Sunday, February 14, 2016

Pinhey Homes, London SE13, Church Terrace and Brandram Road

The 1891 London Electoral Registers list William Fox Pinhey's residence as 14 Church Terrace, in the North Lee Polling District.  The Registers also show that he owned a house a 1 Brandram Road, just around the corner from the Church Terrace home.  From what I can tell, this is where the Pinheys lived prior to acquiring the Shernden Grange house in Blackheath around 1894. Interestingly, the Church Terrace house is adjacent to St. Margaret's Church where William Fox Pinhey, Fanny Maude, Madge and William Green Pinhey are buried.

Here are two screen shots of the Google Earth view showing the location of the homes and graves at St. Margaret's Church:







Here's the 14 Church Terrace Home today - the street view is somewhat blocked by trees, so I have included a screen shot of the neighboring home to indicate what the architecture of the terrace houses looks like.  We would call these "terraced homes" "duplexes", or attached homes, in the USA. From my readings, it appears that William Green Pinhey was the builder of terraced homes in the area and he may have built these (though this will require more research to verify) :

14 Church Terrace, London SE13 (above)

The homes next door to the Pinhey home on Church Terrace (above)

I have included a photo of the Brandram house owned by William Fox Pinhey (below):

Pinhey House at 1 Brandram Road

I contacted St. Margaret's Church regarding the Pinhey family graves. The rector at St. Margaret's Church was very helpful and provided me with directions for locating the Pinhey graves in the Churchyard.  Based on his directions and the photo I have of the marker, I was able to pinpoint the location of the graves on the north side of the church.  Here's a screen shot of the location (just outside of the north door adjacent to the Brandram vault):



The electoral rolls show William Fox Pinhey as the owner of the following properties and it appears we finally have the proper spelling of "Shernden Grange"  (my thanks to Sue Richardson for providing the information):


William Fox Pinhey Electoral Rolls etc. from “Find My Past”

                Abode                                               Qualifying houses
1884-5  1 Church Terrace, Lee
1887-8  1 Church Terrace                              4,7,8,14 &15 Church Terrace
1888  1 Church Terrace, Lee                         4,7,8,14,&15 Church Terrace
                                                                        Tenement
1889-90 1 Brandram Rd, Lee                                        “
1891-4  14 Church Terrace                                           “
1896-7  14 Church Terrace, Lee                    4,7,8,14 &15 Church Terrace
1898-1901  Clay Gate, Marden, Kent            Clay Gate, freehold house
1902  Millhouse, Marden, Kent
1903  38 Montem Rd Forest Hill SE London  - 1,2,4,14,15,&16 Church Terrace  
1904-6 38 Montem Rd, Lee                                1,2,4,14,15,16 Church Terrace

1907  Shernden Grange, Edenbridge               1,2,4,14,15,&16 Church Terrace



38 Montem Road, Forest Hill, SE London in 2016

Thursday, February 11, 2016

More Cumberland House - 1915

My father had some memories of living at Cumberland House:


"My two aunts did get up by canoe a few times and in the spring a small paddle-wheel steamer made it up the Saskatchewan while the river was full. The mosquitoes and “no see-ums” were very bad. We lived off moose, fish, canned vegetables and whatever native berries were there. The lake had sturgeon in it and a Russian used to make caviar for my folks. I have a few memories of the North but very little. I can remember a few Cree phrases. Tom and I wore moccasins and deer or moose (hide) coats. It was a swampy country and extremely cold in the winter. Revillon did their best to keep us up there but Mother did not want to stay. We all returned to Prince Albert and then to Winnipeg."

 Thomas Knevitt Pinhey and Edward Shellard Pinhey at Cumberland House

 Daisy, Edward and Thomas Shellard Pinhey at Cumberland House

 Thomas Knevitt Pinhey in winter wear

 Getting the dog sled ready


 Daisy, Thomas and baby Edward


 Ready to get under way...





Cumberland House, 1915

Cumberland House flood, 1915 


 Boating, Cumberland House, 1915

 Edward (Ted) Shellard Pinhey, 1915

 Tommy, Ted and Agnes, Cumberland House, 1915

Tommy, Ted and Mrs. Sayce, Cumberland House, 1915

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

The Stillwell's Sons

My father's memoirs state that he had two cousins, Eric and John, who were the sons of Fanny Sarah and Clarence Stillwell.  My father describes Clarence Stillwell's business (  they were "gold lacemen, embroiderers & general military wear, specialities: gold lace, embroidery, Masonic clothing & jewellery").  He goes on to note that both Eric and John were killed serving in World War II.  The Stillwell's are described in their school honor roll as follows (Dulwich College):


MAJOR ERIC WILLIAM DIGBY STILLWELL 
117th Bn. The Queen's Royal Regiment.

Born May 24, 1911. He was the elder brother of J. D. Stillwell and on leaving school he spent about a year with Jaeger Ltd., and another with a firm of chartered accountants, to gain business experience and in 1930 he joined the family business of Edward Stillwell & Son, Ltd., of Barbican, E.C., eventually becoming a director.

He was the fifth successive generation in the family business. He was a liveryman (by servitude) of the Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers, with which his family had also been closely connected. In the Certificate" A " examination at School he was a Kittermaster prize winner and as soon as he was eighteen was commissioned to the 24th Battalion London Regiment, which later became the 7th (Southwark) Battalion The Queen's Royal Regiment. On mobilization he was captain, commanding" B " Company which he took to France in 1940. They did useful work in the retirement from Brussels and returned via Dunkirk. He was promoted major in I941 and proceeded in July 1942 with the 44th Division to the Middle East in command of the H.Q. Company. Shortly after arrival he became second-in-command and a few weeks before his death, in the absence of the C.O., he commanded the battalion in action. He fell in the opening stages of El Alamein, on October 24, 1942, along with the majority of the officers of his battalion, when the Infantry attacked the minefields in advance of the armour. He married, in 1940, Dorothy Joan, daughter of Edgar Millar, of Forest Hill and left no family.

LIEUTENANT JOHN DIGBY STILLWELL 
44th Bn. Royal Tank Regiment.

Born August 30, 1914. He was the younger brother of E. W. D. Stillwell and on
leaving Dulwich College went to Pawson & Leafs, Ltd., textile warehousemen, St. Paul's
Churchyard, for about eighteen months to gain general experience. He then joined Constable, Hart & Co., road works and general contractors, for a short time before going to George Wimpey & Co., Ltd., with whom he was engaged on various construction undertakings such as water-works, new aerodromes, etc., up to the outbreak of war.

He joined the O.A.F.C. on leaving School and the Westminster Dragoons about a year later, being a lance-corporal; he became a cadet in the same regiment on the outbreak of war, obtaining his commission in January 1940 in the Royal Tank Regiment, and being posted to the 44th Battalion (formerly the 6th Gloucesters T.A.).  He proceeded to the Middle East with them in May 1941 and took part in Auchinleck's Libya campaign and led the New Zealand Division to the relief of Tobruk, breaking through in a tank attack by night. He was wounded at El Duda and was evacuated from Tobruk, but H.M.S. Chakdina, in which he sailed, was sunk by enemy action and he is now presumed to have been lost at sea on December 5, 1941. He was the battalion signals officer and as such came in contact with all the squadrons of the regiment by whom he was much missed. He married, in March 1939, Janet, the youngest sister of J. D. East (O.A.), and had one son, born on the day that his father was reported missing.