1988: Possession and Demolition

Evidence description: after the House of Lords refused leave to appeal on 3 March 1988 (House of Lords), BP tried to evict the family on 29 April 1988.

DOCUMENTED FACT (press). Five bailiffs and about 15 police arrived at Great House Farm. William (“Bill”) Buckler blocked the narrow drive with a tractor, locked the doors and barred the windows. The bailiffs smashed the gate lock and began breaking the doors with poleaxes; when an axe came through a door with his children behind it, he started a chainsaw and pushed it through the door, and the bailiffs backed off after a four-hour stand-off. Branwen left with the children, aged two, three and four. BP said the events were regretted and could not say whether the bailiffs would return; South Wales Police said officers were there to prevent a breach of the peace, not to assist the bailiffs. William said: “They have got no documents for it. If it’s theirs, why have I never paid a penny in rent for it in my life?” ^🕒

DOCUMENTED FACT (press). The South Wales Echo, 29 April 1988, reported that Mary had fought and lost three previous High Court cases and that “in 1974 BP Properties agreed to allow Mrs Buckler to remain in the farmhouse rent free”. On 30 April it reported a dozen police on the farm and that William refused to leave for medical attention for fear the bailiffs would return. On 12 May 1988 it reported that the Cardiff MP Alun Michael had asked the Lord Chancellor to look at the case (GHF-E090-N15). A threatening-behaviour summons for 29 April was withdrawn in January 1989 as out of time (GHF-E090-N12).

Evidence description: 28 days were given to find other accommodation. On 29 April 1988 the family refused to leave and the bailiffs withdrew. The press reports above corroborate this.

Parcel AEviction from the farmhouse.

Evidence description: BP obtained possession at the end of November 1988 and demolished the farmhouse on 6 December. UNRESOLVED: this page has given 29 November for possession; the South Wales Echo of 3 December 1988 says William had been in hospital “since his eviction on Wednesday”, which was 30 November. The enforcement record should settle the date. ^🕒

DOCUMENTED FACT (press).

• 30 November — South Wales Echo front page, “Angry scenes as farmer evicted” (Peter Bibby). The bailiffs who forced their way in had already taken half the roof off one of the outbuildings, and Branwen feared BP would flatten the farmhouse (N14, N15).
• 2 December — Mr Justice Anthony Evans allowed Branwen to enter the house to collect belongings, if BP’s solicitors agreed, pending a hearing on Monday (N15).
• 3 December — “History fight to save farm” (Peter Bibby). William, 39, had been in Llandough Hospital since the eviction. The family said demolition began within hours of the bailiffs forcing entry, and a High Court judge had issued an interim injunction that the farmhouse and its contents must not be touched. Cadw said it was considering spot-listing and had sent an inspector (N08). The same day the Echo reported William taken from his hospital bed to face charges of assaulting two bailiffs (N15), and “Billy’s unhappy family” described eight other residents made homeless (N09).
• 5 December — in Cardiff, Judge Norman Francis dismissed the Bucklers’ application for an injunction to stop BP damaging the building until the European Commission of Human Rights had considered the case. Their solicitor, Colin Jongman, said no further steps could be taken. Cadw said the house was not of sufficient architectural merit (Western Mail, 6 December; N10).
• 6 December — a twenty-strong team with bulldozers moved in just after 4am, and by breakfast no building was left standing; Branwen and the three children watched (N11; the Echo headline was “Bulldozed Before Breakfast”).
• 7–13 December — a Vale councillor and BP pensioner called the demolition “disgusting”; Llandough villagers met councillors; William was bailed; “All I’ve got left are the clothes I stand up in” (N15).

Evidence description: the demolition of the outbuildings on 30 November and of the farmhouse on 5–6 December 1988. The press reports above corroborate both dates. Lorries began clearing the rubble at 7.30am on 20 March 1989 (South Wales Echo; N15).

Parcel AThe farmhouse, and most likely the outbuildings in its yard.

FAMILY EVIDENCE, with press matches. The family describe a dawn arrival of five bailiffs and many police, the drive blocked, doors and windows barred, a siege of about four hours, and the doors broken with axes. The press shows that this was the 29 April 1988 stand-off (a tractor, poleaxes, about 15 police; N07). The family’s further account belongs to the November 1988 eviction, and the press matches it: William was injured and taken to Llandough Hospital; he was charged with assaulting two bailiffs, criminal damage and wanton or furious driving, and bailed (N15, N12). They also say an interim injunction was obtained (N08) and that Branwen and the children watched the demolition (N11). The family say their possessions, including Mary’s papers, photographs and journal, were left in the house or thrown into the road; William put the loss at about £30,000 (South Wales Echo, 1989; N13).

The family also recall the following. The Cardiff MP Alun Michael asked the Lord Chancellor to review the case; the press confirms this on 12 May 1988 (N15). The council’s planning chief described the cleared site as looking like a battleground. In 1989 a threatening-behaviour charge was withdrawn as out of time (N12), and William pleaded guilty to the remaining charges and was freed on 23–24 March 1989 (N15). Other leads are held on Research Leads from the bpvsbuckler Archive.

Still not shown: the planning chief’s “battleground” remark; the court record of the interim injunction and of the 5 December hearing; magistrates’ court records for 1988–89; and Alun Michael’s correspondence with the Lord Chancellor’s Department. ^🕒

Change control, 3 October 2026: this card first dated the siege (blocked drive, barred doors, axes) to 29 November 1988. The press (N07, N15) shows the siege took place on 29 April 1988. The card has been corrected; the November facts are unchanged.

Parcel AThe farmhouse.