Bouquets & Brickbats?
Copies of emails received by Admin
Please note we answer all emails received but are unable to research family history.
20th April 2016
Hello,
This is not a query but a thankyou for having a web site and lovely photos.
The number above is an Aussie one so I know you won’t be phoning that.
This is just to let you know we will be visiting in July and after going through you site would love to visit your town if we have time.
Regards,
Joyce Mills
Thank you for your nice remarks. We work very hard to keep the site active and up-to-date so we really like it when people tell us that they appreciate it. I think your email will go in our Bouquets and Brickbats section. That shows other people that we are visited by people from "Down Under". Do you have links with Barrow? There must be a reason why you should want to visit the village.
Yours
Judith
Hello again Judith,
Thank you so must for your prompt reply.
Sorry no, we do not have links with Barrow.
My paternal Grandfather had a stall in the Bull Ring in Birmingham at the turn of last century and my Great Grandfather ran race horses before that. My father was a bookies clerk and toured the different meets. Even knew one of the characters out of Peaky Blinders.
This is an un-expected visit to the UK for a wedding and catch up with family. As we will be staying in a cottage near Tamworth and want to visit near by villages.
Pictures on the WEB painted a lovely picture so I have listed it to call in my note book of events.
We have lived ‘down under’ since 1968 bought the family out and reared them here. Our eldest daughter needed ‘sunlight treatment’ for ailments so thought a better climate would be better for her and she has never looked back. Has a healthy family of her own as do our other children. So looking forward to our visit in July and coming for a day to your town.
Best Regards and keep up the good work.
Joyce Mills
12th December 2015
My husband and I met friends in the Hunting Lodge this week, and we were thrilled with the display of Christmas Lights and decorations in your lovely village. I was so impressed, I just had to contact you to let you know what a pleasure it was to drive through.
Jean Jeffs
14th June 2014
The Lime Kiln or The Trap was run by my great grandmother Mrs Eliza Lee from about 1914 to 1947 although in the later years the licensee was probably her son Mr Rowland Victor Lee (Vic). Rowland Lee was also an Overseer at Drivers. My grandmother Mrs Grace Kidger (nee Lee) worked in the Lime Kiln as well as at Drivers and my father was born in one of the first floor rooms overlooking Breadcroft Lane. When he was a bit older, my father also worked at drivers as did most of the family. At the start of their tenancy, the pub was owned by The Loughborough Brewing Company followed by Strettons of Derby. In turn Strettons were bought by Allsops of Burton which became Ind Coope and Allsops. In the 1960's, Ind Coope became part of Allied Breweries and the Lime Kiln came under the Ansells brand name. I worked in the Engineering Department of Allied Breweries in the 1970's and my daughter has been a licensee ...5 generations: must be in the genes.
Paul Kidger
LINK UP MADE BETWEEN BRISBANE AND BARROW: Adele and Joy Feb 2014 and on
Leicestershire Villages - Contact Us
Name : Adele Nichols
Message :
I was fascinated to read of the restoration of the King William IVth pub. I am currently tracing my family history and I know that my Mum, Jean Nichols nee Buttery is Joy's cousin. Are you able to pass my e-mail address to them please, as I would like to make contact? Adele Nichols.
