newsletter of the ryde social heritage group beyond the graves -...

Newsletter of the Ryde Social Heritage Group

LHI is a partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund, Nationwide Building Society and the Countryside Agency

Ryde Social Heritage Group Contacts Sally-Ann Garrett Chairperson 36 Pellhurst Road, Ryde PO33 3BP [email protected]

Janette Gregson Secretary The Cemetery Lodge 63 West Street, Ryde PO33 2QF [email protected] Matthew Bell Treasurer [email protected] David Earle Membership Secretary 17 Hope Road, Ryde PO33 1AG [email protected] Carol Strong Newsletter Editor 30 Birch Gardens, Ryde PO33 3XB [email protected] About us Membership is open to anyone who is interested in the heritage of the town of Ryde. Research is centred on Ryde Cemetery, and the people who are buried there, their links to Ryde’s past, their lives, homes, businesses, families and descendants. Website www.rshg.org.uk

Beyond the Graves

Volume 2, Number 2, April 2007

The value of old documents and papers

Last year, a new tenant moved into a flat over a shop in Ryde. During their renovations, a cupboard under the eaves was opened, and two boxes containing bundles of papers were found. Luckily for us, the person recognised the value of such documents, and gave them to her mother, who in turn contacted RSHG. The papers turned out to be receipts and personal papers related to “The Pram Shop” of 12 High Street, owned by Mr S F Wright, a business which had been located in the shop below the flat, and related to the period of January 1916 to March 1921. Many of the papers are fragile, and some have rusty paperclips holding them together; all have a hole, where the papers were pushed onto a spike. They have been sorted, and will be documented on a computer file to record the date, the origin, what the paper relates to, and if there any other names or businesses on the bill or receipt. The papers relating to the business include: gas and electricity bills; rates; taxes; business transactions and payments to other businesses in Ryde, and a bill for an entry in Kelly’s Directory. We know that Mr Wright bought dolls and teddy bears from A F Biggs of West Street, and did business with Hills Stores; he had insurance for the plate glass window of the shop (luckily for them as it was broken at one time). He bought rubber for the pram tyres from Parker Brothers Perambulators of Shoreditch in London, and bought metal parts (studs, bolts, American Studs, etc.) from Mulliss and Co. of Nelson Street. The list of local suppliers is long: A Bartlett, Coal, Coke and Wood Merchant of 88 High Street; Castle & Son, House Furnishers and Upholsterers of 141 High Street; J R Grace, Cycle Agents of 25 High Street; A Holmes & Sons, Tailors and Hatters of 171 High Street; Osborne & Son, Military Tailors and Outfitters of 13 Union Street and F W Sargeant, Printer of 177 High Street. This is just a short list of the many names yet to be documented.



The personal papers included car insurance and licence, dog licence, income tax, charitable donations, bills for newspapers, bills for Mrs Wright’s clothes from Lamport Drapery in Portsmouth, and for their children’s shoes from Mr Pritty of Spencer Road.

We know that Mr/Mrs Wright bought fish and/or poultry from H G Wolfe of 115 High Street, and had their papers delivered from W H Smith on the Esplanade. The family used Blakely and Pollard chemists, paid Drs. Turner and Samson for professional attendance, and had fillings done at Denbigh House by H Wordsworth. They bought bacon (Danish rashers) from G H V Bonner of 61 High Street, and had their house decorated by E Chandler.

Do you have such a treasure trove hiding in your attic? If you find anything like this and you have no use for the papers yourself, please don’t throw them away. The detail that such papers provide of the businesses in the town is invaluable to the work of RSHG. We‘d be happy to take any documents like these to ensure they don’t just end up on the rubbish tip.



