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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => London and Middlesex => England => London & Middlesex Lookup Requests => Topic started by: David Posnett on Tuesday 13 October 20 18:48 BST (UK)
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We are restoring a tiny bit of woodland called Bridge Farm next to the Grand Union Canal on the border of Greenford and Northolt. I have checked some maps, the farm seems to be on the Northolt (North) side of the canal but called Bridge Cottage Farm. A kind lady called Joan Gale said her g grandfather (called Fisher) owned it, and her mother was born there. I have found the 1911 census (free) but I can't see anything else as I have not paid to view.
Is there anything any of you can add to the puzzle, without being able to view records, I cant really say much more about the farm. It's the farm I am most interested in, if that makes sense, how old is it, were the Fishers the only family etc?
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In 1901 William Fisher and his family are living at "Fisher's Farm" , Ealing.
Piece: 1191
Folio: 38
Page Number: 35
Household Schedule Number: 215
John
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Middlesex & Surrey Express 27.3.1903
William Fisher of Bridge Farm fined £5 for failing to notify local authority of having pigs infected with Swine Fever.
John
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Owing to the continued ill health of William Fisher, Sale of all livestock and various goods atBridge Farm by Public Auction at 12o'clock 18th March 1920. Several articles dated around that time.
John
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Wow John, that was fast and so interesting - thank you so much :)
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Probate record, William Fisher of Bridge Farm Northolt, died 2nd January 1933 effects £2386.10s 8d.
William and sons appear on electoral registers c1907-1919
John
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Don’t know if you have this 1911 entry from Family Search. It’s badly transcribed but the address is the one you are looking at
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWWG-DX4
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Hi Carole, I completely forgot about Family Search so I'd not seen the transcription. Thank you, I'll also see what else I can find to add to what John has found too.
It is really exciting to have all this come together so quickly :)
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David Posnett - I saw this thread when Googling Fisher's Farm, Northolt and would be interested to know more of any local memories of the place.
My interest is family connections in Northolt generally (from the 30s-50s) and also a friend of the family who they said lived at Fisher's Farm in a shed there in the 30s. I've found newspaper articles of court cases of various people with this address during this period - fights, drunkeness, dealers, caravan dwellers, a court judge asking if he (Mr Fletcher) was a gypsy, with the answer that no, he was a showman. One person was accumulating a stack of stolen bricks there to sell on.
I'm wondering if some of the land was no longer farmed and an ad hoc settlement developed there? I found a newspaper article from 1939 to say the farm had been might purchased for the site for a new hospital. Edit: can't find this article now. Typical!
In a history of Northolt (http://www.northoltvillageresidents.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Northolt.pdf) it says that 'Before 1865 the soil of East Field was also dug for brickearth, adjacent to Kensington Road and the canal, at the Bridge Farm, and there were kilns and an engine house there. After the field was worked out, it was called Fisher's Farm, and used for breeding pigs and geese.' So perhaps this one part of Bridge Farm gained its own name?
I also found a very murky photo of gulls 'descending on Fisher's Farm' in a 1928 newspaper - you can just about see a stretch of water (not the canal, I don't think) by a house.
And theft of two geese from 2,000 in a field adjoining Vicarage Rd, opposite Fisher's Farm. William Fisher also featured with hay ricks on fire and summonses for transporting offensive matter (pig muck?) through Ealing, along with the swine fever fines as mentioned by johnhood.
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Val, this is fantastic information and ties in with some old maps showing a kiln on the southern side of the canal. I also was under the impression that the farm was run down/defunct, so someone living in an outhouse makes some sort of sense.
If you are on Facebook, I made a group called Friends of Bridge Farm and I have put my findings so far on there. If it's OK with you, I'll add what you have said, and I'll do some more digging!
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You might find a few bricks if you dig deep enough!
Good luck, especially with local memories. I'm hoping a cousin who lived in Northolt (still a small village) in the 30s can tell me a bit more, but he was a youngster then so might not have known much about the place.
Yes, please add the info, but be sure to credit that Northolt local history page please for the extract.
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Have you seen this? All you ever wanted to know about Northolt (or not).
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol4/pp109-113
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Just looked at your Facebook page. Great that you've got the old maps as that was what I was looking for.
By the way, did you know you can remove all the numbers gobbledeygook from the URL? Makes it easier if giving the web address.
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How do you clean up the URL?
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Go to your account details or settings and find the field with the URL, then change it.
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Ancestry is free over Easter weekend; you just need to create an account (free).
If you do, look up the image for William Fisher for 1901, as not only is he listed at Fisher's Farm, but the preceding address is Gipsy Caravan, Fisher's Farm, the next entry is B***Side (hard to read) Cottage, then the next one is 2 ditto, then on the next page, another Gipsy Caravan, Fisher's Farm.
The 1911 census doesn't have these, but does have a couple of Bridge Cottages, so perhaps that is what is says on the 1901 one. Also William Fisher's occupation is a bit of a scrawl but seems to begin with G.
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Oh thank you, I will certainly look that up. You're quite the detective!
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There's a map too with the 1911 census, on the transcription page. Not a 1911 map but a bit older. Useful though.
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It is Barn Side Cottage on the 1901 census :)
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Thanks - well read. I wonder what happened to Barn Side Cottages - were they demolished or did they become Bridge Cottages?