Next up in our Rugby series is the home of the mother of founder Thomas Hughes. Margaret Hughes lived in Uffington House from 1881-1887 along with her granddaughter Emily Hughes. She was known in Rugby as Madame Margaret Hughes. She came over from England at the ripe old age of 83 to lend hand to her son. She passed away at the age of 90 and the town mourned.
I found an article in the Chattanooga Commercial from October 8th, 1887 that described Margaret – “Mrs. Hughes was a woman of an exceptionally strong nature, a well balanced head, a rare administrative faculty and a womanly charm that never deserted her. A frail little creature, able to walk under the outstretched arms of her stalwart sons, by whom she was revered, she possessed a most undaunted spirit.”
Uffington House was built in 1881 and was named in memory of Margaret’s old home in the Isle of Wight, England. Emily Hughes, the niece of Thomas Hughes, also called Uffington House home during her time in Rugby. She wrote letters to her friends back in England about her time there. She had a love of many things including dabbling in photography and their farm animals. She was engaged to be wed, but her fiance died. After her grandmother died she moved to California and wed a man named Ainsley Marshall. They moved to Kenya and Emily died in 1939. Her grave is in Nairobi.
I really loved this side view with the two gables overlooking a large yard and apparently, I never got a great shot of the front except for the front door! Restoration here is ongoing with hopes to be open to the public in the future.
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