Down Your Way – Clifton Street

Building began in Clifton Street in about 1879. There were a lot of builders involved, Job Day, James Hinton, Richard Leighfield, which is why the houses all look a little different. There is the Clifton Hotel and 180 houses in Clifton Street; some detached, semi detached, some terraced. Some of them have extensions and loft conversions or porches and some have a name incised in the stonework above the front door, a remnant of a bygone era. There’s a blue house and another with a pink front door and a pink gate and artificial flowers and a heart in the window. The Clifton Stores, still there, stood opposite the the Primitive Methodist Chapel, long gone. There were probably other shops along this long street that stretches from the top of Kingshill to Radnor Street. And tucked away behind is the cemetery.

In the 19th century Clifton Street was home to a lot of railwaymen and their families, now all gone as well.

You might like to read about some of the former residents of Clifton Street who now reside in the cemetery.

Miss Beatrice Wall

Henry Smith – undertaker and monumental mason

The Griffin family – another Swindon Story

Fred Tegg – a well known Swindonian

Cheers!

Come and join me for a swift half at these local pubs while I tell you the story of the people who once lived there.

The Mechanics’ Arms

Read all about Frederick George Leighfield – landlord at the Mechanics’ Arms

c1910 Ship Inn, Westcott Place.

Read all about Esther Swinford – victim of a shooting tragedy

c1970 The New Inn, Cromwell Street.

Read all about Comrades of the Great War

1911 The Eagle Hotel, Regent Street.

Read all about Pte William Henry Thomas – art student

W.J.C. Plaister – Running Shed foreman

Back in the day people worked until they couldn’t work any longer. Engine Maker and Fitter George House continued to work into his 80s and Robert Laxon was working as a foreman in the Copper Smith Shop into his late 70s. By 1930 the GWR introduced the compulsory retirement age of 66 years but William John Culley Plaister was forced to retire in 1932 aged 61 years. It would be good to think he had a nice little nest egg that made this possible but unfortunately it was ill health that forced him to retire early.

Sadly, William didn’t have long to enjoy his retirement or to indulge his hobbies of cricket and football.

Running Shed Foreman

Mr W.J.C. Plaister Retires After 18 Years’ Service

Mr W.J.C. Plaister, of 24 Exmouth street, Swindon, who for the past 18 years has been mechanical foreman of the GWR Running Sheds, was the recipient of a barometer, presented to him by his colleagues, on his retirement.

The presentation was made in the Running Shed mess room by Mr A. Tyrell, Mr W.N. Pellows, superintendent of the division, was to have made the presentation, but was unable to attend.

Mr. Plaister has been forced by ill health to retire earlier than he should have done. He was very popular with his staff, and during his 18 years’ service has taken a keen interest in the social side.

He was president of the cricket and football clubs, and had taken an active interest in these two branches of the Running Shed’s sports activities.

As trustee of the N.G. Sick and Benevolent Fund, he has given valuable assistance in many ways.

North Wilts Herald, Friday, September 2, 1932.

William John Culley Plaister died on May 11, 1940 aged 69 years. He was buried in grave plot E7254. His brother John Cyprus Plaister and his wife Florence Louisa are buried in the neighbouring plot E7253.

The old Running Shed c1910.

Eleanor Stroud

In a blogpost last year I mentioned that there were very few old photographs of the cemetery. There were only three pre-dating the 1920s and two of these were taken by William Hooper. And then when I looked more closely into the work of this prolific Swindon photographer I found another taken at the funeral of his mother-in-law Eleanor Stroud.

Eleanor (sometimes known as Ellen) was born in Aldbourne in 1834, the daughter of agricultural labourer Thomas Brind and his wife Mary. She married James Stroud, also from Aldbourne, a railway guard, in 1864.

In 1871 Eleanor and James lived in Leominster with their two little daughters, Mary Jane 3 and Alice Kate 1. By 1881 the family had moved to 22 Merton Street, Swindon. On census night James and his daughters were at home. Eleanor, meanwhile, was employed as a monthly nurse at number 10 Merton Street where Annie Hacker had given birth three days previously.

In 1891 Mary Jane married William Hooper, a stationery engine driver with a passion for photography.

Two years later James Stroud was involved in a fatal shunting accident at Tetbury Road station when he was crushed between a waggon and the goods shed. He was brought to the GWR Medical Fund Hospital in Swindon but sadly died as a result of his injuries the following day on January 14, 1893.

