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Post in the Questions and Answers section on Fernwood
Post being built
Most photo's on this thread are copyrighted
Alfred Antrobus a very successful Birmingham Jeweller built “FERNWOOD GRANGE” in nearly nine acres of grounds at New Oscott just off the Chester Rd. and retired and devoted all his time for the next 35 years to growing rare plants and sub-tropical trees in the grounds and gardens. His son Roland was born in 1879 and grew up like his father a lover of the countryside always to be seen in later life walking his dogs in Sutton Park, one of his greatest loves was his passion for wildlife and being a gifted artist he painted many water colours of British Birds which if you are lucky can still be seen today in antique shops. In 1954 he wrote to the local paper on how he had observed a pair of black necked Grebe’s on Wyndley pool
Most of the trees at the Western End of Keepers Pool where grown at “Fernbank” as saplings and given to the park by Roland
Roland Antrubus lived at Fernwood till his late 20’s became estate agent and surveyor and moved to the Drifford in later life.... an area just east of Wyndley Pool (on a few old maps I have it is spelt Windley Pool)
(Drifford meaning “Drive Fold” where animals were driven down a bridle path with steep sandstone sides so that they could be counted)
Alfred Antrobus died in 1907 and everything was put up for auction including Stables, carriage house, kennels, cow house and the piggeries.
A prosperous bookmaker named Ernest Beston who was born in 1874 bought the place who they later nicknamed “the man in the moon” and over the years he added in the grounds a Switchback railway, and aviary, 13 peacocks,4 Rolls Royce’s and 4 four big St Bernard dogs which he kept in big cages and to the main house he added a Cinema, music room, a Chinese lounge, an Abyssinian boudoir and a Ballroom, so it seemed he had very expensive tastes.
Both Mr Ernest W.Beston and his wife known as Mrs E.W.Beston entertained lavishly at Fernwood then for reasons unknown Mrs E.W.Beston disappeared from the scene round about 1916 and another Mrs Beston appeared Daisy Mary “Dulcie” who was an Irish Catholic had been married before and the went on to have five children, all girls.... Betty who in later life became a nun, Joy, Shirley, Sylvia and Valerie. The children grew up never knowing their parents where never married till later in life ( but that is another story)
During the late 1920’s Fernwood was sold and the family moved to the continent
During W.W.2 because of their secretarial skills and their knowledge of languages which they learned at boarding school in Belgium both got a job working at Bletchley Park, Sylvia working on the German code and Valerie on the Japanese
Photo 1 is a drawing of Fernwood
Photo 2 is a map of Fernwood top half 1884 bottom half 1914
Photo 3 is Edward W. Beston in 1914
Photo 4 is The first Mrs E. Beston in 1914
Post in the Questions and Answers section on Fernwood
Post being built
Most photo's on this thread are copyrighted
Alfred Antrobus a very successful Birmingham Jeweller built “FERNWOOD GRANGE” in nearly nine acres of grounds at New Oscott just off the Chester Rd. and retired and devoted all his time for the next 35 years to growing rare plants and sub-tropical trees in the grounds and gardens. His son Roland was born in 1879 and grew up like his father a lover of the countryside always to be seen in later life walking his dogs in Sutton Park, one of his greatest loves was his passion for wildlife and being a gifted artist he painted many water colours of British Birds which if you are lucky can still be seen today in antique shops. In 1954 he wrote to the local paper on how he had observed a pair of black necked Grebe’s on Wyndley pool
Most of the trees at the Western End of Keepers Pool where grown at “Fernbank” as saplings and given to the park by Roland
Roland Antrubus lived at Fernwood till his late 20’s became estate agent and surveyor and moved to the Drifford in later life.... an area just east of Wyndley Pool (on a few old maps I have it is spelt Windley Pool)
(Drifford meaning “Drive Fold” where animals were driven down a bridle path with steep sandstone sides so that they could be counted)
Alfred Antrobus died in 1907 and everything was put up for auction including Stables, carriage house, kennels, cow house and the piggeries.
A prosperous bookmaker named Ernest Beston who was born in 1874 bought the place who they later nicknamed “the man in the moon” and over the years he added in the grounds a Switchback railway, and aviary, 13 peacocks,4 Rolls Royce’s and 4 four big St Bernard dogs which he kept in big cages and to the main house he added a Cinema, music room, a Chinese lounge, an Abyssinian boudoir and a Ballroom, so it seemed he had very expensive tastes.
Both Mr Ernest W.Beston and his wife known as Mrs E.W.Beston entertained lavishly at Fernwood then for reasons unknown Mrs E.W.Beston disappeared from the scene round about 1916 and another Mrs Beston appeared Daisy Mary “Dulcie” who was an Irish Catholic had been married before and the went on to have five children, all girls.... Betty who in later life became a nun, Joy, Shirley, Sylvia and Valerie. The children grew up never knowing their parents where never married till later in life ( but that is another story)
During the late 1920’s Fernwood was sold and the family moved to the continent
During W.W.2 because of their secretarial skills and their knowledge of languages which they learned at boarding school in Belgium both got a job working at Bletchley Park, Sylvia working on the German code and Valerie on the Japanese
Photo 1 is a drawing of Fernwood
Photo 2 is a map of Fernwood top half 1884 bottom half 1914
Photo 3 is Edward W. Beston in 1914
Photo 4 is The first Mrs E. Beston in 1914
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Seriously though, this is so interesting! I had never heard of Fernwood untill Cromwell started this thread. Great reading!