Richard Bagot’s Hat
It’s that time of the year when it’s best to sit close to a warm fire out of the cold and rain warming the extremities. Here’s a small ray of cheer to brighten these darker days. It made us smile when we first saw this photo of SP menfolk, in particular Richard Bagot - seated in the middle - wearing what appears to be, if not a ten-gallon cowboy hat then at least seven and half.
Photograph from the collection of Harold Gardner
We hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas and New Year holiday. What better way to start 2024 than a couple of splendid photos from the collection of Harold Gardner.
The second photo is of boys of the Point gathered together with a couple of the dads and others. They look well behaved, well fed, and quite innocent…
Photograph from the collection of Harold Gardner
There is 15 years or so between the two photos and four of the adults appear in both. The absence of women disappoints, there were plenty of girls about, but they like the mothers have been excluded. (but wait, we have a photo with the girls coming soon).
Put to one side the historical and family ancestry interest, these are great photographs, brim full of character and charm. Apart from the ever-dour Arthur Townley they mostly grin or a half-smile, perhaps even a twinkle in the eye.
We owe a great debt to Harold, not only did he keep these and many other photographs, but for the most important group ones he made little diagrams and jotted down the names as best he could remember. He admits to a number of ‘unknowns’ but they are few and as best we can follow up, he made rare mistakes.
We promise to resist the temptation to reel off lots of facts on who these folks are and just keep to the names and one or two teeny-weeny bits and pieces of info.
Paul Hatton has kindly affixed numbers to each to help explain identification.
The first was taken in 1908 (it says so, it’s written on the back). They are comfortably seated on the long bench that was for many years against the south facing side of the Temperance Hotel (now number 11), it would be found turning the corner from First Terrace to begin the walk up the Lane. As this is pre the building of Dolphin House there would have been an unobstructed view down the river.
So, they are – (1) Hubert Townley just 16 years old, his father William is standing at the opposite end. (2) James ‘Shirley’ Gardner a fisherman and pilot living at the top of the Lane in the Summer House. (3) Arthur Foster, Arthur is newly identified but apart from the name we know little other than he was a shop manager in Lancaster. He lived for a time at number 4 also in the Lane from 1899 (when the widowed Elizabeth Gardner and her eight children left Sunderland Point for Glasson Dock) until Arthur Townley moved in, perhaps in 1904.
Number (4) is William Townley who is laughing, he is well known to us from his (very) many Sam Thompson portraits in the 1930s. (5) The only unknown - but it could be Fred Spencer - aged 19 at the time, sitting next to his father Tom Spencer. (6) Tom Spencer, Tom built the two semi-detached houses in the Lane - today numbers 2 & 3 – he and his family lived in number 3. Not long after this photo they will move to 10 First Terrace.
Number (7) Is the famously fine statured Richard Bagot now aged 55 who continues to live at number 4 with his wife Millicent (Millie) and son Gerard. (8) Arthur Townley, the taciturn older brother of William (standing behind) and uncle to Hubert. Arthur is also well known for his particular taste in hats.
Winding the clock back
In the second photo it’s easy to recognise where we are, on First Terrace standing in front of the stone pillar, looking towards the river. Following Harold’s notes, we double checked this group and can confidently suggest a date of 1892 (or maybe 1893)
They are (1) Arthur H. Mansergh aged 25, at this date a summer visitor to the Point with his father Robert Mansergh (probably at number 9). Soon Robert will build number 3 ‘The Moorings’. (2) & (3) we meet again brothers Arthur and William Townley. (4) Luke Gardner, at 61 is the oldest in the group. Luke is living in the Summer House with his much younger half-brother and his rapidly growing family, sometime soon they will move to Cotton Tree Cottage. Numbers (5) and (6) are the big men Tom Spencer and Richard Bagot.
Of the boys - numbers (7), (9), and (12) are three of the four sons of Richard W. B Gardner - James W Gardner, Wilton Gardner, and Thomas Gardner respectively. Thomas, then aged about 6 years, will become Harold’s father. Number (11) is James Spencer, son of Tom and (13) is big Gerard Bagot, standing next to his dad Richard. Numbers (8) and (10), both Harold and we are unable to identify, we have guesses but just not enough probability to suggest names.
There is another wonderful photograph of mainly children in Harold’s collection which we are working on and will bring to you shortly. Next time something completely different as our crack team investigates what has caused the salmon to disappear from the river.
Many thanks to Kris Needham who painstakingly checked names and dates and to the Gardner family for identifying children in the second photo.