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St. Mary’s Church with the Tithe Barn, prior to the Barn’s destruction by fire in 1961. From a watercolour by G.S. Fidler.
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'In 1943 Miss Gwendolen Wilkinson, daughter of Sir Neville Wilkinson, Ulster King of Arms and granddaughter of Lady Pembroke, tenant of Knoyle House, set up the Beatrix Nursery (named after Lady Pembroke), first at Knoyle House but later at Clouds. She is the Nursing sister at top right. It was a home of the 'Waifs and Strays' later renamed as the Church of England Children's Society. When Miss Wilkinson and the Matron Miss Blake retired in 1964, the home was closed
Knoyle House in about 1950, when it had become an Old People's Home. The fence had had to be hurriedly repaired when a tracked vehicle crashed into it shortly before Queen Mary was due to visit during WWII.
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POST WAR
This photo was sent to us by John Game of Suffolk in July 2010 and triggered the following exchange:
I am tracing my husband’s family. One of the 6 photos we have is of a lady in the British Red Cross uniform which said on the reverse Hon Commandant British Red Cross Wilts 68th detach.also one of her husband in a freemasons outfit. Most of the photos were taken by L Maylott in Swindon. To cut a long story short we went when we stayed at Devizes to Swindon Library. It didn’t take long to find out the Red Cross lady was Lillian Preater nee Grant and the Freemason was her husband Harry Charles Preater a prominent person in Swindon J.P. also owned a Ford Agency in 1922 and founded H.C. Preater Ltd .He was the secretary of the British Red Cross penny a week fund which raised £16.500. Turning back to his wife Lillian she appears on the 1881 census as living with her parents Edwin and Louisa Grant she is just 1 year old born East Knoyle. Edwin Grant is a police man and they are living in 13 Knoyle Street. Richard Drake I s the publican of the Black Horse, John Perry is running a Bake House, Henry Ball is the publican at the Seymour Arms. William Alford is running a Saddlers Shop,Barnett Randal is a grocer and William Snook also runs a shop Robert Milford is the rector and the post office is run by Samuel Burton he is also a grocer.Busy little place. Lillian had brothers Albert, Reginald,and Alexander all born in the village also Annie her sister ,Amy was born at Hindon 1891 they had moved there Edwin was still a policeman. I would love to know if there are any photos of Knoyle Street and anything else you can tell me.
I am tracing my husband’s family. One of the 6 photos we have is of a lady in the British Red Cross uniform which said on the reverse Hon Commandant British Red Cross Wilts 68th detach.also one of her husband in a freemasons outfit. Most of the photos were taken by L Maylott in Swindon. To cut a long story short we went when we stayed at Devizes to Swindon Library. It didn’t take long to find out the Red Cross lady was Lillian Preater nee Grant and the Freemason was her husband Harry Charles Preater a prominent person in Swindon J.P. also owned a Ford Agency in 1922 and founded H.C. Preater Ltd .He was the secretary of the British Red Cross penny a week fund which raised £16.500. Turning back to his wife Lillian she appears on the 1881 census as living with her parents Edwin and Louisa Grant she is just 1 year old born East Knoyle. Edwin Grant is a police man and they are living in 13 Knoyle Street. Richard Drake I s the publican of the Black Horse, John Perry is running a Bake House, Henry Ball is the publican at the Seymour Arms. William Alford is running a Saddlers Shop,Barnett Randal is a grocer and William Snook also runs a shop Robert Milford is the rector and the post office is run by Samuel Burton he is also a grocer.Busy little place. Lillian had brothers Albert, Reginald,and Alexander all born in the village also Annie her sister ,Amy was born at Hindon 1891 they had moved there Edwin was still a policeman. I would love to know if there are any photos of Knoyle Street and anything else you can tell me.
Tony Claydon replied: I found a picture of the Police House with the PC and his dog in the snow c1908. I'm pretty sure that (unless the Police house changed location which I doubt) that it was and is in fact No. 17 The Street.
See Also: A story about WW2 evacuees at East Knoyle Arranged by Gwendoline Wilkinson
An excerpt from Violet Eyles life story who was evacuated to East Knoyle.doc(26 kB)
An excerpt from Violet Eyles life story who was evacuated to East Knoyle.doc(26 kB)
Posted 16 Dec 2010