Part 4

But all this part is so little altered that description is unnecessary until one comes to Moulding’s Carriage Factory, which was built in the year 1871 on the ground where Messrs. Larkins, the brewers, had a kind of storehouse. This factory was burned down in 1881, and in the course of a very short time re-built.

LORDSHIP HALL.

This was the next place of interest. The grounds, nearly twelve acres in extent, were enclosed in a high brick wall, which went all round. The lodge stood at the corner of what is now Pembury-road, and through the gates one could catch a glimpse of the beautiful hydrangeas, and other flowers bordering the carriage drive, leading to the mansion, which stood not far from Lordship-lane. It was a good old house, with a fine entrance hall; it struck me as being very gloomy upstairs, the bedroom doors all being painted black. There were many pretty, shady walks in the gardens and fields; in one part was a nut walk.

When the hall was pulled down in 1867 a portion of the ground was thrown out to widen Lordship-lane, which was at that time very narrow.

There was a row of pretty, small cottages on the right-hand side of the lane, several of them built of wood. The tenants took great pains with their gardens and grape vines, which were covered with bunches of white grapes. The houses that came next, called Bruce-terrace, were built by Mr. Thomas Finney, an ironfounder. They have one peculiarity—each house has an iron step at the gateway in lieu of stone. From this point to Bruce Castle grounds there were fields on both sides. On the left-hand side there was a row of majestic elm trees. The white house in the middle of the field was the residence of Mr. Francis Fox.

BRUCE CASTLE.

Bruce Castle has always had a fascination for me, thinking of the changes that have taken place since Robert Bruce, father of Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, who died in 1303, lived in the castellated mansion that formerly occupied the site. Later on, when it came into the possession of Sir William Compton, he re-built it, and again it seems associated with Scotland, for on the Saturday after Ascension Day, in 1516, King Henry VIII. met his sister, Margaret, Queen of Scots, at “Maister Compton’s house beside Tottnam.” One can imagine the scene that was enacted there, when Sir William’s grandson, Henry Lord Compton, was honoured by a visit from Queen Elizabeth in May, 1578. History says the Castle was repaired, and almost re-built, in the latter part of the Seventeenth Century, by Henry Lord Coleraine, who succeeded the Comptons. He removed the arms of Compton from the old porch, and placed them over the entrance of the inside, out of respect to that illustrious family. At this time there was stabling for twelve horses, and a treble coach-house, with lofts over. Gradually the glory of the place departed; it passed from owner to owner, and when Mr. Ede, a merchant, of London, purchased it in 1814, these stables and coach-houses were pulled down. Up till the early part of last Century the principal entrance was in the centre of the Castle, and on either side of the door orange and lemon trees were growing in large tubs, which gave it a very pretty appearance. This door was afterwards closed, and the entrance made at the side. In 1827 Mr. Ede sold the mansion, with 15 acres of pleasure grounds, gardens, etc., to Messrs. Hill, who started a boys’ school, which was under their management for fifty years. It is interesting to know that Sir Rowland Hill, to whom we are indebted for the Penny Postage Stamp, was one of the joint purchasers. In 1877 the Rev. W. Almack, M.A., took over the school, and it remained in his hands until the school was dissolved in 1890, when Mr. Pedley rented the Castle and grounds for two years, and during this time the building was used for a Loan and Industrial Exhibition. The estate was finally sold for the use of the public, and called Bruce Castle Park. Till within quite recent years the trees and bushes in the front of the Castle were a sight to behold when out in full bloom—white and pink horse-chestnuts, laburnum, white and pink may, guelder roses, and lilac. The ivy was so thick and broad on the top of the wall for some distance down Lordship-lane that it formed quite a verandah. During a heavy storm a great part was blown down. In olden times a curious custom prevailed at Bruce Castle: When any of the family died the corpse was not allowed to be carried through the gate, so an opening was made in the wall near the Church, and through this the coffin was taken. In the time when corpses could be arrested for debt a man died there and, owing to this custom, the family were able to get the corpse into the churchyard before the creditors could claim the body. When the last aperature was opened a Gothic door was fixed in its place.

ALL HALLOWS.

