RootsChat.Com
Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: mystifier on Saturday 09 January 10 12:37 GMT (UK)
-
This one is a little far gone for me. It shows Stapenhill House (long demolished), Burton-on-Trent, 1878.
Can anyone bring it back to life?
-
A quick b/w for you
David
-
Two versions from me.
Wendy
-
Thanks for the very quick responses. I cleared the sky on tabsearch's which may or may not help matters.
-
error occurred
-
A very nice picture
-
A couple from me
Irene
-
Thanks to everyone. I have uploaded an image to my site now.
-
Hope they are ok for you :)
-
Hi Mystie,
Have you seen the picture of Stapenhill House on ' staffspasttrack ', it is obviously a later photo with the ivy growing up the wall. As a point of interest, was it situated on Stapenhill Road and who owned it ???
Regards from a Stapenhillian,
Peter.
-
Stapenhill House is a work in progresss page. I have exposed it at www.burton-on-trent.org.uk/?p=44 so that you can see what images I have so far. Text will be added before long.
Stapenhill house occupied the top terrace of what is now Stapenhill pleasure gardens and the whole of Stapenhill gardens was its private garden with a tennis court situated where the white swan is now.
It was owned for the longest time by the Clay family (after whom nearby Clay Street was named).
I think 'Images of time' images are superior to mine (do you have a 1000px version?). The current photo was sent to me by RobinClay who is a member here and descendant of the same family.
Some of the other images could probably be improved upon (the third one down has a new, accurately sized and positioned, church tower as a cheat!).
-
Time for trhe painters and decoraters too move in,
Pinched your restore as a base Irene, to save time, Hope you dont mind.
Ivor
-
Thanks Ivor,
If it's okay, I will use a variation of this on the title page.
-
Hi all,
I'm just browsing, admiring the fantastic work you are all doing, but there is something spooky happening with this one :o :o
If you look at the windows just above the entrance you might see what I mean. I hope someone could explain it to me.
Regards,
Colin
-
No problem at all with that mystifier, as long as you give Nicksmum the credit for the restore, ive only given it some colour.
Ivor
-
Stapenhill House (long demolished), Burton-on-Trent, 1878.
That's criminal! >:(
Gorgeous house and great restores.
-
Hi all,
I'm just browsing, admiring the fantastic work you are all doing, but there is something spooky happening with this one :o :o
If you look at the windows just above the entrance you might see what I mean. I hope someone could explain it to me.
Regards,
Colin
somebody closed it?!!
-
If you look at the windows just above the entrance you might see what I mean. I hope someone could explain it to me.
My main interest is buildings which have the advantage that many windows are the same. In restoring, it is often easiest to repair a damaged window by taking another one and changing the size/perspective. Also useful when removing the occasional modern lamp-post or street sign (www.burton-on-trent.org.uk/?cat=112).
Don't worry, there are no ghosts ;D
-
*I* want to know,
a) When was this taken ? and
b) Who are the people ?
I think I've got more pix of Stapenhill House - somewhere !
From Pigot & Co's 1835 Trade Directory
----------------------------------
Stanton and Newhall is a joint township, in the parish of Stapenhill, between 2 and 3 miles from Burton-upon-Trent. In that part of the township called Newhall, has been erected a handsome church and parsonage house, at the sole expense of the Rev. Joseph Clay, of Stapenhill; this munificent act, which has been effected at the cost of £7,000, has been the means of producing a reformation in the habits and morals of many of the inhabitants, which must be eminently gratifying to the benevolent pastor.
-----------------------------------
From my draft "ClayBook" :-
---------------------------------------
By 1810 when his son Henry went to Repton School, Jospeh Clay and his family were living at Stapenhill House, which had belonged to the Spenders at one time, and which Joseph was later to be in the process of buying when he made his Will in January 1824.
----------------------------------------
-
Don't worry, there are no ghosts ;D
That's a relief, haunted photos would be just too much for me ;D ;D ;D
-
My grandfather was born in Stapenhill House in 1871, his four brothers also, 1870, 1872, 1874. Their mother died in childbirth.
Their father Charles John Clay then moved to Holly Bush.
