The Diary of Nathaniel Bryceson (Part 6)

[Ruskie]

I checked some time ago but the gateposts had been changed long ago and there was no sign of NB1.
The Greyhound pub is still there and the Church, pub and Church Farmhouse make a fine group today.  The farmhouse is the Barnet Borough Museum.
All this is at the top of the hill overlooking the area that was Hendon Aerodrome, set up originally about the time that Nathaniel died.

That's interesting - thanks Mongibello. I'm not at all surprised that the gateposts are no longer there.

I had problems finding current photos of St Mary Hendon (apart from the winter scene posted above). I looked on google maps and noticed Church Farmhouse but couldn't see the church on streetview. I think it may have been behind trees. 

It seems like Nathaniel is very impressed with the gas lamps in his office.

[Colin Cruddace]

Having gas lamps installed would have been a big jump in technology for the time - Nat has mentioned a week or so back about having to work by oil lamp / candle light. I guess we are used to technology nowadays, but this would have been big for Nat.

I was puzzled by that entry and the way he phrased it -

Monday 24th August 1846
Worked by candle light for first time since Midsummer owing to the scamp of coalheavers leaving us with one gang only.

Scamps were thieves, so were coal-heavers being poached by some underhand means, leaving them short-handed, and short of coal?
Did the wharf have a gas generator of it's own but didn't have the coal supply to power it, so that  he had to resort to candles?

Puzzling,
Colin

[drykid]

I had problems finding current photos of St Mary Hendon (apart from the winter scene posted above). I looked on google maps and noticed Church Farmhouse but couldn't see the church on streetview. I think it may have been behind trees. 

The church on Streetview, with the Greyhound pub to the fore. I don't think it's possible to see the burial ground itself though as the road that runs to the rear of the church hasn't been visited by the Google cameras as far as I can see.

[alpinecottage]

I was puzzled by that entry and the way he phrased it -

Monday 24th August 1846
Worked by candle light for first time since Midsummer owing to the scamp of coalheavers leaving us with one gang only.

Scamps were thieves, so were coal-heavers being poached by some underhand means, leaving them short-handed, and short of coal?
Did the wharf have a gas generator of it's own but didn't have the coal supply to power it, so that  he had to resort to candles?

I took it to mean that they were short-handed so had to work later into the evening and NB needed artificial light to do his books.

[Siamese Girl]

Having realised the benefits of gas perhaps Nat will pen an apology to Mr Walker? :wink: Although I think I remember, but can't be bothered to Google it, that gas lit rooms tended to give people bad headaches.

Carole

[Ruskie]

I had problems finding current photos of St Mary Hendon (apart from the winter scene posted above). I looked on google maps and noticed Church Farmhouse but couldn't see the church on streetview. I think it may have been behind trees. 

The church on Streetview, with the Greyhound pub to the fore. I don't think it's possible to see the burial ground itself though as the road that runs to the rear of the church hasn't been visited by the Google cameras as far as I can see.

Ah, thanks very much for that.  I feel a bit embarassed  I was looking towards the other side of the road (the Uni I believe?) Still the church is quite obscured.

There's a very interesting little building a little down the road (Church End) at number 40.  There are a few really nice buildings around the church - I imagine it must have been much lovelier in Nathaniel's day.

[steve_gus]

The Greyhound pub is still there and the Church, pub and Church Farmhouse make a fine group today.  The farmhouse is the Barnet Borough Museum.

London borough of Barnet must, I suspect have more than one museum, as the one im familiar with is in Wood St, Chipping Barnet.

[Mongibello]

Re The 24 August entry.    I think he means he had to work late into the evening.
As to the gas supply, this would probably have come from the Gas Light & Coke Company's plant in Great Peter Street, just round the corner from the Archives.   This was set up in 1812 but seems to have taken a long time to catch on.   Even Buckingham Palace & the Houses of Parliament were not supplied until the 1840s.

[Ruskie]

No entries for the 9th and 10th of September which is very disappointing. I wonder if Nathaniel is either too busy to write in his diary, or nothing has happened that he feels is worth writing about OR he just can't be bothered ...