After the death of her husband Eleanor lived with her elder daughter Mary Jane and her husband William Hooper. By 1911 William was working full time as a Portrait and Landscape Photographer. Eleanor is pictured here with William and Mary in their roof garden at Cromwell Street.

Eleanor Stroud died at her daughter’s home 6 Cromwell Street. She was buried on April 29, 1915 in grave plot A823 alongside her husband. William took this photograph at her funeral.

Jesse John Preater – brothers in arms

Three brothers died in the First World War, another returned with his health compromised. But what was it like for the two brothers who never went to war but stayed at home?

At the beginning of the 20^th century the busy Preater family were running two businesses. Charles Preater ran first a haulage business before becoming licensee at the New Inn in Cromwell Street with his wife Mary Jane.

Harry Charles Preater was born on April 25, 1880 and baptised at St. Mark’s Church on May 27. He was the eldest of Charles and Mary Jane Preater’s nine children. In old photographs of Swindon you will see H.C. Preater’s garage at the Whale Bridge close to where the Leonardo Hotel now stands. Harry became a prominent business man and a Freemason. During the Second World War Harry was Secretary of the Swindon Penny a Week Fund, which raised £16,500 towards supporting prisoners of war. Harry died in 1968 and is buried in grave plot D65A.

Second son Jesse John Preater was born on April 2, 1882 and baptised at St Paul’s Church on May 14. By 1901 Jesse, then aged 18, was working alongside his father in the haulage firm. Ten years later his younger brothers Charles and John had joined him in that side of the family business.

Arthur Benjamin Preater, Charles Lewis Preater and Herbert Frederick Preater were all killed in action, Arthur in 1916 and Charles and Herbert in 1918. John Edward Preater served and returned home.

Why did neither Harry nor Jesse go to war? I’m sure their parents were relieved to save these two sons, but what was life like for them during and in the aftermath of the war. They shared their fate with many other men, but that couldn’t have made it any easier. Today we have a name for this condition ‘survivor guilt.’

Jesse married May Wallis at St Mark’s Church on October 4, 1915. Their son Charles Wallis Jesse was born in 1922. They are buried together in grave plot B2693 close to the grave where Jesse’s parents, his sister Hilda and John Edward, the brother who survived the war, are buried. A separate memorial commemorates the three brothers who were killed in action.

Another chapter in the Uzzell family history

And this time I need some help identifying a couple of photographs.

We’ve already met David Uzzell – the inspiration behind the work of war poet Edward Thomas, so now let’s meet his brother John.

John married Rachel Bennett on Christmas Day 1864 at the parish church in Cirencester. He worked as a baker and in 1871 lived with Rachel and their two children Emily 6 and Frank 4 in Gloucester Street, Cirencester. His parents lived in nearby Factory Yard alongside his brother David and his wife Fanny and their son William.

John and Rachel went on to have a large family of at least nine children. Four sons – Frank, Harris, James John and Raymond and five daughters – Emily Rosina, Edith Ellen, Mabel Harris, Mary Maria and Minnie Bennett. In 1881 they lived in Ashton Keynes; in 1891 they were at 27 Stepstairs Lane, Cirencester and in 1901 they were in South Cerney.

At the time of her death in 1907 Rachel was living at 17 Ipswich Street, here in Swindon. A couple of her married daughters had moved to Swindon, which maybe how she came to be here. She was buried in grave plot B2754 on November 12, 1907.

John survived her by 15 years. He died aged 79 at the Purton Infirmary and was buried with Rachel on September 12, 1922.

And now those photos.

Is this John and Rachel with their children? Or is it John Uzzell the elder with his wife Sarah and their children? Unfortunately, the photograph is undated.

And who is this? John Uzzell the elder or the younger? Is this Rachel? Again, undated.

Shops and Businesses

Swindon once had some wonderful shops and businesses – drapers, ironmongers, department stores and more photographers than you could shake a stick at.

Take a walk down memory lane and read about those business men and their families who now reside in Radnor Street Cemetery.

c1910 E. Hayball, North Wilts Dairy, 1 Hythe Road.

Read all about Ernest Hayball – Dairyman

c1910 Limmex, Corner of the High Street and Wood Street

Read all about Samuel Joseph Limmex – Ironmonger

c1912 William and Mary Hooper, 6 Cromwell Street.

