St. Thomas' church Skirbeck Quarter Boston

[Redroger]

Thanks for that Pam

[onmebike]

 :)I have only just joined Roots Chat and read the information about St Thomas's Church. My family the Pannells ( related to the Caves, Oldman's, Newton's and others ) lived close by mainly in a row of 4 houses called Oldman's Terrace in London Road. Nelly Hackfath ( nee Broadley ) my mother's cousin was at one time the organist at St Thomas's at a time when it had to be pumped by hand. My great grandmother Sarah Lister Pannell lived in Oldman's Terrace until she died in 1941 and the last remaining relative to live there was her daughter Elizabeth Bailey who died in 1962. Sarah's sister Susannah and her husband Edward Newton had the bakery opposite Oldman's Terrace but rumour has it they got in difficulties and it was sold to the Co-op and a little later I think it might have been bought by a company called Borrills. Some of this is hearsay as my family connection Charlie Pannell left the area in 1911 and my own mother seemed to lose contact. If you have any information that could help me I would be very grateful.

Baptisms, marriages and funerals in the late 19th early 20th century are shown as being conducted by the curate of Skirbeck church in "The Iron church"
This was the predessor of St. Thomas' London Road, which was built c1920. Does anyone know of a picture of the Iron church, and also how did the curate get from Skirbeck to Skirbeck Quarter? For those who don't know Boston the two communities are on opposite sides of at that point the tidal river Witham, and the road journey before 1966 was approximately 5 miles in each direction.

[Redroger]

So Oldman's Terrace would be in front of St. Thomas school, on the main road at what was known when I lived there as Newton's Corner?There were also some very old Alm's houses there at the time. Does the name Newton's Corner originate with your relatives? The Co-op on the corner of 54 London Road had a flat over the top of it. My parents lived there after marriage in April 1939 until May 1940, along with my grandmother, and after March 1940 me. My recollection is that it stayed as the Co-op until around the early 1950s when they gave up the shop to Borrills who had the bakery next door. I believe they kept it going as a shop, and eventually knocked down the party wall which was set up as a fish and chip shop, run by Cyril Borrill, the son of the family.

[onmebike]

  Hi thanks for that, I am grateful but having trouble placing things as the first time I went there was last year but I do have a sketch my uncle drew for me from his time visiting there which was quite often in the late fourties as his future wife ( a police woman ) was lodging with relatives living in Oldman's Terrace, they married at St Thomas's . I think you are quite right about Newton's corner, Edward Newton inherited the bakery and grocery from his uncle William Oldman and this still exists today and run by the Dale family I think. Middlecott Armshouses were opposite the bakery and as you faced them Rowel Row was to the left and Oldman's Terrace ( 68 - 74 London Road ) to the right. The Terrace of 4 houses didn,t face the road but went at right angles to it. There was a hay barn and a pig sty to the rear and Folly Pad footpath to the side of it and in those days a railway line ran close by. Its such a shame I didn't take any interest in my younger days before the terrace of houses were demolished sometime in the sixties. I don't have a photograph of them or any of the relatives but hindsight is a wonderful thing.I don't know anything about the school.

[Redroger]

If I remember rightly the field was owned or rented by a Mr. Harvey who had been a policeman, and after retirement had become a constable in the Dock Watch, the security force operated at Boston Dock.He lived in the first house past the railway crossing on London Road, the bungalow next to the line tradionally being the "tied cottage" of the local shed master. There was a field which had a sty and I believe several pigs. There was a WW2 pillbox at the bottom of the field. When the Alms houses were demolished, the pillbox went at the same time, and were replaced by a block of flats. The "Folly Pad" footpath, public right of way should still be there, through to Wyberton village, no doubt somewhat marred by its proximity to the new A16 road at least over its first 400 yards or so. As a digression I just wonder after whose folly  the "Folly Pads" were named, and what that folly was? Whatever it was happened before WW2.Any ideas?

[onmebike]

 ;)Interesting about the docks, I live in the midlands as far away as you can get from the sea and in the 1990's I worked in Boston for a couple of days and was able to make an excuse to go into the docks although as I remember there wasn't too much to see. As I said before the only social visit I have made to Boston was last year just to have a look round the London Road area where the relatives had lived. I think the block of flats you refer to could be on the site of Oldmans Terrace as I took several photo's when I was there and I have one of some bungalows which have a plaque on them saying it was the site of some Almshouse founded by Sir Thomas Middlecott which were demolished in 1966. Trouble is so much has changed in this area and of course I only know it as it is now except for the memories of my 92 year old uncle. Anyway many thanks for your help, I wonder if any of the others like Pam Thomas who joined in on the Skirbeck chat in May might have any information, I might give her a try.

[onmebike]

If I remember rightly the field was owned or rented by a Mr. Harvey who had been a policeman, and after retirement had become a constable in the Dock Watch, the security force operated at Boston Dock.He lived in the first house past the railway crossing on London Road, the bungalow next to the line tradionally being the "tied cottage" of the local shed master. There was a field which had a sty and I believe several pigs. There was a WW2 pillbox at the bottom of the field. When the Alms houses were demolished, the pillbox went at the same time, and were replaced by a block of flats. The "Folly Pad" footpath, public right of way should still be there, through to Wyberton village, no doubt somewhat marred by its proximity to the new A16 road at least over its first 400 yards or so. As a digression I just wonder after whose folly  the "Folly Pads" were named, and what that folly was? Whatever it was happened before WW2.Any ideas?

I have dug out an copy of an old map from the 1800's and there is nothing on there that would indicate there was a folly in that area it just looks like it runs down to Rope Walk. From the map I can now see where St Thomas's School was.

[Redroger]

Thanks for that, I think from what my father told me many years ago it may have been a folly committed by a young lady.

[FrankAT]

Hello all.
Sorry for the absence.

I can tell you that the churchyard of the Church of Saint Thomas is now consecrated, and has been for some time. It is just about full, however, with very little room for more burials.
I well remember the 'folly pads' you speak of and, indeed, walk part of them most days. When the railway lines were in place they ran along the east side of the line, I believe, right  through to Wyberton. The first 'lead off' was left into the Bayswood and Elmwood Avenues. The 'pad' is still there and still lead into the estate but is now a pavement alongside the A16 road. It remains the footpath to Wyberton.
I see 'onmebike' is a relative of the Broadleys'. There are tombs in the churchyard of that well known family. I think it was Walter Broadley who worked in the shop on the bend owned by Mr Newton. The Broadley family were well known, too, for playing the organ in the church
I attend the church (just arrived home from the morning service) and look around the site regularly. I am mostly looking for the people who were very active in getting our church built in the first place.
We celebrate our Centenary Year this year, with the church being built in 1912 and opening on the 9th March in that year.
I have just completed a one and a quarter hour film on DVD of our celebrations during the year including a good look at the interior and the exterior plus the events from April. Plus short commentary about the early days of the church.

The book about the church and the area is entitled: The Behind the Scenes- Story of a Parish - Skirbeck Quarter; by G S Bagley. George Bagley was a well know author in the area and also wrote a very good book about 'Boston and its People'.

There is no number to the book so it will be very difficult to get hold of now.

Frank