MARTIN/HIGGINS, Blaisdon School, Bridge House (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Tuesday, March 25, 2014, 23:18 (3897 days ago) @ MPGriffiths

Thanks M for sorting out the correct marriage for Charles & Alice, schoolmistress.

Here's a contemporary photo of the schoolhouse ref the 1911 Census, several more Blaisdon pics on this great site.
http://www.forestprints.co.uk/blaisdon_school_c1909.htm

The 1914 Kelly's Trade Directory for Blaisdon states
"Public elementary school (mixed), built in 1896, with mistress's house, at the sole expense of the late Peter Stubbs Esq for 93 children; average attendance 70; Mrs Alice E.A.Martin, mistress."

[Elsewhere it states Peter Stubbs lived at Blaisdon Hall until dying in 1905]
Hopefully this link will go straight to the relevant page 50.
http://www.historicaldirectories.org/exe/wwt.dll/pdf?fn=e:\hdapps\00007hrj.pdf

If not search "Blaisdon" from http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/index.asp
(For best viewing of a page on this site, open it in pdf format)

Later in the Directory this same search will find page 364, Westbury on Severn, which mentions "George Martin, Farmer of BOSELEY, (letters via Blaisdon, Longhope)."
http://www.historicaldirectories.org/exe/wwt.dll/pdf?fn=e:\hdapps\00007i09.pdf

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Studying Blaisdon on the Old Maps site is particularly informative as there's a very full set of close-scale 1:2500 maps since 1880;
If one was walking from the Bridge over the main Brook which crosses the map West - East (Hope Brook from Longhope down to the Severn at Westbury), walking south towards the railway is "Blaisdon Bridge House", clear away from the Brook so it's not the Mill as I suggested. Bridge House looks like a small farm, it's surrounded by orchards, red plums presumably ?

Retreading back north towards the Brook, first just over the Bridge is "Stanley Cottage" on left of road, immediately followed by the "Corn Mill" next to it according to 1880 & 1903 maps. The mill is clearly fed by a feeder pond and stream rather than the main Brook itself.
By 1922 the mill is called "Saw Mill", by 1972 it's "Old Mill" & "Stanley" is "Syston? Cottage". The latest maps also show a few newer houses near the Bridge. Walking further north into the village centre is the smithy, then tanhouse, much larger Spout Farm, school and so on.
www.old-maps.co.uk