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Westbury-On-Severn

Westbury-On-Severn maps

Historic maps of Westbury-On-Severn and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Westbury-On-Severn maps

Westbury-On-Severn photos

We have no photos of Westbury-On-Severn, although we do have photos of these nearby places:

Flaxley| Newnham| Huntley| Littledean| Longhope| Cinderford| Bulley| Mitcheldean| Frampton On Severn| Soudley| Blakeney| Highnam| Forest Of Dean| Haresfield| Over| Maisemore| Stonehouse| Pillowell| Weston Under Penyard

Westbury-On-Severn area books

Displaying 1 of 13 books about Westbury-On-Severn and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Westbury-On-Severn

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Gloucestershire memories

Unlawater Hotel

Unlawater Hotel c1955
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This hotel was owned by my mother Patricia Woods till around 1959. Newnham was a busy place then. H G Zeal had a themometer factory in the High Street.

Above the hotel was a dairy farm run by A.Jones (Dean Forest farm).

As a matter of interest, the name Unlawater translates to River of Sorrows and was from a time back in history when Lady Padget lived there and a member of the family drowned in the river.

Best wishes,
Rai Woods. (Captain)

My First Home

Unlawater Hotel c1955
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My parents owned Unlawater House from 1963 until the 1970s. It was their first house when they were in their twenties and they ran it as a private children's home. I spent the first eight years of my life there and have great memories of lunches in the garden.

They re-roofed it within the first five years of purchase. The council bought some of the land along the road to widen the road as it kept flooding as a result of the Severn tidal wave; they did eventually rebuild the pretty red brick wall which runs along the perimeter.

There were some beautiful trees in the garden (many of which have since been taken down), and a superb monkey tree which we used to decorate with coloured lights at Christmas.

School Days

Unlawater Hotel c1955
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I never knew the Prankherds owned it as they were the head and headmaster at St Hilliards in Mickleton, dark secrets.

This Picture is Very Nostalgic For Me,

Unlawater Hotel c1955
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Walburga Ehrengarde Helena, Lady Paget, 1839 - 1929 Born in Germany was a diarist and the last of Queen Victoria's intimate friends.
Lady Paget died of burns after falling asleep by the fire at her home Unlawater House, Newnham on Severn, England, at the age of 90.
Nodding over her newspaper in the Small Library of Unlawater House, Lady Paget lapsed gently into sleep. The newspaper slipped from her fingers, lodged against the blazing coal grate. She woke with a start to find both the newspaper and her skirts aflame. Being frail and unable to rise alone, she rang for her butler.
Swift to respond as usual, the butler arrived in time to tear the skirts off Walburga Lady Paget before her upper clothing caught fire. When he finished stamping out the flames he found that she had swooned. She was removed to Wooton Hospital. There, a few hours later, she died.

But believe me she still lives on at this... Read more

Peter Prankerd's First Born

Unlawater Hotel c1955
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I am Peter Prankerd's first born child, Catherine Anne Bulteel (nee Prankerd). I now live in South Africa. My brother (my father's second born) resides in the UK. I have vague memories of this house but vivid memories of sailing the River Severn in a barge with my father, Peter, and his second wife, Patricia. Elizabeth, Simon and Timothy had all been born when we were living with my father. My brother and I were dropped off unceremoniously late one night with my mother, Susan Barbara Lawton. I have not seen nor heard from my father since I was 8 years old.

Childhood

Unlawater Hotel c1955
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My childhood memories of Newnham House, Peter Prankerd, the cook Gladys Bowen are from when I was taken from home into the care of the above. I would of been around 9 years old. I along with some 20 or so other young boys were taken there for saftey amongst other reasons. In the 2 years I spent in that nightmare, fearing Peter Prankerd who was both violent and abusive. I don't know if you are alive today Peter, but I hope you have suffered only half as much as I have with memories of Newnham House. Gladys, you knew what was going on. I can still taste your burnt offerings and I hope you are ashamed of what you knew and let happen without notifing authorities. PS I put 1969 as approx years as I am not certain of the year I was there. I know it was the year Peter finished doing up his Lagonda Car.

School Holidays

Guest House c1950
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This picture reminds me of wonderful school trips to the west of England from a school based in Oldham called Fittonhill Secondary. This hotel was our base for the weeks holiday and we went out daily on organised trips to Chepstow, Symonds Yat, Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust, Tintern Abbey among other glorious places. Living in a built-up area like Oldham this seemed heaven even as a 13-14 year old. I came on the trip three years running so it must have been magic. I found this site looking for the actual hotel thinking it would be nice to re-visit my youth and book a stay there but I can only assume that it no longer exists. The picture is just as I remember the hotel but would have loved to have seen a view of the gardens at the rear or even an interior picture. I have no pictures from those holidays sadly as cameras were not as easily purchased back then and as a teenager you don't think that one... Read more

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