'TRANSFORMATION OF A COMMUNITY'
Every community is subject to continuous change, but the scale of change which has occurred in Cadbury Heath since the period covered by Cadbury Heath, is quite remarkable. Before the Second World War the village, as it was then was, consisted largely of clusters of working class houses interspersed with a smaller number of middle class villas and small groups of council dwellings. These were either in small groups based on earlier settlements, or strung out along roads which were still recognisable as the forest tracks from which they had developed.
The picture was to change dramatically in the years after the Second World War. The local housing authority, Warmley Rural District Council, spurred on by the demand for housing created by returning servicemen and their families, and encouraged by Government policies and generous subsidies, embarked upon an ambitious building programme.
The green fields of Cadbury Heath, some already in Council ownership before the war, were a prime site for the land-hungry local authority. The clatter of builders rent the air and the tide of brick and concrete began to replace the carpets of buttercups and moon daisies.
As if this was not enough a few miles away the planners of the war-torn City of Bristol were anxiously casting about for land on which to house their growing population. Desperate needs call forth desperate remedies and thus the concept of the 'Bristol Overspill' was born.
If Warmley could provide the land, Bristol would build houses upon it, houses which would provide homes for Bristolians and which, after a period of years, would become the property of the Warmley R.D.C. The agreement was signed which eased Bristol's acute housing shortage and at the same time heralded the end of Cadbury Heath as a pleasant semi-rural backwater.
The village had what was, in effect, a 'mini-town' consisting of council housing super-imposed upon it called the 'Park Estate'. The situation was to be further compounded by an 'outer ring' of large private estates, built in the 60's and 70's, made possible by the release of large tracts of 'green' land.
The building of the Park Estate created quite a 'culture shock' for the inhabitants of Cadbury Heath and Longwell Green, together with a dramatic rise in the population. Happily, the old and new residents learnt to live together amicably, and are now part of one community.
Early in its existence the Park Estate somehow acquired the rather unflattering nickname of 'Banjo Island'. The true origin of this name will probably never be known. If we disregard the local myths we are left with what seems the most probable explanation. This suggestion is that an enthusiastic local official displaying plans of the new estate to members of the Council pointed to a large grassed traffic island and commented that the roads radiated from it 'rather like the strings of a banjo....'. Thus it is rumoured was how Banjo Island was born.
The greatly enlarged community is gradually forging a character of its own, centred on the long delayed Village Hall built in 1981. It is, however, a far cry from the community of the same name as it existed before the end of World War Two.
'HASKINS POTTERY' (written by C. Comley)
The brick and pipe works was believed to have been founded by Joseph Haskins, which later became Haskins Ltd. Brick and pipes of various designs and sizes were manufactured, also chimney pots of many designs. The firm employed 40-50 people of local families, fathers and sons, Kirbys, Goldings and Laceys. The machinery was steam engine operated and the boilers stoked by Mr. Alfred Kirby of The Batch, which is now Tower Road South.
The clay was dug from the opposite side of the road to the pottery and loaded into drams and pulled by a mule driven by Mr. Fred Preece to the tunnel which ran under Tower Road, it was then hitched on to a long wire rope and pulled up by machine at the top of the incline. The man at the top had to unload the drams of clay into a big crusher which ground the clay into powder and then mixed with water into another machine called the pug and finished into a block of clay and sent on by elevator to a machine to be made into pipes.
When the pipes were made, they were put into a hot room to dry and from there put into kilns and 12 fires were lit in each kiln and were fired for 48-50 hours. To glaze the pipes, special salt from Belgium, a shovel full, was thrown into each fire.
"How interesting these old works would have been to people in the year 2007, if somehow they could have been saved".
'TOWER RANK' By C. Comley
For over 200 years a substantially built rank of 3 storey houses stood, Originally built it was said for the Dutch immigrants, vho worked for William Champion's Brass Works, In the 1960's the Rank was considered uninhabitable, most of the community resettled in Earlstone Close Parkwall and the houses vere eventually pulled down in 1966.
I was born in a cottage in Tower Rank, Warmley, in December 1906, the Tower is still there and before I was born it was used as a flock mill, the tower used for drying the flock. In the rank were 21 cottages and I lived in No. 7 - At the back of the cottages there was a large pond and during the winter the pond froze and skating was a popular pastime. When we had torrential rain, the pond overflowed and an iron cage was always used to catch large eels.
The front of the cottages got full sun from early morning until sunset and it was such a contrast to the very cold backyards; the living room was quite cosy with a dresser of pretty china and a settle just inside the front door, in front of the kitchen table, Geraniums were always in the window and cooking was done by a black kitchen range with hobs on each side, the kettle always boiling and good smells coming from the oven; it was my job to keep the range always shining.