My grandfather's grandfather Joseph moved into Stapenhill House sometime between 1796 and 1810, but he didn't buy it until 1824. His wife died there in 1831.
I digress, sorry !
-
.... and then in another album I found an annotated version, in my grandmother's hand.
The three boys on the lawn are Ernest Clay 1872-1955 (back), Arthur Clay 1870-1915 (our left), Gerard Clay 1871-1955 (our right), her husband-to-be.
The caption beneath reads:-
--------------------
Home of Charles John Clay and Agnes Lucy Clay nee Arden.
Married 1869 - Father and mother of Arthur, Gerard, Ernest & Wilfrid.
Agnes Lucy died Febry 1874. Charles John remarried 1873, Elizabeth Teasdale Smith & had 2 daughters, Mildred & Hilda. Mildred died aged 14.
--------------------
The sons were all living in this house when they married.
Charles John sold the house, and moved to Holly Bush, I don't know when.
-
Many thanks Robin; I somehow missed your most recent posts.
That is nice information to be able to incorporate.
-
What a shame the house is gone, do you know when it was demolished?
Leandra
-
See
www.burton-on-trent.org.uk/?p=44
as suggested earlier on in this exchange. ;-)
Blame the Government. As with most of the properties shown on the "Restoration" TV series, successive governments have imposed punitive inheritence taxes to such an extent that the inheriting owners of these properites could no longer afford to maintain them.
Charles John Clay inherited Stapenhill House from his father, who bought Piercefield in Chepstow - which is now a ruin for exactly the same reason...
See
http://www.piercefieldpark.co.uk/
http://www.jackson-stops.co.uk/cgi-bin/properties/summary_details.pl?propID=19993
My grandfathger, Gerard Clay (see www.spanglefish.com/gerardclay), Charles John's second son, lived at Stapenhill House until he was married in 1906. On honeymoon, he and his bride stayed a few days with his grandfather, Henry Clay, at Piercefield.
-
It makes so angry and sad to see a house such as this ruins Robin. :'( It must be especially difficult for you to see homes that used to belong to family, in such a state.
I think these properties should be preserved, whatever the cost, in as original condition as possible. And that doesn't include turning them into flats! >:(
Thank you for bringing the "restoration" TV series to my atttention. (Living in Australia) I'd not been aware of this, but it's definitely something I will seek out to watch.
(I'll check out the links you provided)
-
It's for sale! :o
-
Yes, I know - sorry, perhaps I should have said.
It was for sale about five years ago, but I think things all fell apart (a bit like the house!)
-
Stapenhill House was demolished in 1933; as with many substancial properties the country over. There are a heartbreaking number of cases such as these other examples, all very comfortable pushbiking distance from my house. In this case, Byrkley Lodge, Drakelow Hall and Rolleston Hall which is unfortunately far from an exhaustive list. (There is an example Sales Brochure (Drakelow) on the website but as with many, no single buyer could be found).
It was the inevitable result of the social shift from the 'those that have and those that don't' regime but sad that they couldn't have been preserved in some way (although many have).
In the case of Stapenhill House, the loss of the house was Burton's gain in a way because it had at least managed to keep several acres together as a single plot in a prime location in the centre of Burton adjacent to the river facilitating a large public area that has always been popular.
Like most Burtonians, I have many family pictures taken there.
-
Regarding those three houses mentioned by Mystifier:-
From
http://www.byrkleygardencentre.co.uk/byrkley-history.html
The impressive and unique Byrkley Lodge which now provides the setting for Byrkley Garden Centre, was the dream and passion of one of the region’s most prodigious sons - Hamar Alfred Bass (July 30th 1842 – April 8th 1898).
The famous brewer, MP for Tamworth (1878-1885), MP for West Staffordshire (1885-1898) and mad keen cricketer (he played for and was senior member of the MCC) presided over the design and construction of his great country manor - Byrkley Lodge - from 1886 to 1891. Set behind high Victorian brick walls the Lodge now provides a graceful and tranquil setting for Byrkley Garden Centre. The name Byrkley is actually a derivation of the family de Berkeley of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire. In the 13th century there was a hunting lodge on this site. Thomas de Berkeley was keeper of the Tutbury ward and occasionally resided here.
