Messages are welcome on any subject relating to Troopers Hill Local Nature Reserve; the surrounding area of St George and Crews Hole or any of Bristol's Parks and Green Spaces.
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Susan
 Jun 1, 07 - 9:27 PM |
More memories of Troopers Hill
I was talking to two brothers this afternoon, born in the 1930s, who are not keen to pass on their contact details and are not on the internet. However they also (see Dick's note in memories of Troopers Hill) told me about the wonderful water that they drank from near where the ferry crossed. This is where the footbridge now links Somerfield carpark to Crews Hole. Other memories included: - Police Sgt. McDowell (not sure if I have the spelling right) riding his horse across Troopers Hill. Apparently his son also joined the mounted branch. - Graham Parry, the test rider for Douglas motorcycles road testing motorcycles and including Troopers Hill on his route and occasionally meeting the Sgt. Apparently he tested the Dragonfly. -The Home Guard practising grenade throwing on Troopers Hill and shrapnel ending up as far away as Crews Hole Rd - The Home Guard also had a rifle range in what is now Crews Hole woodland - Harry Wilcox, an England Rugby player and a grandfather by the 1930s living in Rosary Cottage (now demolished) in Crews Hole woodland. I can't find any trace of Harry on the internet, anyone else know? - cleaning out chimneys by gathering broom, tying a bunch together with a bit of long rope with a brick at the end. Climb on the roof, drop the brick down the chimney to the person below and the person below hauls on the rope to bring the broom through and the soot with it. Apparently the chimney cleaner did not receive a lot of their custom. - pinching barge ropes to make swings in the woods - swimming in the river on lunch breaks from St Anne;s Board Mills - pinching rhubard and carrots or whatever took their fancy on crossing the allotments where Troopers Hill Field is now but "always leaving it tidy mind, not like today" - no heather on the hill but their dad bringing some heather from Farnham in Surrey and planting it in the area above where the nursery on Crews Hole Rd is now. - taking 1 cwt of coal by toboggan from the top of Stibbs Hill down Troopers Hill Rd to Crews Hole and crashing at the bottom. "A bit of wood and nails soon fixed that". - men collecting snails and eating them live for snacks. - a shop in Dundridge Lane next to where the steps come up from Nibletts Hill run by a particularly argumentative family with a nice line in picturesque language. ..and that's just a sample. Rob and I had a great time talking to them. |
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Ian
Jun 1st, 2007 - 10:26 PM |
Re: More memories of Troopers Hill
The field was scrub land in my day and the allottments where they are today. The shop was there in my memory along with a brilliant sweet shop next to the converted Chapel at the bottom of Troopers Hill Road. There are many streams running into the river I see them when I am on the river. Also of interest is the Bath House that was mentioned elsewhere as it was always thoght that there was/is a tunnel running up near Strawberry lane from the river there are many rumours about it being used to escape the pressgang or that it was used by a group of monks. It has never been found but I think it was a mine entrance given the historic industrial evidence in this area. Might be worth someone investigating? |
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Liz
Jun 2nd, 2007 - 12:04 AM |
Re: More memories of Troopers Hill
Someone here remembers an old man foraging for snails .. maybe 20 years ago. I'll ask and report back. Liz |
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Rob
Jun 3rd, 2007 - 12:15 AM |
Re: More memories of Troopers Hill
I have a plan of the Strawberry Lane Fireclay mine, it does indeed show an entrance down by the river east of Strawberry Lane. The tunnel runs north to the area where the allotments now are. The plan is dated 1908 which seems to have been when the mine closed. |
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Ian
Jun 5th, 2007 - 7:24 AM |
Re: More memories of Troopers Hill
Would the entrance be marked between Strawberry Lane and Lamb Hill if it is I bet it's where the engineering factory is now? The cottages between the two lanes would have been there prior to the mine I would guess? Where the new house is there used to be a lane an old tin garage and behind that a large house that we used to call Troopers Hill farm. It was derelict when I was a child but had been patched with a tin roof and I remember the doors being green (funny how some things stay so vivid in your memory). There were trees growing in it then so it must have been empty for some time. This would mean that the mine would be more or less where the factory is? It is a shame that pictures that you can see on the site that shows the Lord Raglan pub miss the area in-between as this would show the location clearly. One picture shows Butler’s circa 1950 the other the Board Mills circa 1958. The Butler’s picture clearly shows the pollution going straight into the river. I can remember the smells (apparently if you had a cold or a bad chest you were encouraged to take the Butler’s air to clear it!!!) and the vivid colours in the river from bright red and orange through the spectrum to muddy hot brown that looked like primeval mud! This went on for many years and even today familiar smells come out of the river bank and the odd flow of strange liquids some that smell like creosote and live an oily film on the water. |
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Ian
Jun 5th, 2007 - 7:27 AM |
Re: More memories of Troopers Hill
See the photos in this section http://weldgen.tripod.com/bristol-history-com/id41.html Forgot to include this in my previous posting. |
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Rob
Jun 6th, 2007 - 12:02 AM |
Re: More memories of Troopers Hill
The entrance is shown as being on the river side of Crews Hole road in the area that is now Immediate Delivery Services. Upstream of the path between the road and the river. The mines extend both sides of Strawberry Lane, including under the cemetry. If any one would like to see the plans (which are coloured to show the different clay seams) then please feel free to contact me. |
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Ian
Jun 6th, 2007 - 7:59 AM |
Re: More memories of Troopers Hill
That makes sense if you look at the physical characteristics of the land just behind KPG. Further down the river under the car sales area there were tunnels but these were used for paper storage in my day and associated with the board mills - I don't think they had any other use. These are sealed up now but you can see where they were because of the different material used to brick up the entrances. I think this ties in with the tunnels used during "press gang days" it would be quite easy for men to hide in the tunnels. I know that when they demolished the wafer factory and the big house at the junction of Strawberry Lane/Beaufort Road/Beaconsfield Road that they discovered a mine shaft - this was more than likely to do with coal rather than fire clay. All very interesting. |
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Brendon Cottrell
Jun 21st, 2007 - 5:53 PM |
Re: More memories of Troopers Hill
My father (born 1902) grew up in Cassey Bottom Lane, I see the house is still there among a lot of new ones. On a recent visit to Troopers Hill after a 50 year break I was delighted to see its new status. I lived in Nicholas Lane and visited the hill daily with my dog in the late 40s and early fifties. I remember my father telling me that when he was a boy him and his brothers would go up on to the hill to warm themselves on the pipe which came up to the chimney. The smell from the tar works was often noticeable in Nicholas Lane when the wind was in the right direction. Super web site and book about the hill. |
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Rob
Jun 21st, 2007 - 10:38 PM |
Re: More memories of Troopers Hill
Brendon, Thanks for your message - your father's memories about the chimney being in use in the early 1900s are particularly interesting as it helps narrow down the date when it went out of use. As I said on another thread we are very keen to learn more about the firm that must have been using the chimney at that time - Stone & Tinson. |
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