Bristol - St. George

Bristol - St. George (2)

Continuing with Bryan Bignell's photographs...

The Old Well

The Old Well
in the very large back garden behind the East Cheap Forage store, it was still being used at the time of the
photo which would be 1934. Its me having a bath in the bathtub
(no bathrooms where we lived).

The well it was over 80ft deep. When the Second World War started the local government installed a pump at the bottom of it which was connected by to steel wires to a rocking arm on the surface. It was available as an emergency supply if the mains were hit by a bomb. The interesting thing is because of the depth; when they installed it they had to wear special oxygen masks. Many is the time when I filled up buckets for grandma by working the arm. The water came out of a standpipe which ran up the side wall of the well. The property was subject to compulsory purchase by the council for the building of the old peoples flats that stand there today. When the old property was cleared with all the many outhouse and sheds which were in the long garden behind; much of what then was considered rubbish went down the well before it was filled in. So under the old peoples flats deep below ground is buried treasure, or antiques.

East Cheap Forage Shop

East Cheap Forage Shop
This photo was taken around the time of WWI (1914 - 1918)

Air Raid Wardens

Air Raid Wardens based at Air Balloon School during WWII
The senior officer, sat centre front, is Doctor Baldwin the head of St. George Grammar school,
The man standing on the very back row centre is Mr. Luker, the greengrocer from near Marling road.
Bryan's dad is sat on the doctors left next to the sergeant.

Fire Drill

The Air Raid Warden practice File Drill

By the way, does anyone remember the Pill boxes and tank barricades which were built by the Rodney Pub to stop the enemy using the main road? As kids we had a lot of fun in them and the home guard often used to do exercises with real guns on weekends.

Street Party celebrating the end of WWII

Mrs Bessie Hudd (looking at the camera) who lived on the corner of Swan Lane
just above her head is the opening in the wall of Fussells yard
he was a haulier and kept his horses and carts in the yard.
Up a little is the forecourt of the Rodney public house.

This page created 12th February 2005, last modified 5th May 2005