The earth itself is around 4,600ma (million years old). The oldest rocks in Britain are in the north west of Scotland and are at least 2,700ma 520 million years ago Great Britain was split between 2 continents, divided by 4000 kilometres of ocean. These continents lay 20o and 60o south of the equator. During the… Continue reading Geology of the Great Doward and Little Doward.
Author: Peter Hunt
Retired electro mechanical service engineer. Resident in Whitchurch, Herefordshire, for 6 years.
Mr George Webb and the Ganarew Motorcycle Company.
So far as the advent of motor cars and motorcycles were concerned, Britain was at least a decade behind France and Germany. In 1896 there were only ten cars in the whole of the UK.* Mr George Webb of Crockers Ash had probably been in business before this selling conventional pedal type cycles from his shop… Continue reading Mr George Webb and the Ganarew Motorcycle Company.
Dorothy Peel: our local heroine – the 19th century equivalent of Mary Berry!
Constance Dorothy Evelyn Peel OBE (née Bayliff; 27 April 1868 – 7 August 1934) was an English journalist and writer, known for her non-fiction books on cheap household management and cookery. She was the seventh child of Richard Lane Bayliff, a military captain, and his wife Henrietta (née Peel) and was christened at St. Swithin’s… Continue reading Dorothy Peel: our local heroine – the 19th century equivalent of Mary Berry!
ELIZABETH POSTHUMA GWILLIM From Whitchurch.
ELIZABETH POSTHUMA GWILLIM. (Abridged by Hilary Stratford from ‘The Extraordinary Lives of Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim and John Graves Simcoe’ by Ann Gwillim Parker) Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim was the daughter of Elizabeth (a widow, her husband having died in 1721). At the time of her birth in September 1762, her mother was living with her grandmother… Continue reading ELIZABETH POSTHUMA GWILLIM From Whitchurch.
Characters of the Symonds Yat West. Peg Leg Bill.
One of the ‘heroes’ of the Symonds Yat area was affectionately known as Peg Leg Bill. William Lewis was born in 1898 and brought up in Monmouth. During the first World War he was posted with the Gloucestershire regiment to Agincourt (sounds appropriate for a Monmouth man!) and, sadly, lost a leg during the war.… Continue reading Characters of the Symonds Yat West. Peg Leg Bill.
The Industrial History of Whitchurch. Iron Ore Smelting and Forging.
Old Iron Works in Whitchurch Parish. Iron smelting and forging was a big business during the 17th, 18th and 19 centuries. Iron masters were usually wealthy, very important persons often holding high positions in society and politics. The Foley family is a good example. Richard Foley of Stourbridge (1580 - 1657) was a prominent ironmaster.… Continue reading The Industrial History of Whitchurch. Iron Ore Smelting and Forging.
The Industrial History of Whitchurch. Lime burning on the Dowards.
Industrial History of Whitchurch. Lime burning
The industrial History of Whitchurch. Lime Kilns on the Dowards.
For centurie, limestone has been burnt in lime kilns on the Doward hills
‘Characters’ of the Whitchurch Area. John George Sowerby – ‘The man who went through three fortunes’
The man who went through three fortunes’
‘Characters’ of the Doward area. Old Molly Green – The Witch of The Doward
In the latter part of the 19th Century a woman called Molly Green lived in a house called Horse Pool Cottage, the nearest dwelling to Horse Pool itself. She was known as Old Molly Green and was reputed to be a ‘very dangerous woman’, believed to be responsible for a number of worrying incidents. She… Continue reading ‘Characters’ of the Doward area. Old Molly Green – The Witch of The Doward
Whitchurch and Ganarew Area History Society 