Milestones, Boundary Markers, Historical Artifacts, Street Furniture, lost roads and buildings.

There are many traces of our ancestors scattered around our landscape. Mile Markers and Boundary stones are there too. The Milestone Society believes that there are approximately 9000 left in the United Kingdom. Some are cherished but others are hidden in hedgerows, some have been unwittingly destroyed by crashes, road equipment or even stolen. Roads have been straightened to make them safer. There are old gateposts still left in place, old buildings, and place names that declare an evocative past. The aim is to capture some of this information at least photographically before it disappears.

Although the Fylde Coast does not have ancient history, the Romans apparently struggled to Kirkham. There have been huge changes in the last two centuries from literally a a few fishermans' and agricultural dwellings, to a full blown tourist and light engineering industry.

More historical information can be found here about the Fylde coast.

It also seems that time has marched on and left what appears to be some very respectable buildings... which just should be used, but seem to have no worth.

Links from this Blog

Nearly-Midnight The genealogy website relating to the family. A tangled web of people all related to one another, explore!
Memorials Website dedicated to War Memorials - The majority in the North of England. Visits to churches, but also memorials in out of the way places.
Robert Clark The Father of Henry Martyn-Clark - A missionary out in the North-West Frontier of India. One of the first Europeans to set foot in Afganistan
Affetside Census
A small village north of Bury, Lancashire, I can trace many of my immediate ancesters from there. On the Roman Road, Watling Street
Andrew Martyn-Clark My Father and his part in my World. Also my mother and his parents too.
Henry Martyn-Clark My Great Grandfather, his roots and his achievements. Discusses malaria but also his confrontations with Islam.

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Gaunts at Springfield near Farsley

Not sure where this quite belongs, but it is really about a place as opposed to a person. People figure highly however.
The Power House
"Evelyn" a steam powered turbine
manufactured by W H Allen of Bedford
was situated in this building and generated electricity
for Springfield and Broom Mills until about 1960.
The building, erected in the the early 1900's was known as 
"the Power House"

Steam to drive the turbine was provided by
three hand fed Lancashire Coal Fired Boilers
in an adjacent building

The turbine was named after Evelyn, the daughter of 
Gerald Rayner Gaunt, known affectionately as "GRG"
who spent his life serving the Company
from 1887 until his death in 1957 aged 84.

This plaque is erected in memory of
Father and Daughter,
by his Grandson, her Son,
John C. Bostock

Reuben & Sarah Gaunt
IN AFFECTIONATE MEMORY OF
REUBEN GAUNT OF "SPRINGWOOD" FARSLEY,
BORN MAY 27th 1824, DIED FEB 15th  1907
A CONSTANT WORSHIPPER IN THIS CHURCH.
A GENEROUS DONOR TO THE COST OF ITS ERECTION, 
AND OF THE SCHOOLS ADJOINING.
A FAITHFUL FRIEND OF THE SICK AND NEEDY,
HELPING THEM DURING HIS LIFE,
AND PROVIDING FOR THEM BY HIS REQUESTS
TO THE BENEVOLENT FUND OF THIS CHURCH.
A SUCCESFUL MAN OF BUSINESS,
KIND AND CONSIDERATE TO HIS WORKPEOPLE,
REMEMBERING THEM ALSO BY HIS REQUESTS,
HUMBLE IN SPIRIT, SIMPLE IN MODE OF LIFE
EVER WILLING TO HELP ANY JUST CAUSE.
ALSO OF
SARAH GAUNT, HIS WIFE,
BORN DEC 1ST 1823, DIED JUNE 30TH 1904,
A DEVOTED WIFE AND MOTHER,
GENEROUS HELPER OF THIS CHURCH AND A 
ZEALOUS WORKER FOR THE BUILDING OF THE SCHOOLS
ERECTED BY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE CHURCH AND CONGREGATION

This is the inscription on the bottom of the plaque:

This tablet in honour of Reuben Gaunt was removed from Farsley Baptist Church on its demolition in 1970. In 1875 he founded Reuben Gaunt & Sons which was converted into a limited company in 1896









THIS TABLET 
WAS SET BY THE WORKERS OF 
SPRINGFIELD AND BROOM MILLS
TO
PERCY REGINALD GAUNT
C.B.E.
BORN 1875 DIED 1926

TO RECORD THEIR APPRECIATION OF
HIS STRENUOUS LIFE AND UNGRUDGING SERVICE FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL
WHO WORKED WITH HIM

A BUSINESSMAN
BLESSED WITH THE COMMON TOUCH
A GENTLEMAN



 VIEW OF THE MILLS 2012

THE PLAQUES ARE ON THIS WALL

ANOTHER VIEW

VERY SIMILAR VIEW
The use of the property has changed, we visited a craftshop in the complex, more information can be found here about renting out units. It was quite busy.