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Pillowell
Pillowell maps
Historic maps of Pillowell and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Pillowell maps
Pillowell area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Pillowell and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Pillowell
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Gloucestershire memories
Shadrach Jenkins
My paternal great great grandfather came from Bream, Gloucestershire on July 31st 1831. He was the 10th of 14 children and was born at Oakwood Mill. He started work when he was 9 years of age, minding doors at Brunswick Coal Pit, Mosley Green, 3 miles away from home for 6 old pence a day. By 1872 he had married Sarah and had 6 children; two daughters & 4 sons. On February 11th 1878, he travelled with his son John, who was born in 1857-[my great grandfather] to The... Read more
Lydney - 1939-1945
My father, the late Cyril Cook, spent some time in Lydney, during the war, as a Nurse at a Naval Training Establishment, I believe.
Unfortunately, I know very little about his time in Lydney.
Ken Cook
Growing up
In the 1950s Lensbrook Tea Gardens became the site of Billy Thomas's scrap yard. I was born and brought up at Lensbrook and my mother used to work at the tea gardens. I was born in 1942 and I can never remember it being tea gardens. I used to play in the scrap yard with Billy Thomas's daughter Diane.
GROWING UP.
Lensbrook house and Lensbrook Tea Gardens are the same house. I lived in Lensbrook Cottage which was farther down the lane, from the time I was born until my marriage at 20 years old.
Family Evenings Out.
I cannot remember the exact years, about 1950, when my Mother and Father used to take me and my cousin for a walk from our house at Lensbrook Cottage through six fields (which is a public footpath), and arrive at Severn Bridge Hotel. We used to go into the clubroom and Mrs Gertie Harris, the Landlady would play the piano. This was a monthly event on a Sunday when the Coach parties used to come up from Wales because there weren't any Public houses open in Wales on a Sunday. We used to sit there listening to the music, with a glass of lemonade and a bag of crisps. Then when it closed walk the six fields back home. If I was lucky my Dad would give me a ride on his shoulders. I think this is what inspired my love of music. They were the good old days.
Holidays
It's just great to look at the old pictures of Blakeney's High Street, it seems almost like yesterday when I used to walk from my gran's house in the row of cottages where the railway bridge used to be. We used to go on holiday every year from our house in Haverhill, Suffolk. I remember it used to take nearly all day to travel by train to Gloucester, catching the early morning milk train. My cousins still live in the Forest of Dean and Lydney. I still remember sitting on the edge of the brook trying to catch fish and always being scared of the dark tunnel that led to the mill, I did not catch any fish but I suppose it kept me quite. My mum and dad were married in the church that is in the photo. I remember when we needed water we used to have a pump outside the back door which had to be primed before it would pump. The toilet was at the top... Read more
Richard Gilham MM
Our maternal grandfather, Richard Gilham, was born in Aylburton in the 1880's. He won the Military Medal during the First World War. I think he married our grandmother in 1918 and he is buried in the Parish Church of Llansannor in South Glamorgan. Does anyone local to Aylburton have any information on him? Bryn Evans