I have been told the cottages were built by or for Dutch people, they were 3 storeys high, the first flight of narrow stairs led from the living room to a front bedroom and smaller one at the back and the second flight to a large one which held two double beds and a single one; candles and oil lamps were used for lighting.
The cottages were built of stone almost a yard wide, the coalhouse was under the stairs and in the scullery was an old fire with boiler used for washdays; 4 steep steps led up to the outside 'lav' and a stone wall was built to keep the water overflowing from the pond behind. Drinking water was obtained from a tap in the small garden outside the front door; across the roadway the long gardens for each cottage reached down to the brook which ran from the pond, there were many moorhens among the rushes in the clear water in the stream and many other kinds of birds; the garden produced good fruits and vegetables; chickens were also kept.
At the beginning of the Rank runs a spring and when the summers were so hot instead of tap water we used the lovely cool spring water which ran under the roadway. Ruins of an old chapel were next to the last house in the rank and we children used to play there. Every Monday morning the rent man called, the rent was 2/6d per week, but people were so poor that often they were unable to pay.
My grandfather had an accident in Wick quarry and lost his sight, he was given 2/6d to live on from the Parish Council and I would lead him around from Tower Rank to Bridgeyate to sing and recite for a few coppers in the pubs. On one of our walks I saw 6 high elm trees axed down and strong Dray horses hauling them away in Tower Road to make the new road Tower Road North.
I have been told that Tower Rank and district once belonged to a Mr. Champion, whose monument can still be found in the caravan park, covered in ivy (the park was the old pond) but when I was young, Warmley House, now a nursing home was owned by Mr. Joseph Haskins and Mr. Herbert his son, they owned almost all the land in Warmley Tower to North Common and around to Grimsbury Road; they also owned the brick and pipe works where I worked for 30 years, the offices and old clock can still be seen.
Most of the children in Warmley Tower went to Cadbury Heath School and the Headmistress, Mrs. Mariner, lived in Bath and came to school via Warmley station by steam train, the lanes and fields around the school were full of lovely wild flowers and Golden Valley a mile away was very beautiful (at Christmas we were always given an orange).
There are three chapels in Warmley where all the children in my young days went to Sunday services; Wesleyan Methodist, Ebenezer and Mill Lane Methodist. I read, Just before Tower Rank was demolished, that conservationists had fought to restore it; what an interesting hamlet it would have been if it could have been saved.
'THE BATCH IN THE 1920's' memories of Fred Lucas
The Batch is a description of a cluster of duellings beside a small stream, Here are stories by two generations of 'Batch Arabs', as the local children were once known.
The Batch was a collective name for 'Batches' of cottages in Cadbury Heath. The road has now been renamed as Tower Road South but previously all letters were addressed to The Batch. Where Alanscourt now stands were five cottages, but there are still some cottages remaining on this side of the road. On the other side of the road, which was known as 'Top Batch' and 'Bottom Batch', none of the cottages still stand.
The cottages were small, two-up and two-down with the luxury of a washhouse downstairs, built of stone and stone floored. In contrast to this the families were very large and the many children were known as 'Batch Arabs'.
Top Batch started from the stile, the opening is still in use to the playing fields (this field was known as 'Jim Cook's'). From the field was an alley known as 'The Drung' containing four cottages, and on the main road facing towards Oldland was a small shop and cottage (Dollings) which sold everything from shoelaces, bread, groceries and sweets. Another alleyway separated these cottages from six more which were known as Bottom Batch. The fifth cottage was known as 'The Engine House', then three cottages together (where lived three related families).
At the blind end of the alley were two cottages, in one lived the Sellick family whose twin sons were blind; one of whom, Tommy, became well known in the area as a very good pianist. The open end of the alley was on the main road and ended with two houses, one of which was a general store owned by Mr. Marsh.
The Batch at the other side of the road began at a big house, 'Bricky Brains', at the side of the house was a walled walkway known as the 'Dummage'.
The wall separated the big house from three cottages, then one larger cottage on its own and occupied now by Mr. Sam Davis, a local councillor. Next to this cottage came another Drung and then five more cottages. In one lived my Grandfather who was one of the founder members of the Independent Methodist Church in Mill Lane.
Next door my parents lived, with seven children, therefore the house was very crowded, even so, Father let the room to an uncle when he got married and a cousin was born while they still lived there. Then came yet another Drung and one cottage.on its own, next to this were more cottages with long front and back gardens which still stand today. In one of these cottages lived a Mr. Bill Marsh who had national recognition as a grower of extra long kidney beans, and once held the record for growing the longest. His name also appeared in seed catalogues at the time. He also cobbled shoes for all the neighbours. In another cottage a Mr. Lear sold stick and oil; then a general store and ironmonger kept by a Mr. Biston.
