In defense of my lack of knowledge, I never saw any ovens so I am guessing they were removed before I was visiting there.

It is fascinating what one picks up on this Forum!

I will chance my arm a little further! Are there any old photos of this Ivy Cottage? I would be fascinated to see any that do exist.

Many thanks to one and all.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30072016.html

Perhaps this was once called Ivy Cottage and got changed to Ivy House. Who knows?

This was owned by the Greens as far as I can establish. I am guessing this was the house in Joseph's Will.

Ivy Cottage by the butchers was owned by the Greens, but I think this was by Charlie Green and not inherited from Joseph. This is the cottage in wendythewife's post.

Hopefully wendythewife will come back and enlighten me. The next stage for me is if wendy can recall details of the oven, or fireplace, or even the internal layout. I am wondering if this was a bakery supplementing the one behind the grocery. The long shot would be if Harry Clayson set up a bakery here in competition with the Greens. But if he was a tenant in the Green's home the chances of this are remote.

Perhaps to muddy the water even further there were properties on the opposite side of the main road. Today this constitutes three properties. Certainly in the 1960s all was owned by the Greens. I do not know when these were purchased by the Greens nor if they had a commercial role. The stocks were outside the main property and these were move some decades back. I do not know why this was.

The land at the rear and side of these properties is the recreation ground. I do not know who owned this land before the recreation ground was established. Perhaps the Greens?

There is the one at Northend on the Newent Road. Probably not relevant to this query.

There is the one by the Butcher’s. Looking on Google Maps the sign on the wall is a bit blurred but almost certainly is Ivy Cottage.

GR 1911 Census identifies another one in North Road, occupied by a Frederick Thomas RUCK, gardener.

There is one in Solomon's Tump Lane - still called Ivy Cottage.

There is the one next to the Post Office on the main road.

I imagine it is possible that Louisa HARRY had moved to another property owned by the GREENs before her death in 1918. The house she occupied in 1911 is nowadays identified as Ivy House on Google Maps. Intriguingly the house on the left (presumably the GREEN’s former shop?) has a sign on the door which is mostly unreadable but says PULL TO OPEN at the bottom. There is also a logo unfamiliar to me.

I can only chip in pieces of info and see what happens. Joseph came from London and I do not know why he settled in Huntley. Equally, a typical London background would not have made him an ideal person to go farming in a significant way for the era we are considering.

It is known that Joseph had connections with an orphanage. Hence he may have been an orphan settling in the community. Equally Louisa Harry may have come from an orphanage and be living in the Green's accommodation. Or she may have settled from London in connection with Joseph.

The Ivy Cottage that is my particular interest is the black and white cottage a couple of dwellings to the left of the butchers on the main road. The property to the right of the Greens clad in ivy on your photo does interest me. The Greens almost certainly owned this by the 1930s. I do not know the name of this home - is this also an Ivy Cottage?

Wendythewife may hold a key here for she lived in the Ivy Cottage down the side lane to the left of the butchers. If there were an oven here then that adds a further twist to the story. This might also suggest that Harry Clayson was baking there for the Greens.

Joseph's Will refers to a house and I was assuming this is the one beside the Greens. It might be that instead this reference is to the Ivy Cottage near the butchers. I say this because years ago I think the property to the right of the Greens was viewed by them as an extension of their business and not a separate dwelling. There are recollections of family and staff lived behind the Greens, above the Greens and to the right of the Greens.

My problem is trying to piece everything together, but you are doing brilliantly!

Schedule 25 is the Post Office.

Schedule 26 is (living alone):-
Louisa HARRY, Head, 72, Widow, Old Age Pensioner, b. London, Stepney

Schedule 27 is the GREEN household.

The BNA Gloucester Chronicle Saturday 16 February 1918 announces the death of Louisa HARRY of Ivy Cottage Huntley on 12th February.

There are about a dozen mentions of Ivy Cottage, Huntley in the BNA in the period 1900 to 1950 and it is clear that there were at least two of them and, possibly, three. One was “set back from the road from Huntley to Tibberton” (towards Solomon’s Tump Farm); another was at Northend near Huntley Manor. The house between the PO and the GREENs (appropriately covered in ivy) looks like a third.

Searching the net for Ivy Cottage Huntley produces some photographs from modern Estate Agents and property sites. None of them look like the house in the photo.

This subject is becoming more and more intriguing.

Joseph leaving different sums to Herbert and Annie ties in with vague recollections- there was to be a settlement agreed between them.