At the beginning of last Century the Parish Church, dedicated to All Saints, was the only church in Tottenham, and although smaller than at present it was large enough for the number of worshippers. But as the number of inhabitants increased, although other churches had been erected, it was necessary to enlarge it, and in 1876 the new chancel was built, north and south transepts, an organ chamber, double vestries, and a north porch added, and what was formerly the old chancel absorbed in the nave, and the new roofs made considerably higher than the old. For my part, I like to think of the “Old Church,” as we used to call it, as it was when I was a child, with the high pews with doors to them, two of which were square, with seats all round, like a little room. One of these was allotted to the tenant of the Moat House, Tottenham Park. The centre alley of the nave was paved with grave stones, but they were so worn by time that in many cases the inscriptions were nearly obliterated. There was a gallery at each side, and one at the west end, where the girls from the Blue School sat. The organ was in this gallery; Mr. Stone was the organist for a great many years. On the wall of the gallery on the south side were placed all the Hatchments that had been taken from the large houses in the neighbourhood. The other gallery was private; built and presented to the church by three gentlemen of the congregation. The pulpit was a three-decker; the lower part was where the minister stood to read the lessons, and by the side was the sort of box, where the Parish Clerk sat. One of his duties was to say all the “Amens,” and also to read the alternate verses of the Psalms, etc. We children used to look forward with pleasure to hearing Psalm lxxiv., for when it came to the eleventh verse, to our great amusement, old James Filsell always said: “Why pluckest thou not thy right hand out of thy ‘buzzum.’” The Vicar then was the Rev. Thomas Newcome, who lived at Shenley; he was also Vicar of that parish, and it was only occasionally he came to Tottenham to take the service. He never failed to come on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, and my recollection of him is hearing him say, in loud and impressive tones, the collect beginning, “Stir up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the wills of Thy faithful people.” The strong accent on the first two words always made them sound “Stour oop.”

We only had morning and afternoon service, and as it used to get dusk on winter afternoons the pew opener placed two flat brass candlesticks on the top of the last pew on either side of the aisle to light the congregation out. It was not a brilliant illumination, but it served every purpose.

The next Vicar was the Rev. W. J. Hall. During the latter part of his time some of the congregation wished to have an evening service, and offered to pay for a minister from London to conduct it; but on talking it over with Mr. Forster’s father, his remark was, “I am getting into years, Forster, and so are you; so we will not consent to it, and if any one wishes for an evening service there are other churches to which they can go.” But Mr. Hale, who succeeded Mr. Hall, willingly agreed to the request.

Over the Altar at the East there was a beautiful window of ancient painted glass divided into eight compartments, containing the representations of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, with smaller figures of David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. It was given to the Church in 1807 by John Eardly Wilmot, who then resided at Bruce Castle. The other windows were all plain glass.

The most remarkable monument in the Church, of fine white marble, against the upper end of the north wall, was erected to the memory of Maria, the daughter of Richard Wilcocks, of Tottenham, and the wife of Sir Robert Barkham, of Wainfleet, in the County of Lincoln, who died in 1644. The monument is ornamented with the busts of the deceased and her husband; Sir Robert being represented in armour, with a peaked beard and whiskers, holding a book in one hand; and his wife habited in veil, necklace, handkerchief, and stomacher, very richly ornamented with lace, also with a book in one hand and resting the other on a skull. On the base of the monument are on a black ground the effigies in white marble of four sons on one side and eight daughters on the other in praying attitude; the first on each side kneeling to a desk with a book on it. One of the children on either side is represented as deceased, and laid wrapped in a shroud, with a death’s head under the pillow.

Underneath the painted window the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments were written, and on either side of the Altar rails were two large boards covered with leather; on these was written in letters of gold an account of the bequests to the Parish.

Formerly the Vestries used to be held in the Vestry-room, but as the population increased, and there was more business to be done, the accommodation was not sufficient, and so they were held, first at the Lecture Hall, and afterwards at the Drill Hall, and now at the Bruce Grove Board School.

The bell that is known as the saints or vestry bell was given to the Church in 1801 by Humphrey Jackson, Esq., M.D., who lived for many years in White Hart-lane. This bell has upon it an ornamented cross on which are fleur-de-lis and on the upper part the inscription “Sit nomen Domine Benedictum I.H., Fecit, 1663,” together with two medals and an ornamental border. On the lower part there are other medals, on one of which is a representation of the Virgin and Child. This bell was the alarm bell to the garrison of Quebec, and was appropriated by some drunken sailors during the siege of that place by the force under General Townsend. It is believed there is a quantity of silver in its composition, which accounts for its melodious sound.

In former years some poor pensioner was allowed to make a home in the room over the porch. The last was Betty Fleming. She kept a great many cats, and used to place saucers with milk for them all round the churchyard. She died in 1790, aged 100 years, having lived in that room forty years.

A dog would not be permitted to enter a church now, but I remember when Charles Bradford (old blind Charlie as he was called) was led in by his dog, and it remained with him all the service, so quiet that no one would have known it was there.

