Village History Buildings of Bardwell Frimley House - Flower Festival 2007
| Frimley House - Flower Festival 2007 |
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The theme for this arrangement was Frimley House as the blacksmiths forge, the arranger used lots of suitable props and made a bright blacksmiths fire.  Courtesy of Tony Stokes Frimley House Courtesy of Tony Stokes Location: Quaker Lane Occupants and OwnersThe Brownings John’s wife Mary must have been an educated woman because she was one of two school mistresses employed by the Trustees of the Reade charitable bequest to provide free schooling to the children of Bardwell; this was before the present school was built and we do not know where the teaching took place. John and Mary had seven children and their three sons all became blacksmiths. The youngest Alfred was a journeyman blacksmith but was the only one unmarried and living at home until John died in 1860. After her husband died, Mary lived for another 17 years. On the night of the 1861 census her two youngest sons were with her together with a grandson, Alfred the youngest son probably continued to work from the blacksmiths premises until he married and moved to Bury St Edmunds but Fred who was 14 years older may have only been visiting as his wife and family were living in St John’s Street, Bury St Edmunds. The eldest son George was like his father, a master blacksmith; he had a business in Beyton where he was an employer. He appeared to be settled and doing very well but by 1871 he was in Bardwell and was running the blacksmiths shop. In the house were also his wife and son Harry who was a journeyman blacksmith. Mary his mother age 75 was either living with them or next door. In 1881 after Mary had died, also in the household was James Stiff, a farm servant age 80 and John Challis a servant age 20. We do not know what happened to Harry. John ChallisAfter George Browning died in 1885 there are no more Brownings listed as blacksmiths in Bardwell. It would appear that John Challis who had been born in Ousden in 1861 ran the blacksmiths until about 1892/5. He moved to Stonham Aspel where he became a blacksmith journeyman. Alfred Squirrel Alfred was born in 1856 in Earl Stonham, like John Challis he was the son of an agricultural labourer. By the age of 24, he had moved to Plumstead near Greenwich where he was a smith and farrier. Ten years later in 1891 he was a master blacksmith in Peckham and an employer but by 1896 he was in Bardwell living in what is now known as Frimley House. Sometime in the early 1900s he bought the forge and cottages, etc for £300. He also diversified and became a coal dealer as well as a blacksmith. He was a member of the Men’s Reading Club and took part in village activities. His daughter Mary is mentioned in the newspaper reports of the time for her good school record and in 1901 she was a pupil teacher living at home, she continued as a teacher at the school and married a Mr. Gaught. Her sister Jinny did not marry and remained in the house after the death of her parents until about 1940. Albert Bishop Sometime between 1922 and 1925 Albert Bishop became the blacksmith as a tenant of the forge only. We do not know when Alfred Squirrel died; he may have retired or died when Bert Bishop took over as blacksmith. The Morris's In 1941 Mrs Nora Morris, nee Crosby, bought the house and premises for £250 from Mr Chamberlain who was her employer at the time. She was newly married and her husband was in the Royal Engineers’ bomb disposal unit. Mr Burt Bishop, who was the local blacksmith and farrier, was still a tenant of the blacksmith shop and remained so until he died in about 1951-1952: that was when the forge ceased to be used. Mr Morris was in the building trade and the forge was used for storage of his tools and building materials. |