As with all these things, the good intentions and early enthusiasm for documenting some of the more interesting things in my family history have waned somewhat. Its mainly the time issue again! I have a real problem with time!
Anyway I hope to be back on track with these updates now. I have a renewed enthusiasm and intend to make some time dedicated to updating this blog.
Just recently I discovered a photograph which really took me back to my childhood. It was my grandads MK1 Toyota Hilux pickup truck. I used to ride around in this when I was a small kid. I did some digging and found the original receipt. It was bought in March 1981 for little over 5 grand. It was sold sometime in 1989 in a farming auction. Its whereabouts now remains a mystery, however I have put some feelers out on the net as there is a small chance it may still be about. The original registration number KAN598W still comes up with all the correct details on any of the online vehicle check sites.
For the record, this truck was replaced with a Ford P100 F891STF 2.0 petrol model - this wasn't adequate so was sold in 1992 and a diesel P100 bought. We still have this pickup to this day.
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Friday, 4 July 2008
Binfield Park, Du pont, Nylon & Richard Tauber
Had a very interesting afternoon......
Grandad owned Binfield Park from the late 1960s through to the early 1990s.
This morning, I had a phone call from Peter Kopik, the current co-owner of Binfield Park. He rang Park Farm and fortunately I was in the office to answer the call. We chatted for a quarter of and hour or so and it resulted in him inviting Grandad & I up to Binfield Park for a look around. I had never been up there before.
We arrived and spent an hour or so looking around with Paul & Peter (and their 2 dogs!). I am unsure of the ownership details but from what I gather there are 3 Kopik brothers that own Binfield Park and over the time they have owned it, they have gradually improved/re-developed the buildings that stand there. Grandad walked around explaining how various parts of the buildings have changed compared to what he remembers. He had a good recollection of how the farm used to be laid out.
I spent some time talking to both brothers. Peter told us how Binfield Park was owned by the DuPont family which has now become a major American Chemical Company. He expained that the DuPont enterprise invented Nylon and it was so called because of the New York & London connection.
Grandad also told me that Richard Tauber, an Austrian tenor used to live in the bungalow next door to Binfield Park.
Grandad owned Binfield Park from the late 1960s through to the early 1990s.
This morning, I had a phone call from Peter Kopik, the current co-owner of Binfield Park. He rang Park Farm and fortunately I was in the office to answer the call. We chatted for a quarter of and hour or so and it resulted in him inviting Grandad & I up to Binfield Park for a look around. I had never been up there before.
We arrived and spent an hour or so looking around with Paul & Peter (and their 2 dogs!). I am unsure of the ownership details but from what I gather there are 3 Kopik brothers that own Binfield Park and over the time they have owned it, they have gradually improved/re-developed the buildings that stand there. Grandad walked around explaining how various parts of the buildings have changed compared to what he remembers. He had a good recollection of how the farm used to be laid out.
I spent some time talking to both brothers. Peter told us how Binfield Park was owned by the DuPont family which has now become a major American Chemical Company. He expained that the DuPont enterprise invented Nylon and it was so called because of the New York & London connection.
Grandad also told me that Richard Tauber, an Austrian tenor used to live in the bungalow next door to Binfield Park.
Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Great Great Grandfather Buckle and Collard & Collard
This is a photograph of Grandad's grandparents, Mr & Mrs Buckle (he isnt sure if it was spelt 'le' or 'el' at the end) Mr Buckle spent his whole working life building pianos at Collard & Collard th famous piano makers in Camden, London.
This is a picture of Cecil Collard, which was found in grandads collection. It signed by him and dated October 1919. It appears Cecil Collard took over the running of the business and that he is credited with atleast 2 patents relating to pianos and their manufacture.
One can only speculate as to why this picture of a cricket team was found in the photo collection. As with the picture of Cecil Collard, it is actually a post card. It is embossed with 'Lambert Camden N.W' Due to the location of Collard & Collard in Camden, we are assuming that this is a Collard & Collard cricket team from the early 1900s.
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
The Lord & the Letterbox
Part of Halseys (Park Farm House) was redeveloped in the mid 1890s. Jim Gale (EG grandfather) had decided to move the entire family into the front half of the house whilst the work was carried out. The rear half was rebuilt and the front half remained unchanged (until the 1980s).
During the 1920s Harry Gale (EG father) had a small 'lean to' built onto the northern side of the house to provide the first WC the house had enjoyed in all its time!
Up until that time, the Kitchen had been on the NE corner (currently the office) and was served by the tall chimney as seen in these pictures. Around 1983 the front of the house was reformed by moving the kitchen to current position, pulling down the chimney and removing the low grade construction across the front. A porch was built and two windows were installed where the chimney was.
During the 1920s Harry Gale (EG father) had a small 'lean to' built onto the northern side of the house to provide the first WC the house had enjoyed in all its time!
Up until that time, the Kitchen had been on the NE corner (currently the office) and was served by the tall chimney as seen in these pictures. Around 1983 the front of the house was reformed by moving the kitchen to current position, pulling down the chimney and removing the low grade construction across the front. A porch was built and two windows were installed where the chimney was.