One Sunday evening in the summer of 1876 there was a terrific storm. All through the sermon it had been getting darker and darker, and when the last hymn was being sung the storm broke out in great fury, the last verse had to be omitted, and the Vicar gave the Benediction. The noise was deafening; the hailstones were immense; they smashed the Lanthorne light, and glass was flying in all directions. Outside the water was so deep that those who attempted to leave the church were obliged to come back. To add to the confusion one lady went into hysterics. Some one covered her with a waterproof so that she should not see the lightning. Fortunately I had a bottle of strong smelling salts with me, which I sent to her, and after a time she recovered. Everyone, I believe, was frightened; some were deadly pale, and it was a great relief to all of us when the storm abated. But many people had cause to remember it as it did so much damage, destroying the crops in the market gardens and smashing such quantities of glass.

At one time the churchyard was sufficient, not only for Tottenham, but for Wood Green as well, and one could wander over the grass and amongst the graves. There were not any very curious epitaphs; one I thought very beautiful was on a stone erected to the memory of a pupil at Bruce Castle. It commenced, “Far from his native home the little Sulliot came.” On another was written, “Charlotte, we shall meet again.” The stone was erected by a man who lost his wife. But after a time his grief subsided, and he married again, whereupon he caused these words to be erased.

When the Church was altered the churchyard also underwent a considerable change. The paths were diverted, and many of the stones were removed to another part. One lady strongly objected to having her family vault touched, and applied to the Secretary of State to uphold her in her refusal, which he did. Her reply to the Vicar when he asked her to reconsider her decision was, “Cursed is he who removeth his neighbour’s land-mark.”

My grandmother was buried at the time there were body-snatchers, and my mother was so afraid of her body being disturbed, that, although she employed two men to keep watch, she went accompanied by her maid at various hours of the night to see that they were doing their duty, and always found them at their post. It was a very lonely walk, but her love for her mother made her brave. There was a watch-box on the north side of the tower, and for a fortnight or three weeks after a burial old David Hummett, who was one of the Charlies, kept watch. I have heard that somewhere about this time a lady was buried in Edmonton Churchyard wearing some very handsome rings. This was much talked about, and some men for the sake of the booty dug up the coffin that night, and opening it, commenced to cut off her fingers as they were unable to remove the rings. To their horror she sat up. They made off as quickly as they could, and she walked home to her husband’s house and rang at the bell and he opened the door to her. What he felt no one can tell; at any rate it must have been a shock to his nerves. She lived for some years after, and this account was given to my mother by the nurse who attended the lady when her baby was born. She was in a trance, so the men’s greed was fortunate for her, as it saved her life.

THE PRIORY,

an old-fashioned residence adjoining the churchyard, was in the year 1620 occupied by a Mr. Fenton. On the beautifully carved ceiling of the dining-room his name appears thus: Fenton, and an illustration of a barrel or tun. This design was also found on some Dutch tiles which were part of the original hearthstone. I remember Mrs. Hannah Wakeling living here. She was the owner of “Priory Side,” “Hornchurch,” and “Bruce Lodge.” She left each house to the tenant who was living there at the time of her death.

Scotlands is the name of the sexton’s cottage—a quaint, detached, wooden building on the east side of the church. It was for a great many years occupied by Mr. Joseph Forster, the sexton, and when he died his son, Mr. Alfred Forster, who succeeded him, bought and enfranchised it. Turning the corner by Rose Cottage, the bar, which was placed there so many years ago to prevent vehicular traffic, still stretches across the road.

THE CEMETERY.

This was opened in January, 1858, a few years after the parish purchased the ground on the north side, and since then it has been much enlarged in the other direction. Continuing along Lordship-lane, after passing Bruce Castle, on the left hand side of the road, there stood two good residences, in the first of which John Elliott Howard lived, and in the other Thomas Fox. A short distance further the substantial farmhouse “Broadwaters” occupied by John Phillips, a prominent member of the Society of Friends. This farm was part of the Downhills Estate, and was 220 acres in extent. Some distance further up the lane was a small farm, then an unbroken stretch of fields to the four cross roads. Passing Wood Green Common, where there were several good houses, one came to Tottenham Wood, an estate of 379 acres, the property of Thomas Rhodes, a relative of Cecil Rhodes, of South African fame; when he died it was sold to the Company who built the Alexandra Palace there. It used to be said that whenever a fog, or mist, rose out of Tottenham Wood, and hung over it like smoke, it was a sign of rain and bad weather; the rhyme was:

“When Tottenham Wood is all on fire, Then Tottenham street is nought but mire.”