1952 Byrkley Lodge demolished on Sir William Bass' death. Stables remained until 1992
More recently, the building has been sensitively developed to provide a unique setting for one of the UK’s most exciting and popular Garden Centres.
From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drakelow_Power_Station
Drakelow Power Station refers to a series of three now demolished coal-fired power stations located 2.4 mi (3.9 km) south of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire in the West Midlands of England, on the River Trent. However, the station was actually located in the county of Derbyshire, in the East Midlands. The power station was a distinguishable landmark of Burton, which is most famous for its breweries.
The Drakelow power stations were built on the site of Drakelow Hall, a stately home on the south bank of the River Trent. Twenty eight generations of the Gresley family had considered the estate as nothing more than their ancestral home. It had appeared in the Domesday book and the family could trace its history back to the time of the Norse Vikings. A book that was published in 1899, "The Gresleys of Drakelowe", is the accepted history of the family. The hall was demolished in 1934 and its site then earmarked for development in the early 1940s.[1] The remains of the Elizabethan hall occupied part of the site even after the power station was built. The site was chosen for the construction of a power station because it was around 750 acres (3.0 km2) in size and was within close proximity to the River Trent as well as the main Leicester to Burton railway to the north, the Burton to Tamworth road to the south-east, and was close to the East Midlands coalfields.[1]
From
http://www.british-towns.net/sh/statelyhomes_album.asp?GetPic=76
Rolleston Hall, the seat of the Mosely family, was restored in 1870 after a fire. The estate was sold in the 1920's, the building was largely demolished in 1925, some remnants of the building were converted into dwellings.
On
http://lh.matthewbeckett.com/lh_complete_list.html
there is a Complete list of lost English country houses
Finally, see
http://www.rotherhamunofficial.co.uk/villages/woodsettsarea/firbeck-hall.html
Sorry.... we are digressing...
-
Digress away :) I am finding the subject very interesting I'm sure others agree
Leandra
-
£2,000,000 buys Piercefield and an estimated £10,000,000 is needed to restore it.
Not a bad gig if you win the Friday lottery. ;D ;D ;D
Mark :)
-
Oh so sad ...
I already have the "lost country houses" on my favourites, though it's not exactly a favourite. :-\
It's all very depressing really. And still it continues ....
Breaks my heart.
:'(
Yes, a restoration project like Piecefield would be a lottery win well spent.
-
Piercefield is a lot more than "just" the house It is set in landscaped grounds on the wooded ciffs of the River Wye with amazing views over gloucestershire and the severn estuary . The famous 1750's walks and attractions are still there through the woods , There are the magnificent stables , a barn , a gardeners cottage with a walled garden with a well in the middle , there is still in the undergrowth a gardeners shed with implements inside , The main house has substantial cellars . In 2008 the racecourse who's grounds it is in spent £350000 making the building safe and preventing further decay so that is hopeful .
It is well worth studying the web site for a couple of hours with the stories from the war and viewing many of my pictures which are on the web site , I am lucky to live close by and walk over there as often as possible . I attach a picture of a memorial which was placed at the base of a new tree in 1898 to commemorate the birth of Dick Clay .. It's still there ! You could spend a whole day exploring the site , it is a photographers paradise well recommended .
www.piercefieldpark.co.uk
-
Thank you for that
Mark :)
-
Fascinating Nick. :) You've certainly sold it to me. If only I had a cool many £million ...... ::)
-
if i could spend my last days there seeing it renovated i'd be happy ;D
-
Sorry Nick - I neglected to welcome you to rootschat. ;)
-
Piercefield
I attach a picture of a memorial which was placed at the base of a new tree in 1898 to commemorate the birth of Dick Clay .. It's still there !
From my family Tree:-
Richard Leigh Clay born 31 JAN 1898 at Oak Grove Chepstow, died 8 NOV 1986
He was the son of (Henry) Hastings Clay, born 30 MAY 1864 at Chepstow, Monmouth
died 4 JUL 1943 at Chepstow, and Mabel (Millicent) Williams, born 4 NOV 1866 at Roath Ct Cardiff, married 4 FEB 1891 in London, died 28 APR 1962 at Oak Grove Chepstow.