Leicestershire Villages
Judith Rodgers Feb 11th
I will call on the house and either see Joy or Jim to pass on your email address or leave a note.You don't say what part of the world you now live in.Yours
Adele Nichols Feb 11th
Hello Judith,That is so kind of you! I unfortunately live in Brisbane, Australia and my Mum lives in Brighton, East Sussex.I come home from time to time and would like to visit the area where my Mum grew up when I next visit in July. I know my Mum was born in Sileby and then later lived in Mountsorrel. Sadly she lost touch with her Dad Bill (Joy's Uncle) Buttery when he and her Mum separated in the 50's.I have never met Joy, but am keen to know more about the family if possible. I understand if Joy is unable to help with my enquiries.Thank you again for your help,Adele
Leicestershire Villages
Judith Rodgers Feb 11th
Here you are, Joy. She sounds very positive about being related. Cheers
I called in this afternoon and passed over your email address to Joy. I have also forwarded your two emails to me. I guess she will contact you.If anything comes of this, we would really like to know. "we" as in the site administrators for the village website but also our community magazine, Barrow Voice. You might be interested to have a look at that:www.barrowvoice.co.uk It is always interesting to hear of connections with "the rest of the world". All the best
Adele Nichols Feb 11th
Thank you again Judith, it is good of you to have called in. I really hope to hear from Joy and will certainly let you know if we make contact.Having never met Bill Buttery (my Mum's Dad and Joy's Uncle) I was also really pleased to find a photo of him on 'Sileby faces'. He played in a band called the Gregorians and there is a photo of them taken around 1938 but he has been wrongly named as Don Ward. My Mum has confirmed that the man on the far left of the photo was her Dad and I have asked if they will change it.The internet can be truly amazing! Best wishes, Adele
Adele Nichols Mar 16th
Hello Judith, You may recall that I e-mailed you with regard to making contact with Joy Greig?I was so pleased to hear from Joy very soon after you had passed my details on and we have been in regular contact ever since, so thank you very much for your part in this!I am also very pleased to let you know that I will be arriving in the UK from Brisbane very shortly and that Joy has very kindly agreed to let me stay with her and her husband for a couple of days. I arrive on 19th March and will be spending the first 6 days in Hull, as my youngest son is at University there, and then stopping off at Leicester on the way through to Brighton where my parents live.Joy and I have been corresponding by e-mail and exchanging photos and information regarding our families, which has been of great interest to me. I am now really looking forward to actually meeting Joy and Jim and will also visit some local places of interest to add to my family history.Thank you once again, I feel very fortunate to have discovered your site!With best wishes, Adele
Judith Rodgers Mar 16th
I'm so glad we could help. I'm rather hoping that she (or you) might do a little write up about this linking up and your visit to Barrow for our community magazine, Barrow Voice www.barrowvoice.co.uk Do have a look at the mag before you come! Cheers
Adele Nichols Mar 16th
Hello Judith,I have had a quick look at 'Barrow Voice' - it is extremely well presented and full of interesting articles, I'm impressed! I am more than happy to write a few words, but I will speak to Joy and perhaps we can both contribute something. Thanks again, Adele
Judith Rodgers Mar 16th
That's great and if we could have a picture, perhaps the tow of you in Barrow??? It needs to be emailed separately from an article and of reasonably specification (eg at least 1Mb) . Please email to me. Our deadline is well into April. Thanks so much
Adele Nichols Mar 17th
Hello Judith,Am sure we could arrange a photo, have noted that it needs so be e-mailed separately and of high resolution, will see what we can do!Will be in touch again soon,Best wishes, Adele
Judith Rodgers Mar 16th
Thanks. Great!
Adele Nichols Apr 15th
Hello Judith,I had a lovely time in Barrow, in the end I ran out of time and didn't get to call in on you, apologies for this!I am enclosing a page on how my visit came about, I hope it isn't too long at just over 600 words? Please feel free to edit it or exclude anything that isn't relevant, I realise there is not much mention of Barrow...The photo is being sent separately as requested.Thanks so much for your help in this Judith and for bringing about our meeting!With Best wishes, Adele
A Warm Welcome at the Old King Bill
Judith Rodgers Apr 15th
Thanks. and thanks very much for the excellent article. Just the ticket. While you were in Barrow, I was in Brighton while my husband (aged 72) was running the Brighton marathon. We stayed with our daughter in Hassocks. I'll pass the article on to the editor and eagerly await your photo. Cheers and all the best
Adele Nichols Apr 16th
Hello Judith, How funny, I was only in Barrow a couple of days and I was there watching the Marathon in Brighton. Hope your husband ran well, pretty impressive that he is still running. I was a very keen runner myself, but unfortunately gave it up a long time ago.Glad you liked what have written, am very appreciative Judith, without your help none of this could have come about.Best wishes, Adele
January 2011
Hello from Snowy Toronto
I just wanted to let you know that my Mother attended the picture showing at the Bishop Beveridge club. What a good time was had by all. She sounded so thrilled to have been able to see these pictures, especially on “the big screen". I understand that you have been able to fill a lot of information.