The Batch finished at the stream.
'THE TIPPETT'S A BATCH FAMILY'
Memories of Mary E. Jennings - Kathleen Bishop - Joan Gerrish (nee Tippett) - Evelyn Boltz. The area known as 'The Batch' in the parish of Oldland Common was situated between the villages of Oldland Common and Warmley. People living in the district today are unaware that this area contained two sections of land; one called the 'Top Batch' and the other called the 'Bottom Batch'. The two sections were connected by a lane called 'The Drung' and both sections had separate entries from Tower Road South.
Two of the families living in the community in the raid 1800's were named Tippett and lies, and they lived on a shared property on the Bottom Batch. In 1881 when Oliver Tippett married Mary Jane lies, there were seven cottages, 3 outside closets (lavatories), a stable, laundry house, a workshop and pigsties on the land. Oliver and his father earned their living making boots for miners, and the workshop was used for this purpose. The uppers, and leather for making the boots were supplied by Pow's Manufacturing Co. of Kingswood. Oliver had to walk to Kingswood and back again pushing a pair of trucks (a kind of cart on cast iron wheels) to collect their supplies of leather, and to deliver the finished product.
The leather used for the soles of the boots was so hard that treatment was required to soften it. The method used was very primitive. It was soaked in a substance called 'sigg' (old-fashioned name for urine). The collection of sigg, although not a pleasant task, was quite easily obtained. As there were no inside lavatories in those days, chamber pots were kept in the bedrooms - for the use of - during the night. Every morning the contents of the pots from the seven cottages were emptied into a bucket ready for collection. This was then stored in a large drum in the workshop.
Oliver and Mary Jane had seven children - four boys and three girls - and subsequently seventeen grandchildren. From an early age three of the sons had to help in the workshop, fetching and carrying and running errands. As they grew, they were given the task of pushing the trucks to Kingswood to collect the supplies. As each son left school at the age of 13 years, they were taken into the business to learn the trade. The eldest three sons worked in the shoe trade for most of their adult lives.
As well as the Tippetts shoe-making business, Mary Jane's father, Samuel lies, was self-employed and operated a prosperous haulage business from the premises. He transported mostly coal and slate by means of a mule-drawn cart. Unfortunately, Samuel had no sons to carry on after him, so the business came to an end when he died.
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Mary Jane, as well as caring for her family, found time to help Oliver and the boys with the gardening. At that time most of the people in the village grew all of their own vegetables. Her favourite crop was the mint she grew in her own special plot. When mature, the mint was gathered and sent to a Mr. Clark, who lived at North Street, Oldland Common, for Distillation. The extracted concentrated essence was used mainly for medicinal purposes (ie. stomach disorders, flatulence and indigestion, diluted with a little hot water).
Oliver was well known in the district for an ointment he made. It had incredible healing powers, especially good for septic wounds. Depending on the seriousness of a wound, crushed white sugar was sprinkled on it before application of the ointment, this quickened the healing process. People from the village would call on Oliver for samples of his ointment. He filled their 'pill boxes' for a few pennies, or sometimes they just brought a piece of clean rag for a smear.
The formula for making the ointment was a closely guarded secret, and only passed on to the eldest son in each generation. When Mary Jane died the formula was passed on to Samuel who carried on the tradition until he died in 1959.
In 1937 when Mary Jane died, four of her children still lived on the property - Samuel her eldest son and his family, daughters Alice and Florence and their families, and her youngest son, Fred.
In the early 1960's the Warmley Rural District Council placed a Compulsory Purchase Order on the cottages and land, to make way for the development of the whole area called 'The Batch'.
'A BATCH ARAB CHILDHOOD' memories of Roy King
I spent the first eleven years of my life In a stone-built cottage at Tower Road South called 'The Batch'. I was born on October 14th, 1927. My father, who originally came from North Common, was employed as a kiln burner, first at the Hollybrook Brick Company at Warmley and later at Haskins Pottery. Our cottage was attached to another which was also a small grocery shop owned in turn by Mr. and Mrs. Dolling and Mr. and Mrs. Jeffries. They were our landlords.
At 3 years of age I started school at Cadbury Heath Council School. My way to school lay across four or five large fields. These fields are now covered by the Park Estate. It was in these fields where we played and 1 remember the long mowing grass, full of moon daisies and other wild flowers. I also remember, with particular pleasure, haymaking time with horse drawn cutters and rakes. For a glorious week or so, we were able to play in the drying hay until it was loaded onto waggons to be made into ricks. We also played in secret 'dens' in the middle of field hedges, away from the sight of grown-ups, gone now alas.
