The Diary of Nathaniel Bryceson (Part 5)

[ShaunJ]

See the area marked "Wharfs" in bottom right of this 1825 map - Eccleston Wharf was just there http://www.oldlondonmaps.com/greenwoodpages/greenwoodsouth13a.html

[Ruskie]

Thanks Shaun - I'll have a look at that (I haven't had any luck finding it on another map I've been examining).

Drykid, that's a nice diary on ebay. I'm afraid I couldn't sell that even if I was a dealer as this person appears to be ... 

I hope Westminster can help us find out some more about where the diary has been between Nathaniel's ownership and the person they purchased it from. The people currently working there know nothing about it's acquisiton, but they were going to try to contact a previous archivist who may know more. It also makes me wonder if Nathaniel kept hold of the diaries he wrote in his youth till his death, or whether a family member had them, or someone else?  Of course there could be more of Nathaniel's diaries in lofts somewhere ...  We live in hope.  It's also worrying because still today people are throwing out this kind of precious history.

[Ruskie]

See the area marked "Wharfs" in bottom right of this 1825 map - Eccleston Wharf was just there http://www.oldlondonmaps.com/greenwoodpages/greenwoodsouth13a.html

Presumably where Eccleston Street is, as Steve suggested.  (that Greenwood map is excellent)

[ShaunJ]

It would have been just a little way south of Eccleston Street, which was between numbers 30 and 31 Upper Belgrave Place.

[Ruskie]

This is quite good too, although it still simply says 'wharfs' rather than naming them individually:
http://archivemaps.com/mapco/cross1861/cross37b.htm

[drykid]

I don't think you need to be Sherlock Holmes to imagine him - a solitary academic minded bachelor living in rooms stuffed full of books with piles of papers everywhere and a lot of spare time on his hands - but who was  he

Carole

Yeah I think that description sounds about right.  Although the more I read his entries the more I become convinced that he actually collected these books for himself.  

(Hopefully) Here's a scan of the 1911 reference, note the wording "A diary now before me." It also confirms the date as early July 1911.

[ShaunJ]

and see this map from 1851 which has outlines of the buildings, but no wharf names :

http://london1851.com/cross19.htm

[ShaunJ]

Re the nursemaid, isn't it likely that she was looking after little Clara Lea?

[steve_gus]

Re the nursemaid, isn't it likely that she was looking after little Clara Lea?

Hm, but why would you take your child to work at a coal wharf? Didnt George lea live elsewhere?

The Wharf is a bit south of where I had guessed, but at least it didnt have Victoria Station dropped on it 1850s

The scanned page of the diary quote pretty conclusively puts the diary in the hands of the writer - the same person who quotes from a later NB diary?

The diary on ebay - the bits I read sounded like she "got God" pretty bad.....