Still love your website. Thank you for all the hard work you must do to keep this up to date. We Barrow Ex-pats love it.
Marie Bellicoso
Admin reply.
Hi Marie
Thanks for your email we are always please to hear from anyone with ideas or criticism we aim to please.
The event you mention appears to have been a great success and most of the pictures have been identified in some way or other, we are at the moment updating the information.
Have you noticed we have new website layout, the content is much the same but navigating the site has been made easier and looks far better.
Regards
John
PS. You don’t have to live in Barrow to contribute to the site.
Hello again,
Yes, I have noticed the new lay out, love it. I was born in Barrow in 1951 and lived there until 1970 and Barrow will always be “Home".
When I return for a visit I am always amazed by all the changes and how some things stay just the same.
I do think that it is wonderful that you are being able to fill in “the gaps" on those pictures. We never think to mark the back of our pictures with names, dates and places but as time goes by I see the importance of doing this. I have spent many an hour with my Mum when I come home doing just this on all of our old pictures.
Thank you once again for all of your hard work.
Regards
Marie Bellicoso
November 2010
My family were associated with Drivers and my grandmother Grace Kidger, appears in several of the Drivers photos. My great uncles Frank Dennis and Rowland Victor Lee, were both Overseers (Not sure of the spelling), at Drivers and their respective wives were ‘Outworkers' with ‘Linking' machines in their living rooms. The family also ran the Lime Kiln/The Trap from about 1914 to 1947 with my great grandmother Mrs Eliza Lee as licensee.
My Great grandmother ran the pub, My grandmother worked in the pub, My father was born in the pub, I later worked for the brewery which owned the pub, then more recently, my daughter became a licensee. Must be genetic.
Please let me know if I you would like any other information.
Regards Paul Kidger
November 2010
Following my e-mail to you yesterday, I have a number of family photos which I must catalogue and put onto disc. As I said yesterday, I come from a family with many connections to Barrow.
Photo no 40 shows a coach trip. I seem to recall that Jack Litherland whom lived a few door down from my grandmother (she was at 52 Nottingham Rd) was a driver for Howletts. The group photographed could have had links with nottingham Rd…the photo seems very familiar.
A story in the family is that a lad by the name of Linacre came to Warner Street as an evacuee during the war. He lived next door to my great uncle and Aunt…Rowland Lee (maybe 26 Warner St) . The age would be about right for this to have been Garry's father.
I believe that another relative was kennel man at the Quorn Hunt. A second Cousin was Jack Lee who played for Leicester City during the late 40's and 50's. Apparently, he was no relation to Eliza Lee fearsome landlady of The Trap, on my grandmother's side, my grandfather, George Kidger who died at the age of 30 from an industrial illness, worked at the concrete factory on Sileby Rd: probably the cause of the illness. My Grandmother worked at Drivers until she took ‘Early retirement' at the age of 80. Initially she was a mender in the days of silk stockings, later she was an inspector& packer for reps samples. I remember my mother taking ladderred stockings to her to mend, which she did with a hooked needle on a piece of wooden dowling.
Another relative, Sarah Ann Lee, had a shop oposite the church (is that the High Street?).
I must be in touch with yourselves when I have sorted out the family photos. My family moved to Sussex in 1953 and I now live in Suffolk with children in Essex, Hertfordshire and Switzerland.
Regards Paul Kidger
November 2010
I think Mr Kidger is correct about the Lineker boy coming to Warner St. during the war Mr & Mrs Joe Lineker who were childless had a nephew from Leicester living with them,they used to enthuse about his footballing capabilities,he would probably be Garry`s father.
