34 Gloucester Road

We know that the house was built in the late 1890s as we have a copy of a document showing ‘Mr Howell’ had applied to the Governors of the Grammar School to buy a building plot on the Gloucester Road.  Gloucester Archives has the planning permission granted in 1897 for a ‘shop and store owned, designed and built by F. K. Howell’.

Rate Books from 1899 onwards show ‘a house and garden’ in Gloucester Road owned and occupied by Frank K. Howell.

We note that Frank may have built the house with the assistance of his father as both Frank and his father, Thomas, were stonemasons and his brother, Henry Thomas was a carpenter/joiner.  We suspect that the original house was relatively small compared with the present house.  The 1911 Census shows it had 4 rooms yet by the 1921 Census it had 7 rooms.  Gloucester Archives has a record of planning permission granted in 1911 for the property in Gloucester Road owned and built by F. K. Howell.  We haven’t yet seen this document or the earlier one dated 1897 so don’t know what changes were made.

Adjoining the house was a large yard with buildings used for Frank’s business as monumental mason.  Unfortunately we don’t have any decent photograph showing the yard.  Below is an aerial photo taken about 1970 in which the house, yard and workshops are just about visible in the centre of the image.  Click on the image to see a better view.

Frank Kelson Howell – Monumental Mason & Bell Ringer

Frank was baptised on 2nd November 1856, the son of Thomas Howell and his wife, Anne.  Thomas was a mason from Morton.  In the Censuses of 1861, 1871 and 1881 Frank lived with his parents in Lower Morton.

On 2nd November 1882 Frank married Ida Elizabeth Champion in Tytherington at St James Church.  Ida was baptised on 5th December 1852, the daughter of George Champion, a farmer from Itchington and his wife, Mary Ann.

Frank and Ida had three children: Ida Elizabeth baptised on 28th September 1885 when Frank was a mason in Lower Morton, Henry Evans born on 21st January 1889 and baptised on 3rd March 1889 and Myra Ada born on 15th November 1890 and baptised on 20th February 1891 when Frank was described as a  mason living in Upper Morton.  We note that the 1891 Census lists Frank as having a daughter Elizabeth Lippiatt but we think that this may be an error as she was working for him as a housekeeper and other records show her father as someone else.

In the 1891 Census Frank was a mason living with his son Harry E in a property near the Anchor public house in Morton.  We believe that Ida was a patient in Bristol Royal Infirmary (although the Ancestry website has her indexed under the name of ‘Ada’ and his birthplace was ‘Hitchington’.

Sadly, Frank and Ida’s daughter, Ida Elizabeth, died on 19th January 1893 aged only 7.   She was one of the first to be buried in the recently opened Thornbury Cemetery.

The records of the National School show the family were living in Gloucester Road when Myra was admitted to the school in February 1897 when she transferred from the Thornbury British School.

Frank’s wife, Ida, died on 31st March 1899 aged 45.  She was buried in Thornbury Cemetery in the same grave as their daughter Ida Elizabeth.

In the 1901 Census Frank was a widowed monumental mason aged 43.  He was living in the house with his children, Harry aged 12 and Myra aged 10 and Frank’s father, Thomas who was also a widowed mason and aged 74. Frank’s sister, Ada, who was a single woman aged 33 was their housekeeper.

On 23rd January 1902 Frank married again.  His second wife was Charlotte Fry, the daughter of George Fry, a tailor in the High Street.  The 1901 Census shows Charlotte was in service as a housemaid for Sir James Chance in Brighton.

The 1911 Census shows that Frank was living with wife Charlotte and son Harry E. who was assisting his father and aged 22.

Frank’s son, Harry Evans died on 25th October 1911 aged 22.  The Gazette of November 24^th 1911 explained that he was a victim of phthisis (or pneumonia).   He was buried in Thornbury Cemetery in the same grave as his mother and sister.

The 1921 Census shows Frank and his second wife Charlotte were still living in Gloucester Road.  Frank was now described as a monumental sculptor aged 65 and Charlotte was aged 61.

Tragically things went even more badly for the Howells.  Frank’s health deteriorated and he became an invalid, eventually moving to a Nursing Home in Bristol.  Charlotte had a nervous breakdown caring for Frank and she appears to have moved into the same nursing home.  Whilst there she took her own life on 5th February 1933 aged 73.  She was buried in Thornbury Cemetery.  The burial record shows her address as ‘Gloucester Road’.

We don’t know what happened to Frank.  We suspect he moved to live with or near his married daughter, Myra.  He was living at School House, Bockleton, Tenbury when he died on 23rd July 1934 aged 78.  He was buried back in Thornbury Cemetery in the same grave as his second wife, Charlotte, on 27th July 1934.

Throughout his life Frank was always closely associated to St Mary’s Church in Thornbury.  His obituary says he was the first verger appointed by the Church and he held that position for almost 50 years, only giving it up when forced to by his failing health.  Frank’s main interest was bell ringing.  He pioneered change ringing in the town and took part in the Jubilee peal of 5040 changes run on 24th April 1887.  An article published in the Gazette in May 1921 refers to his work as Hon. Treasurer of the Association of Bell Ringers.  He had been a member of that organisation for 36 years and wanted to retire from being treasurer but the association refused his attempt to resign and forced him to carry on.  At Frank’s funeral the Thornbury Guild of Bell Ringers rung muffled peals of bells in his honour.

Frank was also a member of the Society of Gleemen and was their Vice Chairman for several years.  He was also secretary for the Friendly Society in Thornbury.

