HOUSE HISTORY ..........

All I've ever known about our house is what were in the deeds and what our local historian could tell me which was quite sketchy. Most of the deeds had got lost during the 100 odd years of buying and selling of the house. I knew it was built by Walter Waller and his profession.

I did Google him but there wasn't any information about him until I found the above advert. When I re read the advert a couple of weeks ago, I noticed it said that his wigs, costumes etc could be hired by Bro. Waller, Stanhope Lodge which meant he was a mason. { I knew that as my Dad was a mason } I looked up Stanhope Lodge and they had a page of their history and, to my delight ..........

..... there was a photograph of him when he was Worshipful Brother in 1889. It's a bit blurry but it's lovely to see the person who built our house.

Stanhope Lodge used to meet in The Thicket Hotel, Anerley in the London Borough of Bromley. This is where Walter would have gone to his Masonic meetings in the 1880's.

 

Walter lived with his wife, Elizabeth Rendell Quick who was originally from Somerset, in Paradise House { above } I don't know if they had any children but could find out more by looking at the 1911 census. I always find it difficult to navigate the census sight and then they ask me for money to see anything ! I think that Walter had done very well in life to have built and lived in such a house ..... it must be worth around £4,000,000 today if not more.

This is the back of Paradise House ..... it's in the woods about a mile from our house.

Now, on a slightly more modest scale 😂🤣😂, this is our house { in the snow ..... the only one I can find at the moment } but, you can see some similarities ..... I think he built ours and two others either side of ours at the same time that he built his. The brick work is very similar and the ridge tiles. He probably got a good deal on a job lot of bricks & tiles etc !!! There are some photographs of the inside of Paradise House and, I have to say, I prefer much that he did in our house.

I did have a page of the 1911 census which showed who was living in our house but I can't put my hands on it at the moment ..... I remember that the man of the house was a tennis player !   

Well, there we are ..... that's all I know about the history of my house. I would love to find out more but I often come to a dead end but it was lovely to find a photograph of Walter.

Oh, I did email the secretary of Stanhope Lodge about three weeks ago to see if they had any more information on Walter but they haven't replied  ..... they probably think my email is a scam 🤣.

XXXX

all photographs via Google apart from the last one of my house

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL ..........

My lovely friends Lucy and Steve gave me this mirror for my birthday ..... how wonderful was that !!!! There is a little story about it that I thought I would relate ! About 35 years ago, I saw this mirror in an antique shop in Hertford ..... I loved it because it had the art nouveau copper inserts which would go well in our house as we have lots of original art nouveau fireplaces. Slightly ' off piste ' to give you a bit of background, our house was built by a theatrical costumier, wig maker and hairdresser named Walter Waller in 1890. 

He lived in Paradise House which was beautiful and way out of our league. He was obviously into building property and built three houses, one of which is ours ..... The Laurels, The Briars and The Ivies. Obviously artistic, he had a flair for interiors. I was told by our local historian that, when building a house in the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, you  just popped to the local fireplace shop and chose your fireplaces .... well, he really chose well in our house { well, I think so } .....

..... anyway, I digress, back to the mirror ..... where was I ? .... Oh yes, I saw this overmantle mirror so, measured it, went home and checked it would fit and thought that I would go back and get it a couple of days later only , when I went back, the mirror had gone. A few weeks later we went to see our friends Lucy and Steve and, low and behold, the mirror I coveted was hanging on her wall !!!! Her Mum lived in Hertford and had bought it for her ...... fast forward thirty odd years and they gave it to me. I told them that I would cherish it ..... I was obviously meant to have it ..... eventually. 

XXXX

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME ..... & it's a big one !!! ..........

It's February 1st and it's my birthday !

..... my 70th !!

..... a milestone & I'm very happy to have made it !

Because of   ' you know what '  😷 , there won't be a big party or family celebrations but there will be presents, cards, good food and drink and much FaceTime .

HAPPY LOCKDOWN 70th TO ME !!! 

{ Do you think that I have a very long neck ? !!!!! }

XXXX

A NEW YEAR BEGINS ..........

Happy New Year everyone. Thank you all so much for all of your support throughout 2020 ..... here's to a wonderful 2021 for us all.

XXXX

MERRY CHRISTMAS .....

Wishing all of my blogging friends the Merriest Christmas that you can have under the circumstances and here's to lots more blogging friendship in 2021.

Thank you for all of your kind, funny and supportive comments ..... even though I haven't met most of you, I think of you as friends and hope we can share another year of the same in 2021.

Sending love to you all for a very merry Christmas and a  happy and healthy New Year.

XXXX

DECK THE HALLS ..........

Christmas in tier 4 !!!

Not Christmas as we know it but, I have no reason to complain as I am far better off than many ...... if I feel a bit down then all I have to do is think of all of the workers in the NHS { our daughter and boyfriend included }, all of the frontline workers and those in hospitality, those who are worried where the next penny is coming from and how to pay their mortgage, pay bills and buy food etc and those worried about their jobs ! 

Maybe we are on our own this Christmas but, we are so lucky to be living in an age of technology so that we can see our family, if only on a computer. 

Wishing all of my blogging buddies as merry a Christmas that you can have and here's to a brilliant 2021.

XXXX

all photos via me

BACK to the FUTURE .....

This will look a bit strange what with snow falling on my blog and Christmas just around the corner but .....

 

 

I've entered these photographs into the David Austin competition on my Instagram account  ... distressing_the_laurels ... into the categories Best Rose Bloom and Best Rose Climbing up an Arch/Pillar/Pergola ! There are zillions of entries so I don't stand a chance but it was fun to do. The photographs that win will go into the 2021 David Austin Roses UK Handbook.

 

It was something to do as, I cannot believe how organised I am for Christmas ! I have written our cards, bought all of our Christmas presents and even wrapped half of them ! All that's left to do is wrap the other half of the presents, dress the Christmas tree, do the other decorations and cook Christmas dinner !!  

 

Hope my photographs bring back memories of the Summer months of blue skies and warm sunshine. 

 

 

I think my ' Jackie ' has gone missing again and, Blogger won't let me Preview ! Arghhhhhhh !

 

XXXX

 

 

 all photographs via me