Diary Entries

I could have been more imaginative when I gave my notebook the title, ‘Diary of Bewdley Glass Plate Project.’ But I had no idea then what the plates would reveal. Now, with the benefit of hindsight I might change it to,…

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My diary takes up the tale from here. Diary of Bewdley Glass Plate Project Visited Bewdley Museum Wednesday 25th March 2009. Saw the cupboard with all the boxes of glass slides. Asked if I could try to copy a few. Mr…

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On way home took photo of Wribbenhall, as there was a photo of the spot in box A. Interesting to compare. 3rd April Now I am part way through the scanning – just completed box B. It may well be the…

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I said there was no theme to any of the boxes. Box F proved me wrong. It was almost entirely of churches, but all unnamed. Some time ago, I had been to a lecture at Stourbridge Historic Society on the churches…

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I have forgotten to mention the small boxes of glass plates; the reason I was looking around Stone Church. There are a lot of them in the Museum cupboard. I took one and have scanned its contents. The glass is 3…

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‘In loving memory of Elena Tanis Chambers 1930 to 1966.’ I took a photo of the window and one other; a wooden plaque recording the Vicars of Stone. In 1897 John Matthew Donne took office and in 1908 Charles Bickerstaff. Was…

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Then more familiar territory; Tintern Abbey, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, LLanduddno, Monmouth, Tenby, and the first photo  I had seen of a car;  number plate L A 82. (E 14). I was still working on Box E when the phone rang.…

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You think how on earth did they find time to do those things, and dash here and there; one of the first people in the area who took photographs and organised outings. Aberystwyth was a favourite destination.” I AM GETTING SOMEWHERE…

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The album ‘Scraps’ begins on Saturday 11th July, 1896 and describes the funeral of the Rev W F Bickmore. There is also a cutting inside the first page of the book loosely inserted. It’s from a newspaper and the information on…

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‘in collaboration with Mr A. D. Chambers who for many years has also been intimately identified with the same parish and is well known for antiquarian researches in the district. At the outset, Mr Finney paid warm tribute to the assistance…

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At the foot of Stone hill formerly stood an old black and white House originally an inn, ‘The Plough’ and subsequently inhabited by a well-known parishioner, Mr T. W. Pratt. A fine photograph of four generations of the Pratt family aroused…

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There are still unanswered questions,but the main one is now resolved. Albert Chambers was the organist and choirmaster of Stone church for several decades and a highly regarded photographer. 14th May I have been trying to get hold of a light…

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I’d seen some of the photos before as original glass negatives; like Stockton Mill, Hanley Mill, the Severn Hampton Loade, and Hay Bridge. Others were new. Downton Mill near Ludlow, Tetstill Mill Neen Sollars in winter, Old Paper Mill Cleobury Mortimer, and…

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Jez had suggested I go to the library and take a look at the files he used ; mainly the Census registers, but some from local sources. I asked him why the collection had moved to Bewdley. it seems Kidderminster once…

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23rd June I must ring Liz to arrange the return of another scanned batch, or at least those slides I have thought worth copying. There are still lots of boxes left but they are going down. There are also a load…

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6th July. I decided to return  to Kidderminster Library and look for myself at the Ancestry website on the library’s computers. It confirmed what I had been told plus the following. In the 1881 census Albert’s father James was a Tanner…

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I took a batch back on Monday 13 July. Neither Liz nor Charles were in. I picked out some more of the card boxes and was soon back in my car on an expedition. I had decided to continue on towards…

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20th August I took back the last boxes on Wednesday 19th August, 2009. Mission complete. Charles and Liz were there. The conversation was polite and to the point “Thank you very much; we are very grateful.” And that was that. I’m…

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