Carpenter 1920s

History of the Carpenter in the early Twentieth Century provided by Ronda Windsor in November 2017, originally from Clevedon, his great-great granddaughter. 

In 2017, for the first time since I was a child I visited the magnificent Clevedon Court, and I must say I was extremely pleased to witness the "handy-work" of my great great grandfather - Henry James Colley - who worked as an estate carpenter until he retired around 1933. My grandmother - Cynthia Josephine Parfitt (nee Colley) - once told me, as a retirement gift he received “unfinished” Elton Ware Pottery which was unfortunately sold at some point to a collector. 

From talking to the staff at Clevedon Court I’m aware there's little or no records at all regarding the staff who worked for the estate over the years. Therefore, in order to piece this slice of history together, and to honour my great-great grandfathers memory including his hard work I would like to share the following.

 Around 1890 Henry together with his wife Georgina and children moved from Yeovil to Clevedon. The newspaper cutting from the Clevedon Mercury ( dated 31st July 1936) states that Henry was in the employ of Mr H A Forse of Bristol who in 1890 had contracts for building St Johns School (now the library, where my grandmother went to school) and for renovating the Great Western Railway. Census records confirm that in 1891 they lived at 14, Strode Road.

 When Henry’s contract expired he moved his family to Wales where they welcomed two more children into their growing brood - Elizabeth Mary (born in Caerphilly) and Henry Aldred (born in Newport). By 1901 they returned to Clevedon and as confirmed by census records, lived at 42 Kenn Road. Henry was in the employ of H A Merrifield until 1926, and then for the next seven years he was engaged as estate carpenter at Clevedon Court until ill health compelled him to resign from his post. During such time Henry and his family resided at 12, Lower Queen’s Road, Clevedon until he died in 1936, Georgina passed away within three months of his death. 

 Below the newspaper cutting is a photograph of the State Room, in which apparently my great-great grandfather Henry ‘fitted and restored’ the panelling.  That is followed by another photo of Henry in a workshop, probably the Carpenters Shop at Clevedon Court.