Photos (General)

by Brian Meek @, Tuesday, May 27, 2014, 20:54 (3827 days ago)

I'm looking for old photos of College Road, Cinderford, especially the back of what was East Dean Grammar School. Goughs Shop, the fields next to it and the cottages would be fantastic if anyone can help please.

Thanks Brian

Photos, Cinderford EDGS area

by Jefff @, West London, Middlesex, Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 01:22 (3827 days ago) @ Brian Meek

Hi Brian,
as a child I lived t'other side of Bilson School from Station Street/College Road, we visited Gough's sweet shop several times for refreshment in the 70s school holidays; am I correct it was the other "top" side of College Road from the College/EDGS, and up some steep steps ? Haven't been along there for some years now but I gather that end of the College(the original EDGS building) is still there and used by the Council, perhaps the shop building is still standing too ?.

I suspect you've already seen the only photos I know of that area, from the Sungreen site ? Please feel free to add your recollections to mine, here;
http://www.sungreen.co.uk/EDGS/EDGS_Buildings_1980.html
I have several FoD "old-photos" books, but don't recall seeing any of the College Road area, sorry.

My mum attended EDGS in the late 1930s, she's spoken of their playing fields way up on top of the Barn/St Whites, but not of any fields near the College, I guess this was before she moved to Cinderford after marrying in the 50s.

Photos, Cinderford EDGS area

by Brian Meek @, Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 13:39 (3826 days ago) @ Jefff

Thanks Jeff.
Yes there were steps up from the school playground to a small gate, and just across College Road was Goughs shop. There is now a garage right on the roadside and I think this is where the steps upto the shop were.
Next to this there was a field where horses and donkeys were kept, and on again there were three cottages. All this has now been built on with modern homes.

I'm also trying to find out the name of the person who originally owned this field prior to it being sold to Mr Gough at the shop in the 50's. He then sold it on to a developer who built two semi-detached houses on the land around 1969-70.

I remember only too well the playing fields at the top of the 'Barn'. Cold and wet afternoons spent playing rugby, cold showers, and then having to run back to the school to make sure we caught the school bus home to Drybrook. 'Happy Days'

Brian

Photos, Cinderford EDGS area

by hawdon @, Alcossebre Spain, Thursday, May 29, 2014, 17:41 (3825 days ago) @ Brian Meek

Hi Brian

I lived in Station Street and remember Goughs shop very well. Spent a lot of my pocket money there.

With regards to who owned the field, I have vague memories of a Mr Parry owning a white horse called Dolly who regularly passed our house on his way up into town. I know he lived somewhere in the College Road area close to Goughs shop.

Dave

Photos, Land Ownership, Cinderford EDGS/Bilson Foundry area

by Jefff @, West London, Middlesex, Thursday, May 29, 2014, 19:07 (3825 days ago) @ hawdon

Hi again Brian,
I would suggest your questions re ownership might get answered if you wrote an open letter for publication in The Forester newspaper ?.

Unfortunately it doesn't give any clues as to ownership/names, but the Old Maps site gives a good idea of how the area has developed over the years. If you havent done so I strongly recommend having a look especially the close-scale 1:2500 OS maps:

The first edition Map c1881 shows the whole area between Station Street and Somerset Place as rough grassland, except for an "island" that is Bilson Foundry. Looks odd how the newly-built Bilson School stands out as another "island", on t'other side of the still-un-named Station Street. What would become the main Station Street entrance end of the EDGS was still the Leather Pit coal mine and spoil heaps.

Next edition c1903 still much the same, except a Saw Mills above/next to the Foundry on Somerset Place side.

Next edition c1922 now includes the EDGS school, with grass behind & below just as you say. There appears to be the makings of College Road, a footpath connecting Station St to the Bilson Foundry etc. Twixt the Foundry and Station Street has been marked as plots but no real building work, yet.

