St. Thomas' church Skirbeck Quarter Boston

[onmebike]

Hello Frank, I was very interested in your chat about St Thomas's church which I visited last year. It was nice to see the neat and very well looked after grounds unlike so many these days. I noted four gravestones of interested to me, Edward Oldman Newton son of Edward who you mentioned, Isacc Bedford brother in law to my great grandmother Sarah Lister Pannell, Merry Cave and Arthur Oldman Cave both brothers of Sarah. The Oldman comes from a link with William Oldman who left the bakery you also mentioned to Edward Newton. Enough of that or I shall either confuse you or bore you to death. Ellen ( Nellie ) Hackforth ( nee Broadley was the relative who played the organ at St Thomas's and before he died my uncle told me he could remember when he visited Boston pumping the organ by hand for Nellie. She lived in Oldman's Terrace until she died in 1960. I would be grateful for any information, I would love to know what happened with Edward Newton and the bakery as there have been allsorts of rumours in the family as it is believed he had money troubles and had to sell the business. . Best of luck with your DVD and celebrations. Roger

[Redroger]

Was the Cave family mentioned the people who lived on Wyberton West Road in the second detached house next to the house of Stinson's Garage? The number would be 2 or 4 depending whether Stinson's was shown on London Road or not. He was a civil servant, and she my first school teacher at St. Thomas' in 1945. His parents also lived on Wyberton West Road, on the opposite side backed by the South Forty Foot Drain. The number would have been in the mid 20s, 23-27.

The class that Mrs. Cave had when I started school in April 1945 aged 5 years and 4 months was in fact 2 classes of 40 in a large double class room, the first two years facing each other. To give the head the attendance numbers each day she wrote them on the black board in large figures facing the glass door. I well remember the numbers 40+38 =78 being written there. Things have moved on and numbers have improved. The school was on the top of Wyberton Low Road, Rowell Row, with one end of the main building facing the street with the Police station opposite.

[FrankAT]

Hello all.
Thanks for your good wishes with the DVD. It is selling well so I think I may get a mention in dispatches over this.
On your visit last year you would have seen the garage is now 'ATS Tyres' etc.
The Cave (Mr Merry Cave) family lived in (as you say) the first house in Wyberton West Road. There were no houses opposite as the rail line was there. He was very active in church matters and was a stalwart in things ecclesiastical in the area.
Mrs Cave was also the teacher of our two sons. Paul started in 1967 and Peter began in 1970. The school was opened in 1866 and as you say was situated at the junction of Newtons Corner and Rowell Row. The present school opened in 1968.
I will get some photos uploaded as soon as I can for the interest of all. Unfortunately my Windows Media Player is not functioning so I will have to download something else to open them for reducing to 500Kb.
The Meadows' family were also very active in the church, Mr and Mrs and daughter, Betty. They organised lots of functions and looked after bookings for the Church Hall.
Opposite side of London Road is the Railway public house which is undergoing a complete renovation by two brothers who have bought the place. They intend to initially keep it on as a public house with dining. Also al fresco when the yard to the rear is levelled and made appropriate.

I will get a photo of the 'Cave' home and I have a very rare photo of the two churches together just before the old temporary church was demolished.

Chat soon

[pamthomas]

Mrs Cave was my teacher, too!

I also remember the Meadows family, especially Betty who I believe was a Sunday school teacher at one time.
When I started Sunday school the younger ones (probably the ones under 8 ) had their classes at Thomas' school.

[FrankAT]

Hello again.
I have managed to get those photos opened and reduced. Now let me see if I can get them to you all.

[FrankAT]

I have uploaded but I can't now get text to explain what we are looking at.
This first photo shows both the old and new churches just prior to the old temporary church being demolished. It is thought to be the only one in existence and is therefore very rare.
It is quite large but it within the 500Kb. I will reduce the others further.

[FrankAT]

This is a photo of the original temporary church built and opened in 1885. It was given a 15 years life span by the builders but it served the community for more than 20.

[FrankAT]

This on shows the original drawings/ideas for the design of the church.

[onmebike]

Hello Frank and RedRoger.
I am attaching part of an 1800's plan for Skirbeck and have marked on it Oldmans Terrace and Newton's bakery because I seem to be confusing you as I have little practical knowledge of the area. If you print it off on A4 paper it comes up reasonably well.
This is the first of my chats as I think with attachments it doesn't leave a lot for words.
My connection with the Broadley's Frank is as follows. My great grandparents James Cole and Sarah Lister Pannell had three living children, Sarah Ellen, Elizabeth and Charlie my grandfather who left the area pre 1911. Sarah Ellen married Walter Broadley but she died quite young, they had one child Ellen ( Nellie ) who married Herbert Hackfath, she was the organist at St Thomas's. Elizabeth Pannell married Frank Bass Bailey. All of them lived in 1-4 Oldmans Terrace ( 68 - 74 London Road ) at some time or other. When Ellen Hackfath ( nee Broadley )died in 1960 she was living there as was Elizabeth Bailey ( nee Pannell ) when she died in 1962. The premises were demolished in the 1960,s expect along with Middlecott Almshouses.
My one remaining uncle of that generation who is now 92 years old visited his uncle Walter Broadley and cousin Ellen a lot in the late fourties up to 1951 as they had a lodger Agnes Grant a policewoman from Scotland who he married at St Thomas's in 1951.
Roger B