Samuel Fowler – Founder of Fowler’s Store, Union Street, Ryde. Samuel Fowler was born at Pan Farm near Newport in October 1833. His father, Charles Fowler, was a very well known judge of stock who was especially successful with horses and a fine and daring rider. Both of Samuel Fowler’s parents died young and he was brought up by his uncle, Maurice Dear, of West Cowes. He was apprenticed by Mr Dear to Mr Groves, a draper, of Pyle Street, Newport. After his apprenticeship he went to London and joined the business of Hitchcock and Williams and while in London he took a great interest in the work of the Y.M.C.A. when the organisation was in its early stages. Eventually Samuel Fowler returned to the Island and opened a business at 42 Union Street, Ryde, and this gradually developed into the well known drapery and furnishing house of S Fowler & Co. In 1864 Mr Fowler married Mary, the daughter of Mr James Brooke of Park Farm, St Helens and they lived to celebrate their Golden Wedding in 1914. An interesting feature of this event was the presence of the four bridesmaids who had officiated at the wedding 50 years earlier. Mr Fowler entered into the Ryde Town Council in 1870 and served for about 40 years. He was a cultured and easy speaker, much respected by his colleagues. He could have been Mayor on several occasions had he been willing to take that office. He was elected an alderman in 1898 and was Deputy Mayor to the late Michael Maybrick. He retired in 1910 on medical advice and, on his retirement, presented a pair of solid silver candelabra to the town. Mr Fowler was one of the senior Justices of the Peace for the borough of Ryde. He was also for several years chairman of the Vectis Building Society. As might be expected from his parentage Mr Fowler was very fond of the country life; he regularly took to the field with the gun each season up until the age of 73. He was a good rider and went riding each fine morning before breakfast until he was nearly 80 years old. He was a good judge of horses and often acted in this capacity at shows. He celebrated his 90th birthday in October 1923 and on that occasion had the pleasure of seeing all his surviving family around him. Mr Fowler died on Wednesday 6th February 1924 in his 91st year leaving three sons and one daughter. Another son died in India. Mr Fowler was a consistent supporter of all local charities and good causes during his life. He was a man of culture and great geniality, a citizen Ryde has ever been proud to honour. The information above was obtained from an article in the Isle of Wight County Press dated Saturday 9th February 1924. Fowler’s Store is no longer trading as a shop but the name and frontage is retained as Wetherspoon S Fowler & Co., Free House.

S Fowler & Co., circa 1950 Wetherspoon S Fowler & Co., Free House 2007



News from Ryde Social Heritage Group

RSHG Exhibition in Ryde Library

On 24th February 2007 RSHG, along with other local historical groups, participated in an exhibition in Ryde Library on local history. Our display contained information about the Group, showed the results of some of our research and examples of the sort of information we are collating as part of our LHI funded project Ryde’s Heritage – Our Town, Your Histories. For the first part of the day the RSHG’s display was manned by members Kerry and Sharman Wall and Susan Harlow and from lunchtime onwards by Sally-Ann Garrett, Carol Strong and Janette Gregson. During the course of the day many people came to look at the display, some asked for advice about where they could find out information about their own families and others offered snippets of information to the Group. Having our display alongside other groups also gave us the opportunity to network with others with similar interests. Although the exhibition was only on display for one day it was felt to be a success by all involved.

Presentation to Isle of Wight Family History Society Monday 5th March 2007 On Monday 5th March Sally-Ann gave a presentation on the work of the Ryde Social Heritage Group to the Isle of Wight Family History Society at the Riverside Centre in Newport. Sally-Ann had prepared a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate her talk and this was projected onto a screen from a laptop computer. At the beginning of the evening there were a few technical problems but Sally-Ann stayed calm and the problems were sorted out by the time the room had filled up with members of the IWFHS and it was time to start the presentation. Sally-Ann spoke about Ryde Social Heritage Group, how the Group had started from a very small group of two to the membership group it is today with about 50 members. She explained about our initial research into Ryde Cemetery and some of the people buried there, about our successful application to LHI for funding which allowed us to develop our website with its searchable database and how the initial interest in the Cemetery had developed into a broader interest into the history of the town of Ryde. After the presentation there was an opportunity for members of the IWFHS to review some of the research and to ask questions.

