Crown Inn - Pubs & Old Photo websites & Books (General)

by messerschmitt , Thursday, May 09, 2013, 07:40 (4211 days ago) @ Jefff

Jeff

I've been in the Gloucester area since 1998 so know it well. I'm glad you mentioned Colin Martin's excellent books, which are currently packed away I think in one of the many boxes still to be opened after the move. I haven't spoken to Colin for about three years and you're right - I had a hand in publishing those two as I commissioned Colin to write them.

I had seriously totally forgotten about them and I'll drop Colin an email and ask what he has at the Square.Interestingly, only one bus now reverses at the Square to head back Gloucester way and that is the Hartpury College bus, which obviously has a single student in the village.

I've accumulated a few postcards of the village from c. 1902 to the 1950s (but that's because I have always had a passion for old postcards) but none show the house. Thankfully, when we purchased it, we were given a pack with the title deeds back to 1861 (which take the story back to about 1800). There are copies of the last three sales particulars too, taking us to when the house was sold after May Hale died, its sale after renovation and the current particulars, so we can see the changes in the past thirty years too.

I've searched for ice cream forums and the world is rather short of them. There's a trade forum with tumbleweed blowing past and a flickr group. Bus forums, however, are easy to find and I think I may need to visit a bus show to buy some photos of Forest buses.

My main task is to visit the GRO and go through the deeds there to find the one that specifically mentions our house as the Crown Inn.

Although I know it's a different approach, in that I am not interested in the family history per se, the knowledge of who lived in the house is fascinating. Our deed refers to Mr Brain as a shoemaker but a cordwainer is technically a step up from a mere cobbler.

I shall get through our Indenture and sort out some details for the John & Lydia Davis thread as we obviously have the name of the farm they worked in Cwmcarvan.I think for most of the nineteenth century the house was rented out rather than lived in by the owners.

I'll sift through the information and produce a timeline/house tree showing who owned it and who lived in it, which I think will be of interest here. Certainly, we will take a wander around our village's beautiful churchyard trying to spot the gravestones of those who once lived in the Old Dairy.

Thank you to all of you who have helped with suggestions and information. Long may this thread continue.

In terms of information and useful resources, is everyone aware of the University of Leicester's very useful site for trades directories. It is a very useful source of information, although it is difficult at times to work out where in a village tradesmen lived and worked, you do find mention of them in there.

http://www.historicaldirectories.org

I shall start uploading some nice Forest images onto the site shortly, if I don't overload it. I've a few hundred of the area from old postcards and photos.

Campbell