two grand stone fountains – Poseidon and Flora – to be carved by the Forsyths brothers at their studio in The Tything, Worcester.

To Gentleman John Tustin and his 20-strong team of shire horses went the job of transporting the fountains out to Witley.

Read more: London Road, a tale of turnpikes and tollgates

The scale and cost of the task can be judged by the fact his lordship, presumably after consulting Tustin, paid for a section of the Little Witley road to be raised to make the gradient easier for the horses.

So here was the man whom Henry Wakeman’s daughter had turned down, rubbing shoulders with the most influential name around.

The old gatehouse of Perdiswell Hall drive in Droitwich Road, Worcester. Image courtesy CFOW

The Wakeman family home, Perdiswell Hall, was built in 1788 just north of Worcester and a fine avenue of lime trees formed a feature of the route to Fernhill Heath.

The Wakemans were involved in the city’s banking and glove making businesses, but after inheriting greater estates in Shropshire, they sold Perdiswell Hall in 1860.

The 18th-century Perdiswell Hall, shortly before demolition in the 1950s, but during the war years, headquarters to RAF No 2 Elementary Flight Training School

With the expansion of Worcester, it was no longer so desirably set and went for a song. During the Second World War the park became an aerodrome and the Hall was used for billets.

In January, 1956 the grand old house, by now much diminished, was gutted by fire with the remains pulled down a few months later.