MABEL Photographs - References & Sources of Information
 

References from the Photograph Albums dated 1906, 1909 & 1910
of Mabel Holdsworth, neé Highley.

I (David Holdsworth) am very grateful for information provided by Anthony Richards in December 2015 concerning the photographs taken from Mabel Highley's albums 1906-1910 in the time when she attended Felixstowe Girls' School, No.1 Upper Belgrave Road, Clifton, Bristol. Anthony currently lives just several houses away.
"Although 'Felixtowe', 1 Upper Belgrave Road, is now in a sadly dilapidated condition, it is easy to see where many of the photographs were taken. Clifton was one of the most prosperous areas of Bristol in the 19th Century with lots of large Victorian houses. The albums also contain photos taken at Clifton Zoological Gardens, very fashionable and only 200 yards away, of roller skating or 'rinking', which was also at its height. A skating rink is shown on the garden plans of 1905.
"The Clifton Downs, which Upper Belgrave overlooks, consists of 400 acres of open common land, acquired and preserved for the city in 1861 'for ever hereafter'. This huge green expanse is bounded to the west by the Avon Gorge. The easiest way to appreciate it is to type BS8 2XQ (the postcode of 1 Upper Belgrave Road) into Google Earth. Note too how close the zoo is to no 1; that is where the girls went 'rinking'. Understanding about the Downs will also help you make sense of the photographs of the girls on horseback - they didn't have far to go for a ride!
Anthony has kindly provided some copies of Photographs of 'Felixtowe School' from Bristol Archives taken during this period
"The albums also show photographs taken at the Victoria Swimming Baths, opened 1849 and subsequently, since the 1930s, known as the Clifton Lido. After a period of neglect and closure, it has recently reopened and includes a restaurant. These photographs represent the first I have seen, and pre-date by decades any they have themselves.
"The girls are pictured in their school clothes, often wearing the school hat with FC embroidered on the hatband - presumably 'Felixstowe College'. To read more information on the three spinster Nott sisters who were teachers and set up and ran the Felixstowe School you can click on this link Female poets of the First World War .
"The three photos in 1909 album marked 'Felixstowe' confusingly really are the seaside resort."

Much information regarding Nailsea Court and the people in these photographs has been provided by Peter Wright who in 2001 edited
"Nailsea Court - The Story Part II 19th and 20th centuries Despair and Repair", published by Nailsea & District Local History Society, ISBN 1 900772 10 8.

The photographs referred to here are those relating to Nailsea Court and to Eva Georgina Barlow contained in three albums dated 1906, 1909 and 1910 which belonged to Mabel Highley who married into the Holdsworth family. Additional photographs were given to Peter Wright by Clifford Kortright. Other "similar" photos from the Kortright collection have also been compared with the Highley collection and references copied where appropriate.

The connection with Nailsea Court does not pre-date the purchase of the Court by Charles Evans in 1906.

Barlow

"Bar" is a reference to Eva Georgina Barlow (from 1914 Eva Kortright.) [6 Nov 1879 - 25 Jan 1970 / tombstone]
She married Hugh A Kortright. [Richmond s 2a 1233 Q3 1914]

Eva Georgina Barlow seems to have been employed both by The Highley family and the Evans family of Nailsea Court.
NB. Care must be taken not to confuse Eva Georgina Barlow with Eva Barlow age 24 Census 1901 a drawer in a Worsted Factory in Halifax, father Telemachus. She was born in Halifax which is where the Holdsworh family's business at Shaw Lodge Mills was situated.

Bar Nailsea Court, 1910	'Bar' 1912	'Bar' Nailsea Court 1912	'Bar' & 'Prince' Nailsea Court 1913	'Bar' 1913
Mrs Evans, H. Evans, 'Bar' Weymouth 1913	'Bar' Devonshire 1913

Evans

Charles Edward Evans [14 Sep 1858 - 11 May 1944] was known locally as Commander Evans. Born at sea, 100 miles south of Lima on the full-rigger "Rhea Sylvia" of which his father was master. His grandfather having run away to sea at an early age, returning after many years having risen to the rank of Commander-in-Chief.
Charles Evans started his own business in Cardiff in 1890, which expanded rapidly, exporting Welsh coal and importing Scandinavian pit-props. When WW1 broke out Charles Evans offered his services to the Admiralty, and was rewarded by receiving a commission as Lieut. Commander R.N.V.R.
Nailsea Court was bought by Charles Evans after it had fallen into a poor state of disrepair in 1906. The building and much of the land around it was owned by the Evans family from 1906 to 1944.

Primrose 'Prim' Evans: The birth of a Primrose Evans is recorded, Cardiff 11a 492 Q3 1901.

Vi Evans: Unable to trace; assumed she is the daughter named Mary V Evans in census 1901, below.