Of Frank and Ida’s children:

Henry Evans Howell – born on 21st January 1889.  Harry attended the Thornbury British School Infants and transferred to the National School (now St Mary’s School) in February 1896.  He gained a scholarship for the Grammar School moving there in January 1903 but he left the school in December of that same year. The 1911 Census shows Harry was living with his father and assisting him with his work as a monumental mason.  He died later that year on 25th October aged 22 and was buried in Thornbury Cemetery.

The publication ‘Ringing World’ of  24th November 1911 reported that Henry died at his father’s house after being ill for a few weeks with phthisis.  It seems that Henry had been a promising bellringer and was a member of the Thornbury Parish Guild of Ringers.  he newspaper said he was a popular young man who was invaluable to his father in the business and also a promising bellringer.  Apparently he had become proficient in Grandsire and Stedman Triples and Bob Major and had gone to Bristol to play a larger number of bells but not yet rung a peal.  Bellringers from other churches such as Wotton under Edge, Stone and Berkeley attended the funeral.  Muffled peals were rung in his honour.

Myra Ada Howell – born on 15th November 1890 and baptised on 20th February 1891.  She attended the Thornbury British School Infants and transferred from there to the National School (now St Mary’s School) in February 1897.  She passed the exam for admission to Colston High School for Girls and left the National School in 1903.  Myra returned to the National School in 1906 to begin work as a pupil teacher.

The 1911 Census shows Myra as an assistant teacher in Goring on Thames.  She married George Bailey Stiles.  In the 1939 special census in preparation for the advent of war he was a poultry and general farmer living with Myra in the area of Ross and Whitchurch, Herefordshire.  They later moved to Weston Super Mare where they both died.

Henry Craik Smith – Monumental Mason

By 1933 Henry Craik Smith had become the owner of the house and the adjoining premises used as a monumental mason.  He was already carrying on his business from his works at Arno’s Vale Cemetery in Bristol.  Henry didn’t move into the house but let it out to John Evomy Phelps (see below).

Henry was born on the 31st March 1894, the son of Henry Craik Smith, a sculpture and his wife, Bertha Clara.  The publication ‘Building News and Engineering Journal’ gives his business address as Old Turnpike Works, Totterdown.  The 1901 Census shows Henry senior was a monumental mason and he was living at 57 Bath Road with Bertha and their six children.  Henry junior was baptised with an elder sister, Minnie Violet, on 12th January 1913 at St Silas Church, Bristol.

The 1911 Census shows Henry junior was now working for his father as a ‘letter cutter’, presumably cutting out the inscriptions on gravestones.  The family were living at 111 Bath Road, Bristol.

On 18th June 1927 Henry married Sibyl Ophelia Mina Williams at the Primitive Methodist Chapel, Upper Moss Lane in Hulme, Manchester.  Henry was described as a monumental mason living at 238 Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol.  Sibyl was aged 27, an elementary school teacher living at 91 St Mary’s Road, Moston, Manchester.  She was born on 11th June 1899, the daughter of John Lewis Williams, a Primitive Methodist Minister.

They had two daughters, Sybil Mina born on 19th February 1929 and christened on 31st March 1929 and Miriam Violet born in 1931.

The 1939 special census in the advent of war shows the family living at 7 Marston Road, Knowle, Bristol, not far from the top entrance to Arnos Vale Cemetery.

The Thornbury Rate Book for 1945-46 and the 1946 Electoral Register show Henry and Sybil had moved to Thornbury and taken over occupation of the house in Gloucester Road which was now named ‘Marston House’ presumably taken from the name of the road where they had previously lived in Bristol.  Both their daughters attended the Grammar School and we have photos of them in the tennis and hockey teams, the choir and the prefects in the period 1945 to 1949.  Click here and then search photos for ‘Craik’.

We have an advert dated 1947 which shows Henry was now trading under the name of Thornbury Memorial Works and that, as well as having his base at Marston House, Gloucester Road, he still had his branch near the top gate of Arno’s Vale Cemetery and had a showroom and works at Berkeley Cemetery.

Of their daughters, Miriam married Hugh B Thomas in Thornbury in 1954 and Sybil married Stanley F. Huckle in Thornbury in 1955.  We understand that Sybil (senior) was a teacher at Silverhill School near Rudgeway for some years.

Henry died on 1st November 1960 aged 66.  He was buried in Thornbury Cemetery.  His memorial inscription shows that he was known by the name of ‘Harry’.

Sybil carried on living in the house although she was the building was converted into flats.  The 1965 electoral register shows Sybil was living in the top flat.  Ernest and Beatrice Biddle were in the lower flat.  Sybil died in 1987 and her death was registered in Bristol area.

John Evomy Phelps

John moved into the house as a tenant in February 1935.  The 1939 register shows John and Maud Phelps living there.  John was a retired surgeon with two paid domestic servants:  Lois Bick born 26th July 1888 and Hilda E Woodward born 27th February 1920.

John died in 1940 aged 87 and he is buried in Thornbury Cemetery.  The gravestone inscription on his grave acknowledges the ‘over fifty years practised as a true friend surgeon physician‘.  Maud appears to have moved away from Thornbury as she is not listed in the electoral register after the war.  She died in Weston Super Mare in 1970 aged 93.  Click here to read more about John

We don’t know anything about the owners or occupants of the house after the 1965 electoral register.  We’d love to hear from anyone who could tell us more about any of the families connected with the house.