STEPHEN FLOCKTON CHARLES (1858-1950)
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By Chris Weston
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Different research channels advise that on 17th August 1858, Stephen Flockton Charles was born in either Kensington, or Romford. Educated at Harrow School, he moved on to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, from which he graduated from Sandhurst in February 1878. After joining the Middlesex Regiment that year as a Second Lieutenant, Stephen resigned his commission only two months later.
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By 1880, he was serving with 3rd Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers and eight years later ha sac CSD e became a captain and in 1890, he married. By now, he had also been seconded for service with the Auxiliary Forces, from which he vacated in May 1893. Another promotion in November 1897, took Stephen to the rank of Major before gaining promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel in April 1902 and retiring from active service in November 1903. Outside military duties, Stephen Charles enjoyed recreational pursuits in shooting and golf, he also loved cricket. After making his debut in first class cricket for Marylebone Cricket Club (also known as the MCC) in 1885 in Dublin against Dublin University, he made three further appearances for the MCC in 1897. Stephen variously played against Oxford & Cambridge Universities and the touring Philadelphians. Further fixtures included a firstclass match for the MCC in 1899, against Derbyshire at Lord’s before his final appearance in first-class cricket for the MCC in 1905, against Oxford University, also at Lord's. In eight first-class matches, Charles scored a total of 143 runs at an average of 20.42 and high score of 30. When batting, he was right-handed but otherwise also
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enjoyed playing the position of Wicket Keeper. A move to Norfolk then brought Stephen Flockton Charles to Norfolk where he lived for the rest of his life at Wroxham House, a large Georgian mansion beside The Avenue in Wroxham and previously called Beech Avenue. The property had extensive grounds and records claim Stephen owned 175 acres of land and water in Norfolk and farmed 99 acres. But his love of cricket continued when playing for Norfolk in 1906 & 1907, with fourteen appearances in the Norfolk Minor Counties Championship. Stephen died at Wroxham House on 24th June 1950 (aged 91) - a good innings! The building stood empty for a while and was later demolished but by 25th March 1961, the land had been sold and new houses were built with the “Show Home” at 65 Charles Close. When travelling along The Avenue today (Church Hall behind you), the high walls seen on the left once enclosed Colonel Charles’s kitchen garden. Today, No. 29 The Avenue occupies part of its former area and nearby was one of the two entrances to his home and I under-
stand the road here had to skirt a traffic island of beeches. The parkland surrounding Wroxham House (now Charles Close) was known locally, as “The Colonel’s Lawn” possibly because the local annual village fete was held there before it relocated to Caen Meadow. © Chris Weston, February 2022
THE WROXHAM & COLTISHALL BOOK
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