The Linekers were market gardeners, I think;they had a stall in Leicester Market and did so at least until recent years. Vic Lee lived next door as he said; they had a daughter called Molly. There was a Kidger who lived in Breadcroft Lane in one of the house(one of the two semi-detatched houses) built in the thirties,he worked as a postman and had a motorbike & sidecar,they had a son called Tony. We knew the Lees & Linekers well, their gardens joined ours in Melton Road.
With regard to Jack Litherland he used to live in Nottingham Road and his son does or was there John (his son`s two daughters lived there too, both are still in the village one works as a post lady the other works or did in the Alliance and Leicester office in the village.
Re Sarah Ann Lee, I wonder if the shop was in North St., I do not remember a shop in Church St., just the Blacksmith`s forge and Mr Duerance , a dentist who practiced there near the Church.
The man who worked at the kennels might have been Mr Bert Batts,a daughter lives in Melton Road,I will enquire.
I will ask around and come back to you.
Michael
August 2010
Upon browsing your website I found a picture of the Squires Bus. James Squires was my grandfather. His son Harry was my father. My father passed on 2 years ago. It is very intersting to see a bit of my roots as I have lived in Canada most of my life. I find your website quite interesting.
Thank you
Beverley Squires Powell
Canada
August 2010
John,
I'm forwarding this on behalf of My Mother Mavis Green (nee Bennett).
The use of the follow info has been granted however my Mother would appreciate a copy of the photo via email as a keep sake.
As she would like to printout a copy for each of her remaining siblings could you make the file at the highest resolution (JPEG, JPG) possible (min 250).
Your assistance would be appreciated.
Respectfully
Chris Myers
Mavis Greens Son
About the Bennett photo: (91) (renamed – Presentation of Darts Championship 1950-60)
The gentleman in the middle of the picture accepting a darts trophy, is John William Bennett, and the 2nd man on the left of the picture is Johns son, also John E. Bennett, aged in his early 20's
It may date back to the 1950-60 era. The scene is a Presentation of Darts Championship-one of many-and I do recall the event. Dad played darts at just about every public house in Barrow right up to when he and Mum came to Australia to join their daughter Mavis's family here. He continued to play darts in Australia for quite a few years.
John (Jack) and Eva Bennett came to Barrow from Leicester in 1930, and raised a big family in the village. The eldest son Tony, was born in Leicester, but the rest of us, namely Margaret, Mavis, John, James, Barry and Graham Bennett were all born in Barrow-on-Soar, and mostly Christened at the Prims-Methodist Chapel on North St Barrow.
Mum and Dad began their life in Barrow, in a little cottage opposite the Vicarage gates-Mr Pepper was a neighbour and friend of our family. North St, or TownEnd as Mum called it, opposite the Chapel we attended, was the next stop, and as the family grew, they moved to Grove lane, near the railway bridge, and finally, to a Council house on Sileby Rd, where the last child was born. I hated the North St place, too close to the local slaughterhouse. We walked to the playing fields most days and passed a bungalow at the end of the jitty leading to the field, where the owners had a huge and woolly grey dog called Towser.
As mentioned earlier, Dad played darts at just about every public house in the village, but never ever came home drunk. He had a good singing voice and played the mouth-organ and harmonica very well, so was very popular. He spent 4 yrs in the Royal Navy as a CPO and his eldest son followed in his footsteps, staying in the RN until retirement age.
John and Eva Bennett emigrated to Australia in the early '80's under the Family Reunion Scheme to join their family here, and both are now deceased.