The field at the back of our home was known as the Tump Field. The tump which stood in the middle of the field was about 30' high with a circular depression at its foot. The tump was a wonderful place from which to roll from top to bottom. It was also a great place for 'battles' and the depression was fine for hiding in.
'MILL LANE' memories by Nettie Lismore
In earlier centuries it was called both Hall Lane and Hole Lane due to the collieries immediately to the north. The mill 'near the stream no longer exists, but the nane lingers on.
As a child growing up in Mill Lane, everyone knew each other and could pop in for a chat, or to play with the children living in the other houses. Many happy hours were spent playing in the fields. There were several willow trees, stout and strong. These made good swings when the branches were tied together. Also there were doors, etc, in the old Mill that we could use to sail on the brook, being careful to keep clear of the weir. Needless to say, we all had a few soakings, it all added to the fun.
On either side of the road there were fields, the footpath on the left led to Warmley Tower, on the right to Cowhorn Hill. My Grandma lived at the top of the hill, so we often walked through the fields to visit her. When the haymaking started, it was the horses pulling the plough to cut the grass, then it all had to be raked and turned to get it dry. The hay was then made into a mow, this was thatched to keep it dry.
Time passed and changes came - there appeared an old car pulling the plough, replacing the horses. Instead of a mow the hay was taken to the farm and stored in the barn. The children played simple games - skipping, marbles, hopscotch, and pottlebeds, also spinning along the hoop with a stick, and spinning tops.
I have always attended the Mill Lane Independent Methodist Chapel, but my father's family were among the founder members of Warmley Tower Methodists.
I attended the Band of Hope there for many years and often went to the special services. It was a nine o'clock start for the Whit Monday procession to Kingswood, then parade to Oldland in the afternoon, meeting the people from the church and chapels. On the following Saturday, Wesley people went to Kingswood for the Temperance parade. Mill Lane held their parade on this Saturday for many years, the Mission Band leading; through the village to Parkwall.
We went for many years to the house of Mr. Davis, the band would play to entertain them and then lemonade was provided. After this it was time to return to the chapel for tea - plenty of bread and butter and the best slab cake - how good it tasted, the older ladies had worked hard to have it ready. In the evening we went to the Springfield, here the band would be seated in a circle to play a variety of musical items, seats were provided for the older people. The children would join in the races - three legged race, running, egg and spoon and so on. There were sweets, lemonade, and a cockle stall.
On the Whit Tuesday we walked to Bridgeyate to hear the band and join the people celebrating Whitsun.Wednesday the family went to the fair at Rodway Common, I think it was a penny ride from Warmley Station for the children. There were lots of amusements, roundabouts, chairoplanes, swingboats and so on. I was fascinated by the man selling toothpowder - his teeth were so white, and he chatted to the people, he always said they had come from Binegar Fair. I thought he was kidding, there would be no such place. Imagine my surprise when I was older, out riding in the car, there on the signpost was Binegar, a couple of miles going the other way - I never did get there.
As children we all attended Cadbury Heath School. It was the usual village type, however, we manged the basics. Our cookery and laundry lessons were in a room away from the school buildings. There was a round coal stove with ledges on which the irons were placed to heat ready for the ironing. I think we had an oil stove for the cooking. Our P.E. was done in the playground when fine, hands on shoulders, arms stretch, then hands on waist and knees bend. The clever children went to Kingswood Grammar School - if you passed the eleven plus it was free, those very near paid £4:10s, the others paid £9 per year.
I remember some good trips to different parts of Bristol, the Zoo was a favourite, then Cabot Tower to see the view, Bristol Cathedral and the museum. A very interesting day was spent at Avonmouth Docks, especially the banana boat. We all had a bunch of green bananas to take home.
Time passes on. The houses adjoining the Chapel in Mill Lane were pulled down, this made a car park in exchange for the front porch being removed to widen the road. Strange looking back - the people who started the Chapel bought the six houses, converted two for the chapel and sold the four. We now own all the land and the people are happily housed at Tower Road South. Alas, the fields are gone, there are houses and flats stretching to North Common and on to Oldland. On the other side there are many more houses, plus the Warmley Church School.
