Cottages on Parsonage Lane

We always feel a bit short on the history of Parsonage Lane but we do have a sketch which dates from the mid nineteenth century.

Cottages on Parsonage Lane – a mid 19th century sketch

This purports to show the cottages at the very start of Parsonage Lane. The artist has the advantage of being able to create a view from a location a present day photographer just can’t even think of replicating.

In fact, these buildings don’t really tie up with those we see today but may well be essentially the same structures.

What is familiar is the cobbled path with the irregular kerb stones. That still exists down Parsonage Lane.

Has anybody any further history or information about Parsonage Lane?

Advertisement

A view from 10 Parsonage Lane

The photo we see today was taken by former Market Lavington resident, John Brooke. John lived at 10 Parsonage Lane also known by its original purpose as the Racquets Court.

It’s a tall building and offers something of a bird’s eye view over part of the village. The photo dates from the 1960s.

A view from Number 10, Parsonage Lane in the 1960s

We are looking along Parsonage Lane, over the crossroads and then up onto Lavington Hill.

You may wonder why Parsonage Lane is so called. The answer is that the Parsonage used to occupy the space where numbers 6 and 8 now stand. For reasons not known, but the subject of many rumours, the Pleydell Bouverie family decided to demolish the old Parsonage and replace it with the pair of semi-detached houses seen in this photo. The rather Tudor style chimneys on these 19^th century homes is a good local sign to indicate ‘built by the Manor folk – the Pleydell Bouveries’.

The lovely piece of topiary had originally been the work of Edwin Potter. We note that in this high summer picture it casts a deep shadow on the next door house. These days the topiary has grown out but the same tree or a replacement will still cast those shadows. Both gardens look beautifully maintained.

Further down and on the right side of the photo we see the thatched cottage. That’s still retains its thatched roof.

Looking along Parsoange Lane

Beyond we can see parts of White Street and up onto Lavington Hill.

Now that’s a quality colour photo for the time it was taken.

 

Wedding of Mary Ethel Cooper and William Blake

We have recently been given copies of three photos of the wedding of William and Ethel (as she was known). The wedding took place in 1920. One of the pictures, with the largest group of guests we have seen before and you can click here to see it.

Today we’ll look at a smaller group and ponder on who the people might be.

Wedding of Bill Blake and Ethel Cooper – Market Lavington – 1920

The location is clear here. It is taken outside Number 2 Parsonage Lane which was the home of the Cooper family. We know the bride and groom and we also know that the young bridesmaid was a niece of the groom. We do not know who the other bridesmaids were.

But perhaps we are most interested in the two older men. We guess they are the fathers of bride and groom – but which is which. The one on the right looks utterly fed up with the whole business. If he is Jacob Bolter Cooper, father of the bride, he’d have been about 80 by then. That was a good old age back in 1920. He may well have had enough. John Blake, father of the groom was around 70. The mothers of both parties to the marriage were already deceased.

So, once again, we appeal for help in identifying, particularly the two men.

Number 2 Parsonage Lane

We have commented before that Parsonage Lane is not well represented in photos at the museum. Just recently this lack was slightly redressed with some photos at Number 2 – generally of a wedding but with one that showed the house. It has a big crease across the photo.

The photo was found in the house by the present occupant. He’s been in the house for fifty years and has allowed us to make copies. It stands to reason that the owner was not the original owner and he knows nothing about dates or people. But despite that crease, here is a lovely photo.

Number 2 Parsonage Lane in Market Lavington – possibly in about 1912

The house still looks much the same now. We can only guess at the age of this photo which could be the 1910s to 1930s.

At that time the house was occupied by George Cooper and family. George was a coal merchant. He married Mabel Brown in 1909. The family were at Parsonage Lane for the 1911 census and were there as shown on electoral rolls in 1926 and 1939. George died in 1956, still living at Parsonage Lane. Mabel followed in 1968 but she had moved to a smaller house by then.

It seems likely that the family here are George and Mabel with two of the children.

Are these people George and Mabel Cooper with two of their children?

The two children look to be girls. If all our guesses are right this would suggest this is an earlier photo.

Winifred was born in 1910 and is on that 1911 census. Irene was born in 1912. The next two children were Herbert in 1914 and Henry in 1919. Gwendoline May was born in 1921 and finally there was Robert in 1926.

But we’ll emphasise again, this is guess work. We have no other photo of George and family for comparison and this could have been visitors at the home.

And you may have guessed it by now – we hope you can help us with a positive identification.