This Information provided by the family of John W. Bennett, via Mrs Mavis E. Green nee Bennett
July 2010
I recognise the people in the photo entitled unknown 142, starting at the top standing in the doorway, is on the left is Elizabeth Gidlow formerly Wiggins, Maiden name Chapman, born 1826, on the right is Maria Smith, nee Perkins, Elizabeth's grand daughter, born 1875, in front from the left, is George Henry Smith (my father) b. 1902, next is Frances Elizabeth Smith b.1910, next is I believe to be Vera Perkins b. 1913 (later to become Vera Dodson), next we have Winnifred Mary Smith b.1907, then we have Thomas William Smith b.1905, next to him is Alfred Ernest Smith b. 1909, the lady seated on the right I believe to be Vera's mother Harriett Perkins nee Illiff. I suspect that the photo was taken during the year of 1915, the place ,I would guess as being Freestone Square, as that's where they were living according to the 1911 census.
Regards Michael A. Smith (Brisbane, Australia)
Admin reply
Hi Michael
Thank you for the information we are pleased that some of the unknown photos are being recognised by ex Barrow people like yourself, by what you have provided I assume you have researched your family history.
If you have more history on Barrow we would love to hear from you.
Thanks again.
Regards John
Reply
Hi John,
Yes I have been researching my family history and I have found most of my Barrow info on your site. I only lived in Barrow for just over 12 months, from June 1962 till November 1963 when I emigrated to Australia. Until 1963 I lived in Seagrave till I was 13 then the rest of the time in Sileby. Since delving into my ancestry I have come to realise through my mothers side of the tree we were probably related to at least 50% of Sileby in the late 1800s to early 1900s, likewise with my fathers side in Barrow although the percentage in Barrow would have increased since one of my sisters married into the Hall family who were quite prolific producers in the late 1800s, as were my wife's ancestors the Darby's. I find your site most helpful in my research, keep up the good work posting your updates of the Barrow records.
Regards Michael
John,
I just read the following on your famous website :
But the icing on the cake came when John Nurse, one of Barrow's site administrators, was presented with not one but two further awards: Community Commitment Award 2010 and the Most Postings Award 2010. He made over 1000 postings during last year to Barrow's village website. He has already built up the most amazing array of Family History records (eg births, marriages and deaths, census records etc) as well as putting on over 1500 photographs of Barrow and its residents. The site is visited by people all over the world. Small wonder that the site administrators frequently receive appreciative emails from Canada, New Zealand, America etc.
Please count this as one more appreciative email, this time from Arizona. I am thrilled with the magnificent manner in which you and so many others of the Land of my Ancestors are making the FH data available to us. I and my family will continue to search the records as they continue to become more available and as we continue to trace our roots and our family histories.
We believe that my GG Grandmother, Mary Ann Fisher, was born in Barrow even though her family lived in Sileby and she was christened there shortly thereafter.
Again, Sir, I thank you and all the others for all that you are doing in our service. Knowing how enticingly habit-forming this work is, I would just suggest that you try not to miss too much sleep or too many meals. ; – )
Chuck Bowler
Phoenix, Arizona
Hi,
In researching our family history have found an ancestor John Parsons, who died in your village in the September quarter of 1840, aged only 29. [born 1811]
He appears to have been away from home; and the best guess he may have died as a result of an accident?
Was work being done on the canal in 1840?
Do you know of anyone who can help me? I dont know where he was buried?
Hope your winter has finally gone away, we are just starting autumn
You have a web site to be very proud of
Kind regards
Tony Burgess
Sydney, Australia
Monday 2 October 2007
Hello
I have just read with interest the information on your website, thank you very much.
My husband & I run a small business here in Perth Western Australia and we are in the process of “importing" a mechanic from Leicestershire. I recently asked Mike that if he ever goes to Barrow Upon Soar would he please take a photo of the old church and to my delight he has! I used to go along to Barrow church as a little girl with one of your local residents, a lady by the name of Mary Bakewell. Mary passed away some years ago but i think her son Keith still lives in Barrow.
Mary and her husband Harold used to live in Nottingham Road, number 12 if my memory is correct. I used to catch the train from Leicester to Barrow Upon Soar and stay during weekends and school holidays, i loved the years i spent at Barrow and in my childhood dreams i thought i would grow up and live there myself!
Great to read about the place i loved so much.
Thanks again
Kind Regards
Elaine Martin