The wall across the front of these pictures was built in the 19th century. At the yard end was a letter box which was famously demolished by Harry Gale (EG father) reversing his Standard Flyer through it. The letterbox ended up on the floor and Sir George Etherton came along and posted a letter in its horizontal state! This wall was eventually demolished during the early 1970s.
Brian Moore was employed as principal tractor driver during the 1970s and helped build the wooden shed seen behind the wall. This shed still stands today and is home to Warfields. The shed was one of the original RAF buildings at Shinfield and is the same as the one at Matthewsgreen Farm. These buildings were dismantled and removed from Shinfield to make way for the new M4 motorway.
All the pictures in this article were taken in the early 1970s on an early Polaroid camera and have faded over time.
Monday, 30 June 2008
Part of the Furniture
Ive just had a bit of a mess about with some of the settings.....time is now set to GMT so posting times will be accurate and not GMT -7!
Ive only just got in from work, so there wont be any pictures from the family archive tonight. My grandfather wouldn't appreciate being woken up at 11 oclock for this!
Grandad beleives that we are approaching the end of an era at West End. The end of the Gale era. The Gales have been part of the furniture of Warfield for the past 150 years.
John/James Gale (he appeared to use both names) moved into Halseys in 1848 as a tenant of the Ellisons. John/James died in 1860 and his son James Gale 2nd took over the tenancy, having no less than 14 children with Sarah Hale. Most moved on but Jack (took the tenancy at Peacock Farm) & Harry (my grandfathers dad) continued farming.
Joseph (youngest son of John/James) took the tenancy at Manor Farm (which is now the Western Industrial Area) He also had 14 children with Emily Gough. The Goughs deserve a mention in this blog - theyve also been a major part of Warfield life - this will come later.
Around the turn of the century the farm yard at Park Farm was built. Jim Gale (EG Grandfather) was a tenant of the Ellisons at the time. In the 1920s landowners became discontented with the down turn in farming and as a result, Jim Gale and son Harry Gale (EG father) took over the Park Farm freehold together with most of West End Farm. Times were tough in the 1920s & 30s and through gutsy hard work the 2 Gales, ably assisted by Fred Pearce (a nephew) made the business viable. Jim (EG Grandfather) died in 1926 and grandmother 2 years later both aged 90.
In 1936 further land from the Warfield Hall estate was taken on following the death of William Shard. Farming was suffering dereliction but was encouraged to gain a new vitality due to the looming War. During the war, farming regained its essential reputation and this continued for many years afterwards. Rationing continued until 1953.
My grandfather and his brother Harry took over the farming in the early 1950s. They continued to expand Park Farm and West End Farm. By the 1970s they were working over 700 acres with considerable livestock and poultry.
Harry Gale (EG father) died in 1959 and mother in 1963. Apart from my grandfather and Harry, all the Gale families have now disappeared from the scene.
Harry retired from farming in 2002. Grandad semi retired in 1991, although continued to run the yard up until I took it over in 2007 - though to this day though he can not keep away, with once a day visits to check up on me!
Normal service will be resumed tomorrow with some more interesting pictures and annotations.
Ive only just got in from work, so there wont be any pictures from the family archive tonight. My grandfather wouldn't appreciate being woken up at 11 oclock for this!
Grandad beleives that we are approaching the end of an era at West End. The end of the Gale era. The Gales have been part of the furniture of Warfield for the past 150 years.
John/James Gale (he appeared to use both names) moved into Halseys in 1848 as a tenant of the Ellisons. John/James died in 1860 and his son James Gale 2nd took over the tenancy, having no less than 14 children with Sarah Hale. Most moved on but Jack (took the tenancy at Peacock Farm) & Harry (my grandfathers dad) continued farming.
Joseph (youngest son of John/James) took the tenancy at Manor Farm (which is now the Western Industrial Area) He also had 14 children with Emily Gough. The Goughs deserve a mention in this blog - theyve also been a major part of Warfield life - this will come later.
Around the turn of the century the farm yard at Park Farm was built. Jim Gale (EG Grandfather) was a tenant of the Ellisons at the time. In the 1920s landowners became discontented with the down turn in farming and as a result, Jim Gale and son Harry Gale (EG father) took over the Park Farm freehold together with most of West End Farm. Times were tough in the 1920s & 30s and through gutsy hard work the 2 Gales, ably assisted by Fred Pearce (a nephew) made the business viable. Jim (EG Grandfather) died in 1926 and grandmother 2 years later both aged 90.
In 1936 further land from the Warfield Hall estate was taken on following the death of William Shard. Farming was suffering dereliction but was encouraged to gain a new vitality due to the looming War. During the war, farming regained its essential reputation and this continued for many years afterwards. Rationing continued until 1953.
My grandfather and his brother Harry took over the farming in the early 1950s. They continued to expand Park Farm and West End Farm. By the 1970s they were working over 700 acres with considerable livestock and poultry.
Harry Gale (EG father) died in 1959 and mother in 1963. Apart from my grandfather and Harry, all the Gale families have now disappeared from the scene.
Harry retired from farming in 2002. Grandad semi retired in 1991, although continued to run the yard up until I took it over in 2007 - though to this day though he can not keep away, with once a day visits to check up on me!
Normal service will be resumed tomorrow with some more interesting pictures and annotations.
Peacock farm house today
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