Photos, Land Ownership, Cinderford EDGS/Bilson Foundry area (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Thursday, May 29, 2014, 19:07 (3832 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

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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