Next editions 1966 and 1974 show the Foundry appears to have reverted to residential, and a row of houses built down and facing onto Station Street, Still unclear to me as to what's in the gap between their back gardens and the old Foundry area, ie the part of College Road where Goughs was (I think, memory not good), immediately above the front of EDGS.
http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html

=========================

Lightmoor Press printed some excellent Industrial History books some years ago called "Archive". Issue 33 might interest you, it contains an excellent detailed history of Bilson Foundry, established in 1860 by Joseph Tingle. The article includes sections of the above maps and some tantalising old overhead photos from old postcards etc, these give a clue as to the grass areas below the Foundry but sadly no hard info. The article states the Williams Saw Mill would have been destroyed by a serious fire in 1910 if not for the efforts of Foundry workers, which led to the formation of Cinderford Fire Brigade. Sadly Joseph Tingle died in 1869, aged just 40, and is buried at the Baptist Chapel nearby. The business continued to operate under control of his wife Annabia, until 1881 when their 18yr old son Alfred took control onpaper albeit with help from the foreman David Clark. Alfred remained in control until the Foundry closed in 1924, running it with the help of his brothers Henry, William and George.

Despite not really answering your questions, given the cost of magazines etc nowadays I would suggest the Archive book is well worth your looking up. I don't think Cinderford Library stocks them ??, but they can still be bought elsewhere including the publishers Black Dwarf Lightmoor.

http://lightmoor.co.uk/view_book.php?ref=ARCH33&section=IndArchive
http://www.steamindex.com/archive/arch4.htm#i33
http://lightmoor.co.uk/category.php?page=5&section=IndArchive
http://britishrailwaybooks.co.uk/books/lightmoor/archive33.html
If you live near Coleford the DF bookshop appears to stock them too.
http://www.forestbookshop.com/pages/Categories/0000000002.html

Cinderford history and photos c1963

by Jefff @, West London, Middlesex, Friday, May 30, 2014, 01:23 (3825 days ago) @ Jefff

Hi again,
If you are in the FoD area, Cinderford library holds reference issues of many of the FoD History Society's excellent "New Regard" magazine. Judging from the Index below, the Bilson Foundry is covered within Volume 11; like the Archive book this was written by Alec Pope so probably contains similar info and hopefully illustrations. In fact searching the index for "Bilson" etc may possibly give you some other usefull leads, I do hope so. http://79.170.40.163/forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/LHSnrdb.htm
http://79.170.40.163/forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/LHSnrprevious.html

I haven't seen it myself yet but I look forward to reading the latest "New Regard" which is about Cinderford in 1963, I wonder if there's anything there to help you ?.
http://79.170.40.163/forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/LHSnrlatest.html

Hoping this gives you some pointers, please update us with your findings,
thanks Jeff.

Photos, Land Ownership, Cinderford EDGS/Bilson Foundry area

by abird @, Friday, May 30, 2014, 12:59 (3824 days ago) @ Jefff

For the maps can I also suggest the National Library of Scotland, which has a smaller selection, but I do find it easier to use, without having to register. They have a set of OS Six-inch England and Wales maps. Here are links for the ones they have for Bilson Foundry etc, with the year of publication:

1883 http://maps.nls.uk/view/101453397#zoom=6&lat=5043&lon=3974&layers=BT
1903 http://maps.nls.uk/view/101453394#zoom=6&lat=5056&lon=3768&layers=BT
1924 http://maps.nls.uk/view/101453391#zoom=6&lat=5205&lon=3614&layers=BT
1953 http://maps.nls.uk/view/101453388#zoom=6&lat=5159&lon=3752&layers=BT

Photos, Land Ownership, Cinderford EDGS/Bilson Foundry area

by Jefff @, West London, Middlesex, Friday, May 30, 2014, 15:56 (3824 days ago) @ abird

Thanks !

Yes indeed, as I've said in the past the OldMaps site can, at best, be a tad frustrating to use, so many thanks for your suggestion. Also for the direct links, very usefull and clear images too, thanks.
Guess I'm a bit of a stick in the mud and I really need to familiarise myself with the Scottish site, it never even occurs to me I'm afraid, I must get out more ;-)

Photos, Land Ownership, Cinderford EDGS/Bilson Foundry area

by Brian Meek @, Saturday, May 31, 2014, 16:45 (3823 days ago) @ Jefff

I would like to say a big thank you to all who replied to my original request. It as been useful with some very interesting leads and sites to explore.
Hopefully one day I will be able to explain more the reason for my request but I do need to follow up with visits to view the various sources of information you have all been so helpful with.
Thanks again,

Brian

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