My recollection of the land is slightly out - I had recollections of 49 acres attached to the business. But this is the first evidence that I have seen that any land at all did exist. I have often dismissed this thought because it is an unusual add on to a bakery and grocery business.

Indeed, the other 9 acres may have existed and been purchased after Joseph's death. I believe that the farm prospered through WW2. I have been told that an orchard existed just inside Grange Court Lane opposite the bakery. There are memories of the Greens having this in around 1947. Perhaps this was the 9 acres?

The Ley Lane reference is, I assume, to what we currently know as Grange Court Lane? Or might it be off this? If so the buildings were along on the left of Grange Court Lane when turning in off the A40. This would then be the stone building referred to in the will. There was no farm house on this land even though it was run as a farm. So I assume that Joseph purchased fields when they became available. The eldest son, Herbert, subsequently became the farmer - perhaps he always had an interest in farming rather than baking and groceries. Perhaps Joseph bought the land with the intention of his son farming it? Herbert's farm house was, I believe, the house on the main road. I have responded to the kind postings from Mike regarding the ivy clad house. I think this was, or became, the farm house. However the Will says this was left to the other sons.

Another grey area might be the Head Baker, John Phillips. I wonder if he came from an orphanage and Joseph was recognizing this in his Will. My intuition is that John lived on the premises and might have had any other home. I never heard of any family, but there may be good people on this Forum who can guide me further on this.

Thanks again for your reply.

I do not recall what the shops looked like. We lived in Huntley 30 years ago but I cannot recall the arrangement of the buildings. When you refer to the 1925 photo are you saying that it is an ivy clad house located between Greens on the left and the Post Office on the right?

If so, my recollection is that this house belonged to the Greens. I am suggesting it functioned as the farm house for land down Grange Court Lane. I am told this was 49 acres and this is where the horses were kept, and later pigs and sheep. There was no farm house on the land, so I assume this was a number of adjacent, or nearby, fields purchased by Joseph. Why he moved into farming in addition to the bakery and grocery is a mystery to me. They are totally different lines of work.

Thank you for persisting with your research. The more the merrier!

Any memories that you have of this era would be greatly welcomed.

Mrs Green was my grandmother. I will diplomatically refer to "Granny Green" as a village character. At the time you refer to she was living at Chapel House, Birdwood. I am wondering if she rode her bike to collect the rent on Ivy Cottage? Or perhaps a cheque was put in the post?

There was along running dispute behind the scenes regarding the Council, the Church and others, and Ivy Cottage was getting drawn into this. I will not bore you with details but I wondered if this rings any bells regarding security of tenancy, or any pressure to seek alternative accommodation? Or perhaps Mr Richards might recall some of this?

I was brought up believing the business was sold - certainly the bakery side. This was plausible because this was the domain of Charlie Green, my grandfather. He died around Feb 1959 and the bakery and rounds were sold to Wonderloaf - or so I was regularly told by my grandmother. This pre dates the liquidation. But I wonder if Charlie had sold up before he died, during 1958 is a possibility.

But the selling up, and any links with Longhope Bakery, are unknown areas to me.

The business had vans. and I do not know if these were sold or transferred to the grocery business. The bakery and grocery were separate but inter linked businesses.

I am wondering if things went rapidly down hill from 1958-9, or if Wonderloaf were just buying up a local competitor to close it down, or run it into the ground.

Equally, the liquidation may have been for the grocery business. This was the domain of the other brother, Frances Luther, known as "Santy". I sense that Charlie had little input into this - the bakery side was his forte, or responsibility.

After liquidation, I think a Mr and Mrs Brown bought the business. I am guessing the liquidator put the business to auction. I do not think the bakery operated thereafter, which again ties in with the Wonderloaf story. On reflection, there would have been a local demand for bread and cakes, and people did rate highly the quality of the baking.

So one of the next steps is does anyone know if my recollection of Mr and Mrs Brown is correct?

Thank you again for your help.

GREEN Anna Rosina Beneficiary Wife
STEPHENS Annie Rosina Beneficiary, Daughter
GREEN Charles Henry Beneficiary Executor Son
GREEN Dorothy Ann Beneficiary Daughter
GREEN Francis Luther Beneficiary, Executor, Son
WADESON H H Witness
GREEN Herbert John Beneficiary, Son
PHILLIPS John Beneficiary
OPEN Percy Witness

Looking at the Will Joseph leaves the following

£400 to Herbert his son
£200 to Annie his daughter
£300 to Dorothy his daughter
£300 to Charles his son
£300 to Francis his son
£25 to John Phillips, his baker
Household goods etc to his wife Annie

Another interesting detail is "I devise my dwellinghouse, shop, bakehouse and carthouse situate in High Street & Ley Road, Huntley aforesaid to my sons Charles and Francis"

The Will goes on to mention "a stone building roofed with red tiles situate adjoining my land in Ley Road and some 40 acres of land"

I have clear memories of Ivy Cottage from 1973 onwards and there were no signs of any oven then. This was my introduction to the building trade - the tenant (perhaps Mr Bryn Davies and family?)had left and the cottage was empty. New floors and wood burning boiler and other works were done.