I have not lived in Mill Lane for 48 years, but with my husband we are members of the Chapel and still attend regularly. It was the 90th anniversary in March 1988 and we have now paid off the debts for the schoolroom and extended kitchen. On applying to Warmley Council for help before starting the extension they said 'Sorry' - no way could they help us, but felt sure God would provide. He did. Next a new piano was needed, this had been installed, thanks to a few members and a gift from an old scholar, Percy, was a good old one and cost £500. A few weeks back, the preacher brought his son to play for another young man to sing. He really christened our piano by playing beautifully - everyone wide awake. Did he have rhythm! !
(memories of Joan King)
Although I was born in Kingswood, my connections with Cadbury Heath were very strong. My Grandmother Lucas lived at Hope Villa in Mill Lane with an aunt and uncle and cousin. I also had an aunt, uncle and cousin living in the house next to Mill House in Mill Lane.
We came on the bus to visit and you had to change at Warmley Station if you didn't get a through bus, but you kept your ticket and just got on the other bus which was waiting for the change over. Coming down for the turning on of the electricity was a great thrill. I remember Grandmother had an electric cooker, until then, most people used oil or primus stoves.
We played in the fields which were all around Mill Lane, but had to keep clear of the weir because it was very dangerous. The Lamb Inn at the top of Mill Lane was the pub where, when Grandfather was alive, the older ones were sent to the 'bottle and Jug' to get a jug of beer for Grandfather Lucas. He also used to cook snails on the old coal range. The little fish and chip shop on the corner of Mill Lane was well used by us, as was the grocers on the other corner. I loved my childhood visits to Cadbury Heath.
'THE DOCTOR'SSURGERY' memories of Cora Totterdell
To a generation accustomed to purpose built Health Centres, it may come as a surprise to read of a surgery where the smell of dinner cooking often singled with that of medicines.
All my life, as long as I can remember, a doctor came to see patients in our front room, which is now 44 Tower Road South, and used to be called The Surgery. The doctor called on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday lunchtime. We had people calling many times a morning with messages for the doctor to call. My Grandmother, Mrs. Annie Lovell looked after them until her death when I was thirteen years old, then my mother, Mrs. Minnie Smith, took on the job of looking after them. From the time I can remember as a child it was Dr. Perrot who called, who many people will have heard of. Dr. Macdonald Senior took over after a while and when I was about fourteen years old a Dr. Easby came.
During the war in 1942 when my father was ill we had a lady doctor, but her name escapes me. Then Dr. Macdonald Senior came again. Of course, after the war Dr. Ian Macdonald came to see us after being in the Navy and proved to be the most popular doctor of all until his death in 1987.
My memories of what we called the surgery is of a wooden form in the passage for the patients to sit and wait for the doctor, (myself and Joan Demmery used to play here many a time). This form had to be scrubbed and washed every week, as did the passage every Friday afternoon. In the front room the doctor used a desk, this was always laid out properly as my Grandmother was very particular. In the corner of the room was a set of shelves covered In a red curtain, these were full of bottles of medicines and Jars of tablets and pills, which I suppose today would be regarded as dangerous, but we never had an accident. These shelves were also dusted every week which I can also remember helping to do as a treat.
This looking after the doctors continued until Dr. Ian Macdonald became so popular he moved his surgery to a house on The Batch, and also lived there for a while, and we left Warmley Tower to live in Kingswood in 1952.
'LANSDDWN RACES IN THE 1920's' written by Olive Bryant
Racegoers passing through Warmley added a rare touch of excitement for local urchins vith a welcome windfall of copper, thrown by the returning successful punters.
Batch Arabs, the local name of the Cadbury Heath children, came to Warmley to join with local lads and lasses in the traditional, twice a year, meeting in Warmley Park. Why? You might ask.
The word was spread around it was Lansdown Race day, so the local youngsters would come home from school, hurry down their tea, and collect at Warmley. Improvised games of climbing on the captured German cannon which had been set up in 1920 on the green, and pretending to shoot down the opposition, and other games went on until the shout went up: 'The coaches are coming'. These were Bristol Blue open top, and as they drew nearer cheers would go on, in hope of coins, pennies, half-pennies, farthings, or for the very lucky, 6d, indeed a fortune in those days, would be thrown to the waiting crowd from lucky punters who had won on the horse racing. A general scramble would take place, and a few happy, if battered, kids would have their reward, this after much pushing and shoving to gain a coin.
Once a punter in his eagerness to throw some coins, also lost a gold ring. A great search went on until it was found, the coach having stopped, and the lucky finder was presented with a shilling, real riches to spend at Exley's Store on the corner of Chapel Lane. This tradition had been going on since at least pre-First World War, and one wonders when it died out. Was it perhaps with the advent of closed covered coaches, so the coins could not be thrown, as it would seem both the punters and the youngsters really enjoyed their day out, or was there another reason?
