Our History

Georgina Talbot

The old Talbot Village was built between 1850 and 1862 because of the generosity of two sisters, Georgina and Mary Talbot. Georgina and Mary divided their year between Surrey and Hinton Wood House on the East Cliff of Bournemouth with their family and it was while living in Bournemouth that the sisters discovered the many poor who were suffering in the region.

Between them, they sought to employ the poor to clear the land to build cottages — these were completed between 1850 and 1862. The workers were allowed to stay in the cottages and slowly, Talbot Village began to develop.

The original cottages were built on an acre plot and each had a well, animal pens and fruit trees. The residents were charged a rent of between 4 and 5 shillings per week. Georgina Talbot then had 7 alms houses built for the elderly and widowed.

The school was built for the village in 1862 and held 68 children, it has since been extended over the years and in 1992 an extension increased the school’s capacity to 420 children.

Although most of the original farms have long since vanished, Highmoor Farm is still operational and White Farm served as stables until fairly recently. Much of the original village including the school, church, alms houses and cottages remain and are protected by a Conservation Order which is administered by the Talbot Village Trust — which was set up by the sisters.

The Talbot sisters were committed Christians and it was their generous sacrificial giving that has enabled their legacy to live on so powerfully to this day.