Primrose Evans Nailsea, 1909	Nancy Nailsea Court, 1909	Vi Evans Nailsea Court, 1910	Vi Evans Nailsea Court, 1910	Vi & Nancy Evans and 'Fritz' Nailsea Court, 1910
Vi Evans, 1912	Vi Evans and 'Fritz' Nailsea Court, 1912	Mrs Evans, H. Evans, Bar Weymouth 1913	Miss Evans and Prim 1914	Primrose Evans, Elizabeth Shippard, Earl Cardigan Nailsea Court, Sept 1911

Kortright

Gravestone of Hugh A Kortright and his wife
Eva Georgina Barlow at the 12th century
St. Bridget's Church in Chelvey, Somerset

Hugh A Kortright (9 Nov 1870 - 18 Oct 1934 / tombstone) married Eva Georgina Barlow. [Richmond s 2a 1233 Q3 1914]

Clifford H.F. Kortright, farmer, rail signalman and campanologist (1 Feb 1917 - 23 Sep 2008)

Clifford's mother Eva Georgina Barlow was at Nailsea Court, hence Clifford owned a collection of photographs of Nailsea Court which he gave to Peter Wright.

Although he had a classical education, Clifford chose farming as a livelihood, spending many years on a farm at Brockley, whilst living with his mother at Four Gables, also a farmhouse on the outskirts of Nailsea, where his cider press was put to good use for his and local farmers' needs. Always of an enquiring mind, Clifford was introduced to Nailsea's six bell tower in 1937 under their then tower captain, Ted Baker. He joined the Bath and Wells Association in 1938, and was to complete 70 years service, 43 of them at Nailsea, and following two years ringing at Wraxall, a further 25 years at nearby Tickenham, where he became tower captain. When his farming career ended, Clifford to his delight was accepted by British Rail to be trained as a signalman, and served at several local signal boxes to the end of his working life. Clifford's happy married life to Monica was marred sadly by the accidental death of his son at an early age, but their twin daughter rings at Winscombe, and following the funeral joined the band in the belfry at Wraxall with her young son who had just started to ring, and who was able to ring a few rounds, under supervision, as a special tribute to his late grandfather. (Obituary printed in Ringing World, 2008.)

Nailsea Court

Nailsea Court is an 800 year old, Grade I listed Jacobean style manor house. Following the death of its last private owner, over 20 years ago, the house and grounds fell into a poor state of repair. It was during this time, while the house lay empty, that many of its original features became damaged by vandals or stolen and sold to collectors.

Richard Perceval, who was born at Nailsea Court deciphered Spanish documents for Queen Elizabeth I about the Spanish Armada invasion plans.
In 1693, the court was purchased by Nathaniel Wade. He supported James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth in the Monmouth Rebellion and was defeated at the Battle of Sedgemoor. He was condemned to death at Taunton by Judge Jefferys. After being interviewed by King James, in the Tower of London, Major Wade was pardoned and returned home to Nailsea.

During the 19th century, the court was used as a farmhouse and fell into disrepair. Charles Edward Evans purchased the Court in 1906 and undertook restoration, including the reconstruction of the west wing carried out by Arthur Stratton. The Manorial Tithe Barn behind the house was used during World War I as a convalescent ward for sailors from Naval hospitals and the fireplaces in the main house had brick insets built to reduce their size and conserve coal.

After Evans death in 1944, the court was purchased by the Whitefield family, who turned part of it into flats before it was sold in the 1970s to Mr McGrath.

In the 1990s, the house and grounds were bought by a development company and converted into five private homes.

Young girl on steps with scaffolding behind Nailsea Court, 1906/10	V. Wallace (Walker?) In Walled Garden Nailsea Court, 1910	Vi & Nancy Evans and 'Fritz' on the River Kenn Nailsea Court, 1910	V. Wallace (Walker?), Bar?, Mabel Highley In the Walled Garden at Nailsea Court, 1910
The Rose Garden Nailsea Court, 1912	South Elevation Nailsea Court, 1912	Viewed from the Rose Garden Nailsea Court, 1912

From the Kortright and Wright Collections

Nailsea Court, South Elevation by Evans, 1907	The Walled Garden, Nailsea Court 1912	Nailsea Court, South Elevation Wright Collection, 1907
Building the new wing, Nailsea Court Kortright Collection, 1910-11 See picture on steps in Mabel's album	Building the new wing, Nailsea Court Kortright Collection, 1910-11 See picture on steps in Mabel's album	Primrose Evans holding Clifford Kortright Nailsea Court, c1917
Vi & Nancy Evans and 'Fritz' on the River Kenn Nailsea Court, 1910 See also in Mabel's 1910 album	Eva Georgina Barlow in the garden at Nailsea Court, 1912 See also in Mabel's 1909 album	Gate on North Drive, Nailsea Court Wright Collection, 2001 See early photograph of this gate, taken in 1909