Ryde Library 24th February 2007



Eugene Vivian Ticehurst 1874 - 1950 Sub-postmaster A family association of nearly 70 years with one of the earliest sub-post offices in Ryde came to an end on Sunday 19th March 1950 with the death of Mr Eugene Vivian Ticehurst, aged 75 at a Wootton nursing home. Mr Ticehurst was the sub-postmaster at the Monkton Street sub-post office for 25 years. The post office, on the corner of Monkton Street and Simeon Street, is numbered 38 Simeon Street. In 1925 he succeeded his father, Henry Alexander Ticehurst who opened the sub-post office in 1882, and managed the business, which he combined with a newsagents shop, until three weeks before his death. Eugene Ticehurst had also run a photographic business in Ryde and Newport specialising in illustrations for yachting publications together with portrait photography. His Ryde studio, “Strand Studio”, was at 43 The Strand. Eugene was born in Ryde in 1874, the son of Henry Alexander, a stationer, and Georgina Ticehurst. Henry, a British Subject, was born in Bordeaux, France and his wife in St. Leonards on Sea, Sussex. Both Eugene and his older brother Henry helped in their father’s business and were listed as Stationer’s Assistants on the 1891 Census. Eugene married Charlotte Elizabeth Salisbury from Somerset in 1903 and had two daughters. Charlotte died in 1928. He married his second wife Martha Annie Willoughby Powell in 1937 but she also pre-deceased him in 1943. Eugene Vivian Ticehurst was buried in Ryde Cemetery, in the same grave as his two wives, on Thursday 23rd March 1950. The sub-post office still trades today under the name Strand Post Office and incorporates a general store.

Dates for your Diary

Members meeting The next members meeting will be held on 14th July 2007 at 10:30am at the George Street Centre, Ryde. Richard Smout, County Archivist, will give a talk on Family History Resources in Ryde. July Newsletter The next Newsletter will be published on 14th July 2007. Please send any items to be included to the Editor by 1st June 2007.

Do you want to be more involved in Ryde Social Heritage Group? Join one of our Sub Groups where you can meet people with similar interests and contribute to the work of the Group in transcribing, mapping, research, writing, family history and publication. Members might like to participate in the Living Memories Project; if there is enough interest, we will form a working group that can organise this aspect of the work of RSHG. Please let us know if this is something that interests you.


LHI is a partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund,

William Watts 1845 - 1933 Bookseller, Stationer and Printer William Watts was born in the parish of Eling, near Southampton in 1845, the youngest son of James Watts. After serving an apprenticeship with Mr Ellis, bookseller, stationer and printer, of High Street, Southampton, he came to Ryde in 1868 as assistant to E and M A Gibbs, booksellers and stationers of Union Street. Two years later he started his own business at 15 Cross Street, Ryde. In 1888 William moved to larger premises at 29 Union Street where his business continued to develop rapidly and attracted custom from many parts of the country. Queen Victoria, members of other Royal families, and of aristocracy were among his customers. William Watts died at his home, North View, Spencer Road, Ryde on 22nd April 1933 after a short illness. He was 87. He was an active man and took a keen interest in affairs local, national and international. He made valuable contributions to the religious, social and musical life of the town and was a member of the Ryde Lodge of Freemasons, No. 698. He held the office of worshipful master and on two occasions was a provincial grand director of ceremonies for Hampshire and the Island. He was one of the original members of Ryde Rowing Club, a member of Holy Trinity Church choir and served as churchwarden at Holy Trinity. In 1880 William was appointed district manager of the Ryde area for the Isle of Wight County Press. A long and valued association with the paper continued until his retirement in 1920 and he played an important part in building up the papers circulation in Ryde and district. His funeral took place on Wednesday 26th April 1933. It was a quiet affair in compliance with the deceased’s request that there should be no mourning and no flowers. The service was held at the Parish Church with the Rev. A W H Harlow officiating. William Watts was buried in Ryde Cemetery in a grave by the side of his wife who pre-deceased him in 1918. The report of his death in the Isle of Wight County Press dated 29th April 1933 paid tribute to the well-known businessman – “By his passing Ryde loses one of her most respected citizens and one whose familiar figure had been seen about its streets for the long period of 65 years. Until a few years ago he was the doyen of Union-street tradesmen, and in business was representative of the best type of the old-fashioned bookseller and stationer, now practically extinct. No one better knew the value of books than he. His artistic tastes and his knowledge of the tastes of his customers stood him in good stead. His probity was unquestionable and the efficiency of his methods won for him a clientele which included all classes, from Queen Victoria downwards. Outside of business he was a keen and earnest worker for the general advancement of the welfare and prosperity of his adopted town. Those privileged to enjoy his friendship or acquaintance knew him as at all times a man of his word, one ever kindly disposed and concerned for the interests of others. There were no traces of ostentation or arrogance in his character; he ever displayed the charm of Victorian courtesy and was strongly imbued with love of home and family. He was always genial, and both in business and in all voluntary work he enjoyed an enviable reputation for soundness of judgement, thoroughness, and fairness.“ © Ryde Social Heritage Group 2007

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