Coming back to the High-road, where the offices of the Gas Company now stand was one of the many ponds for which Tottenham was noted; then a large house called “The Ferns.” My mother well remembered the mansion which stood next; for many years her father dined there, every other Sunday, with his friend William Salte. This was one of the most conspicuous residences in the parish. In 1730 Philip De La Haize lived there; he was a wealthy London merchant. At his death he bequeated the interest of £100 to the poor of the parish. Mr. Salte died in 1816. It was found impossible to let or sell the place as a whole, so the house was pulled down, and the materials, with the land, sold by auction, the materials alone realising £2,500, which shows that the house must have been very substantial. There was a very handsome clock over the stables; Mr. Salte had it made by Thwaites, of Clerkenwell; he ordered it to be “as good as any between London and York,” and it cost him £400. At the sale it was purchased by Miss Deborah Dermer for £75, who had it fixed on her residence, Coleraine House, Stamford Hill, which was from that time known as the Clock House. The beautiful wrought-iron gates were left. The land stood idle for so many years that many considered it to be in Chancery, but this was not the case. The reason devolved upon the question of the heir-at-law. Mr. Thomas Dermer, having a son or daughter, Mr. Gripper, of the Bell Brewery, very much wished to purchase it, but the risk was too great. A few years before Mr. Dermer died he sold it to the Law Reversionary Society for a mere trifle, who a short time after sold it to Messrs. Harper, who built Criterion-buildings, Cedar-road (taking its name from the noble cedar tree which stood on the estate), Ruskin-road, and Pembury-avenue. The land extended to the grounds of Bruce Castle.

The row of houses called Moselle-terrace, lay back from the road. In the enclosure a fountain was erected, the ground having been bored to the depth of one hundred and nineteen feet, the main spring was tapped and a plentiful supply of water obtained. The fountain was in the form of a cast-iron ornamental pedestal; the water rose about six feet from the ground, and was discharged through the mouth of a dolphin about 18 inches from the ground. The pedestal was removed in 1839, and the water, instead of being allowed to run waste as formerly, was conducted into a trough placed by the side of the road for the use of cattle passing to the London markets.

CHURCH ROAD.

This used to be called The Nursery, as Charles Coleman had a large nursery there. The ground was afterwards used for a brickfield. Near Bruce Castle grounds was the Lancasterian School for boys, supported by voluntary contributions.

Messrs. Le Gros, Thompson and Bird, crape finishers, had a factory in Love-lane. This was burnt down in the year 1860, and the business was then removed to Norwich. The manager, James Bayliss, lived in the house in the front, which is now used as a Convent School.

Whitehall House stood on the site, now covered with shops and houses, known as Whitehall-terrace, Whitehall-street, and Moselle-street. The estate consisted of between six and seven acres of land. In one part of the pleasure grounds there was a Serpentine Walk. The house was some distance back from the road, and in the front was a beautiful lake, with swans on it. Mr. Charles Soames was the owner and occupier.

WHITE HART LANE.

At one time called Parsonage-lane. At the end of a turning on the right-hand side was the old Roman Catholic Chapel, which was used until the present Church was erected in the High-road. The Grange needs no description, as it still looks as it did in the days when I remember Miss Buckworth living there. After passing several good houses, one came to the Vicarage, which still stands; the senior curate, the Reverend John Saumarey Winter, lived there. Then there were two good houses, the further of which was the scene of a very sad accident—two children being burned to death in their beds. The parents were away from home, and the servants, taking advantage of their absence, gave a party, and forgot all about the poor little ones until too late. Before St. Katharine’s College was built the ground was used for allotment gardens; there is so little alteration in the cottages and houses that follow that no description is needed. Dr. Robinson, who wrote the History of Tottenham, in 1818, lived in the house now known as Trafalgar House. There was a large field opposite, the path through which formed a quick cut to the bend of the lane. On one side was a quick set hedge, and bank; in about the middle the path widened into what looked like a little room, and here, under the shelter of the hedge, poor old Blind Charlie lived for many years. The Rev. Mr. Hall, the Vicar, kindly gave him a mattress to lie on. In the field adjoining the Churchyard a poor, homeless boy dug a hole, near the hedge, where he used to sleep, the opening being covered with a tea-tray. But he was not allowed to stay there long, as children were afraid of passing. The old bridge crossing the Moselle was a pretty, narrow one, and on either side stood a fine oak tree. The trees in the second field were very beautiful.

TOTTENHAM PARK.