Milden Cottage, Vale Road Upper Parkstone

[RRYFS]

I've been looking on www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html after driving down Vale Road earlier. In 1902, and again in 1911, development was confined to the North side of the road - starting from the West end there were three pairs of semi-detached, then 4 detached, then a long gap followed by three more pairs of semi-detached roughly in the middle of the road. They all appear to have been built after 1899. I was wrong about names and dates on the houses, but from the 1901 census it appears to go - Auckland, Ferndale, Merrivale, Lythdale, Sunningdale, Heatherbank, Crondale, Sheridan, Schubert, South View, Loyston, Forest View, No 4, No 3, Heatherglen and The Nurseries. On the Transcription is also shown Chatfield House, but this is on a totally different enumerators sheet and is shown as St Peter's Parish, whereas the rest of Vale Road is (correctly) shown as All Saints, Branksome. Possibly there were two Vale Roads! Next time I am that way (possibly tomorrow) I will look at No 42 and try to guess what it was called in 1901. It may also be that Poole History Centre has a larger scale map with house names - but that is for another day!

[HeatherLynne]

That's very interesting, thanks for taking the trouble to look RRYFS.  The old maps site is fascinating, many thanks for the link!

Look forward to anything else you may be able to add.
Thanks again, Heather

[RRYFS]

Had a closer look at Vale Road today. The choice is, either the 1911 map is wrong, or its not no. 42, or the road has been renumbered. The road is numbered east to west, starting at the Bournemouth Road end, so on the 1911 map, the first houses you come to are the 3 pairs of semi-detached, roughly in the middle. Today, these are numbered from 30 to 40, so 42 is the first detached house west of them. While it looks like it might date from the early 1900s it is not on the 1911 map. From the other threads, it sounds as if Mary Ann Cowell arrived nearer 1902 than 1911, so it seems unlikely that the map would have missed it. Looks like I will need to look at the old maps and directories in the Poole Museum to find more, and that won't happen this week. I will let you know if I find anything else.

[HeatherLynne]

Thank you very much for taking the time to look at Vale Road, your local knowledge is very helpful.  Any further information you can glean would be welcome.

Kind regards, Heather

[prolepticD]

Hi, Heather,
I was very interested to read your Milden Cottage post. My mother was also recorded as a visitor at Milden Cottage in the 1911 Census. She was 6 at the time and from the Islington area. I believe that your presumption that Milden was operating as a convalescent home is correct I recall my mother saying that she was sickly as a child and remembered being sent to the 'seaside' to recuperate. Furthermore my own research has revealed that The Great Northern Central Hospital, Islington, received in 1902 funds from the Stonefield charity estate to provide for the poor of Islington. In 1907 a Mr. Francis Reckitt donated the money for a permanent convalescent home to be attached to the hospital and a site was found at Clacton - on - Sea [Essex] which duly became The Reckitt Convalescent Home of the Great Northern Central Hospital. It was officially opened in 1909. Bearing in mind the tremendous need at the time among the poor and sick, particularly children, it would be logical to use private establishments such as Milden as  well the official Clacton Home to meet the need.
                                                                    Regards,
                                                                    Peter,

[HeatherLynne]

Welcome to Rootschat and thank you so much for your reply Peter!  It's great to have my hunch confirmed and to be in contact with a descendant of someone my great-uncle knew!     The sea air must have done them some good as they survived into adulthood to have families of their own. 

Can I ask you whereabouts in Islington your mother lived?  The rest of Frederick's family were at 16 Halton Road in the 1911 census - were our ancestors also neighbours at home?

Look forward to hearing from you again
Heather

[prolepticD]

Hi, Heather,

Good to hear from you. My mother and her family at the time were living in Little Carlisle St. Marylebone, and before then in Lisson Road, Marylebone. Little Carlisle St. to the best of my knowledge no longer exists. When it was demolished/redeveloped I'm not sure. My father and his family also lived in the same area at Hereford Road later re-named Sheringham Road. It would be nice to think that the children staying at Milden during this period, like your great - uncle and my mother, had fond memories of each other at what must have been a difficult time for them!
                                                            Best Wishes,
                                                            Peter,