Tag Archives: 1910s

Henry Cooper: Upper Lee, Thorley, 1900s – 1960s

Upper Lee

Henry (Harry) Martin Cooper (1877-1969) was born at Upper Lee Farm, Thorley, and lived there most of his life.  He had no formal education, but was self-taught having learned the basics from his mother. In 1902 his diary first mentions his bee-keeping activities, which provided additional income to supplement the income from the small family dairy farm.

Postcard of Upper lee

Postcard of Upper Lee

I remember my dad telling me the field names – Long Meadow, Goose Acres, Pyle Field.  I have a feeling that Grampy rented Vicarage Butts, but I couldn’t be sure.  He strongly objected to having to pay tithes for some land he had.  I wonder if that was for Vicarage Butts? Rosemary Cooper granddaughter of Henry



When it comes to fruit trees I can remember damsons, greengages and Victoria plums at Thorley, but I have no idea what the apples were, except plentiful. (There was a thorn apple that I was told by Mum to keep quiet about!)

I’ve a feeling there were apricots too? Grandma and Aunt May used to bottle lots of fruit but apart from plums I think it must have been mainly soft fruit. When they moved to Parkside my first memory was of the larder there with the shelves of jewel-like colours, the light shining through their store of bottled fruit brought from Thorley I think. At Upper Lee it must have been kept in the Dairy where there wasn’t so much light.  Stella Ridley, Grand daughter


Mum said they loved going over to the Coopers at Upper Lee to Sunday School and then go in to the hall in Newport.  It was a treat for them.  They used to go and collect the milk in a jug from them at the farm. Mary Henderson b 1954


May Cooper used to do the dairy work for her brother. She made butter pats in the shape of swans, and cooled them in Thorley Brook, just where a little spring rises. When she made jellies and jams she’d cool them by floating them in the stream. Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921


 


 


 


 

					

		
		
	


	

				

			
						

				Mary Henderson: Thorley, Newclose Farm horses, 1950s, 1940s
			

								


				

			
Picking up sheaves with working horses 
Picking up sheaves with working horses
They had horses down at Newclose – Ernest Heal was the last one to have working horses. 


They kept them next to the church and you’d walk up by, and they’d come thundering up. My Gran Hillier said when she lived at Newclose Cottages, she used to go with a bucket and dig up the old mole hill earth for the garden. She was down across by the stream, before the bungalows were built. 


You never rattled the bucket, but this time she tripped and the bucket rattled, and these two cart horses came charging up because they thought she had the feed bucket. Instead of leaving the bucket, she just managed to dive over the stile into her garden and these two great heads appeared looking for food. Mary Henderson b 1954

					

		
		
	


	

				

			
						

				Palma Ault: Services, Gasworks, 1910s, 1920s
			

								


				

			
My grandfather used to come on a coal barge to the Gasworks and used to bring his daughter, my mother…. who met my father, Harry Holloway, who lived in Yarmouth, and so they were married.  Harry was in the Navy in the Med for 2 years and I was named ‘Palma’ after the Palma in Majorca. Palma Ault nee Holloway b 1927


Bridge opening for coal boat
Bridge opening for coal boat