Read all about William and Mary Hooper rock up at Stonehenge

1913 Bays & Co. Castle Works, Wood Street.

Read all about The Busy Rye Family

1961 Horders Drapers, High Street.

Read all about Horder Bros – Drapers, Milliners, Mantle Makers and Costumiers

1956 Morse’s Department Store, 10-12 Regent Street.

Read all about Mr Levi Lapper Morse – the End of an Era

1973 A.E. Tunley, Gloucester Street.

Read all about Albert Edward Tunley

Thomas and Eliza Uzzell – continuing the family story

Today I am continuing the Uzzell family story with Thomas Henry Uzzell the son of that ‘country rogue’ David Uzzell and his wife Fanny.

By 1901 both David and Fanny and their son Thomas Henry were living in Swindon. Thomas had been here since 1897 when he married Eliza Pamela Fisher. The couple lived first at 23 Turner Street and then at Cambria Bridge Road before moving to 6 Morley Street. In 1911 Morley Street comprised more than 35 red brick terrace houses, home to railwaymen and their families and looked a little different then to now.

Their first child, Thomas Frederick Emmanuel died aged 15 months old at 23 Turner Street. He was buried in grave plot C814, a babies grave; one month old Charles Adams had been buried there just two days earlier. But, although this grave was never purchased by the Uzzell family it did end up the burial place of not only Thomas Henry but three more of their children.

Youngest daughter Mary May Doreen Uzzell was buried there on May 23, 1912 aged 11 months. The following year Thomas Henry himself died aged 39 years and was buried on April 12, 1913.

In 1919 David Henry Uzzell aged 20 was buried on October 22 with his father and two infant siblings. The last burial took place in 1938, that of Joseph Eli Uzzell, Thomas and Eliza’s 4^th child. Just two of their children survived to old age. George William died in 1977 in his 70s and Lizzie Kathleen who married Arthur Ponting and died in 1987 in her 80s.

In 1919 Eliza went on to marry again. Her second husband was Thomas Choules but her home remained at 6 Morley Street until the end of her life. Eliza died in 1943 and was buried in grave plot B1966 in Radnor Street Cemetery where she lies with Thomas Choules.

Turner Street

Cambria Place cottages

You may like to catch up with some other Uzzell family stories:

David Uzzell – a bit of a country rogue

Maurice Uzzell, Louisa and little Lily

The Uzzell family and the Ball and Chain

Who would live in a house like this?

Come and take a peep behind the shutters and find out what was going on in these desirable residences.

Frampton Villa, Devizes Road.

Read all about William Edwin Morris – a man of inexhaustible energy

The Limes, Croft Road

Read all about Mrs Ormond passed away two years ago

Mannington Farm

Read all about The Old Congregational Church

Oxford House, Victoria Road

Read all about No Place Like Home

The Uzzell family and the Ball and Chain

These Uzzell family stories seem to be popular. I am enjoying reading all the comments on Facebook. More to follow … and watch out for some of Duncan’s photos.

In 1982 a story grabbed the Swindon headlines, which struck a chord with Swindonians, especially rock band XTC.

In the 1970s Swindon town centre was one big building site (nothing changes). Residents of a length of Westcott Place and all of Westcott Street were given notice to quit their homes, which were due for demolition. By 1975 most of them had gone but one couple refused – Richard and Betty Uzzell were going nowhere. Their house was paid for and after more than 20 years they had got it just how they wanted it.

Swindon band XTC attacked the redevelopment of Swindon at the expense of people’s homes in their song Ball and Chain released in 1982. Don’t Want demolition/Don’t want your compensation./It’s not just bricks and mortar/We are lambs to slaughter. Their record sleeve showed a picture of Richard and Betty’s home, supported by two bricked up houses either side.

After more than a decade of battling the local authority the couple eventually settled for an undisclosed amount of money. I don’t know where Richard and Betty Uzzell moved to after their long battle – but I think know where they came from!

Born in 1923 Richard was the son of Winifred Violet Maud Uzzell. He could trace his family tree back to David and Fanny Uzzell, friends of the First World War Poet Edward Thomas. The photograph above shows four generations of the Uzzell family possibly including Fanny and perhaps that is baby Richard on his mother’s lap. Can anyone confirm?

Many thanks to Ali Keating who has identified the people in this photograph.

Fanny’s daughter Kate is standing at the back & I believe the younger lady is her daughter Ruth holding her baby William.