Are you able to enlighten me on the oven. For example, if an oven was there where was it located?

It is good to hear that your mother was a Sylvia. I have asked people if Sissy was a real name because it sounds strange to me. Everyone has always replied "Yes, I suppose so!"

http://www.forestprints.co.uk/bygone_forest_of_dean.htm

Go to the Huntley page, look at Huntley Post Office circa 1923 and note the windows and position of the sign. Then go to Huntley Village circa 1925 View No. 5. In this latter photo you can clearly see the Post Office right in the middle. It might be that my eyes are playing tricks but I’m sure it says GREEN over the door of the house/shop on the far left. The 1911 Census shows that there was only one schedule between the GREENs and the Post Office.

On the Longhope page there is a picture of W.A.BRADLEY’s shop in Longhope. Clearly he is operating a drapery but there is what appears to be part of the same set-up on the left which looks like something else. I cannot make out what it says above this part – General Provisioner?

(Later note:- Found a better copy on this site. It say General Warehousemen). Perhaps W.A BRADLEY had more then one shop.

http://www.forestpictures.co.uk/page23.htm

The London Gazette is the official vehicle for legal notices/appointments etc. It is freely available to search on-line. On 29 April 1960 it published a notice concerning the liquidation of GREEN BROS of Huntley:-

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/42021/page/3062

The National Probate Calendar is available on such sites as Ancestry. It is just a list of probates or administrations granted and contains no more details than I have posted already. Although Ancestry is a subscription site it occasionally has free weekends – attention to these is usually posted on this site. However, you can get the same information for free by searching the site below. The relevant page(s) of the Calendar will come up,

https://www.gov.uk/search-will-probate

(may have to paste this link - seems to be a problem with it)

For a fee a will can be provided. It looks like Joseph GREEN did leave a will or the record would have mentioned a Grant of Administration rather than probate.

After a lifetime working it is not a lot of money to leave. Of course, better than many folks and far better than a life in the Workhouse. But on reflection this does tie in with what I am picturing about the family. My inkling is that money was not the only driving force - religious beliefs and charitable beliefs were. These do sound unlikely in the light of what we now know, which raises some interesting questions.

As you will have gathered I am new to all this. Hence when you mention probate does this list all the details of the deceased assets? Or would one go the Will for this?

Of course this was a long time ago in relation to my memory, but I do not recall ever hearing the name Bradley. This might sound like a strange remark but numerous surnames have been mentioned in recent years and it is surprising how many ring a bell. I may not be able to place that bell, but it does ring!

The Green's ran a bakery and grocery. I am wondering if the bakery and grocery were separate businesses in Longhope. If so, I may have heard of the name of the Grocer. I do not know who the grocer was. I am wondering if your excellent knowledge of the area can answer this one?

BNA Gloucester Citizen – Thursday 21 March 1946,

East Dean R.D.C, nominations,
Longhope (two seats): Oswald Cadogan BRADLEY, baker and confectioner……….

And two entries from the National Probate Calendar which might be of interest,

National Probate Calendar 1939,

BRADLEY William Armstrong of Sunnyside Little London Longhope Gloucestershire died 15 April 1939 Probate Gloucester 15 June to Annie Elizabeth Bradley widow Oswald Cadogan Bradley baker and Percy Windham Probert post office overseer.
Effects £3853 19s 8d.

National Probate Calendar 1930,

GREEN Joseph of Huntley Gloucestershire died 11 January 1930 Probate Gloucester 28 May to Charles Henry Green and Francis Luther Green bakers and grocers.
Effects £3132 12s 3d.

£3132 might be upwards of £110,000 in today’s terms but it is difficult to assess what this really means – I’m not sure that sum would get you much of a house in Huntley now.

I have pondered regarding conversations years back and this now falls into place. You are spot on in your research. Indeed, this address became a decorators shop, selling paint and wallpaper is what I now recall being told. One would hope that being Gloucester there may be an old photo of Worcester Street showing this shop. I can but hope that one will turn up!