-
My grandfathger, Gerard Clay (see www.spanglefish.com/gerardclay), Charles John's second son, lived at Stapenhill House until he was married in 1906. On honeymoon, he and his bride stayed a few days with his grandfather, Henry Clay, at Piercefield.
Pah !
His uncle, Henry Clay, NOT his grandfather, Henry Clay, who had died at Piercefield in 1874, when my grandfather was only three...
-
Piercefield
I attach a picture of a memorial which was placed at the base of a new tree in 1898 to commemorate the birth of Dick Clay .. It's still there !
From my family Tree:-
Richard Leigh Clay born 31 JAN 1898 at Oak Grove Chepstow, died 8 NOV 1986
He was the son of (Henry) Hastings Clay, born 30 MAY 1864 at Chepstow, Monmouth
died 4 JUL 1943 at Chepstow, and Mabel (Millicent) Williams, born 4 NOV 1866 at Roath Ct Cardiff, married 4 FEB 1891 in London, died 28 APR 1962 at Oak Grove Chepstow.
That all ties in perfectly then :-) Have you ever Visited Piercefield House / Estate Robin? Any of your relatives still alive that lived there?
-
Have you ever Visited Piercefield House / Estate Robin? Any of your relatives still alive that lived there?
Yes, we ambled round it in 1970 - and could have wept then...
My father might have stayed there (though I doubt he did), but he died last year, aged 102.
See http://www.spanglefish.com/gervasclay
But we are but a Cadet branch...
In my grandmother's scrapbook is this page illustrating a weekend house-party there in 1907, and an enlargement of the middle bit.
-
Have thoroughly enjoyed reading about your pa, Robin :)
Mark :)
-
Me too... although it has probably outgrown Photo Restores now (I can image certain members pulling their hair out). For that reason, I have sat on my hands.
It is though, intriguing that your father retired from Burton upon Trent to the small village of Albury. It is a fairly insignificant village in Surrey and yet has a number of Burton ties.
Another substancial property, Albury House, for example, was set in grounds off the east side of Stapenhill Road, half a mile from the Stapenhill House site, was built in the late 1860s for the Burton brewer and Liberal M.P., Sydney Evershed (d. 1903), and was named after the village he came from to get in on the prolific brewing growth.
Albury house, of which I have never managed to find a picture (although I have OS maps available), was also demolished in 1956 before I was born though there are a few minor remnants of it in what are now Scout Woods.
Did any other pictures of Stapenhill House emerge? Are you aware of any connection between Clay and Evershed?
-
thanks SO much for sharing that picture , I have been going for walks over the house since 1986 and although have found two pictures of the house from when it was occupied this latest one of yours is a treat and would be a big help to anyone who wanted to restore the house . Do you have any more pictures like this or details to share from the days it was occupied?
Note the servants on the top floor hanging out the window , i was sat on that ledge last year during the preservation work .
Also the grand fireplace which is in Philadelphia museum in USA , i presume it was bought at the hose sale in the 1920's when the house was broken up .
Thanks Nick
-
Fantastic work everyone, I just wish I had some photos for you to weave your magic on.
By the way, I thought I was following a link to the Piercefield.
Colin, good spotting, do you think it's haunted?
Rob
-
What fantastic work by everyone, I wish I had some photos for you to work your magic on.
Colin, good spotting, I guess it's aunted.
By the way, I came to this via a link that I thought was taking me to the Piercefield.
Rob
-
Did any other pictures of Stapenhill House emerge? Are you aware of any connection between Clay and Evershed?
Erm... No, and - um - No.
Sorry !
-
Blimey, where did this old thread jump back from?
What is interesting is that at the time, I couldn't have done that much with the original picture, and what I could would have all been done without the use of layers.
Six weeks on, it would present no difficulty and there would have been adjustment layers and masks all over the place.
This is largely testimony to RootsChat by being able to study before and after images and ask questions to those willing to share; which in turn I have been able to feedback.
Kevin