Brethren Archive

Verner Lodge, Belmont Park, Lee - Home of William Kelly

Blackheath and surrounding areas



Venner Lodge, Belmont Park



Description:

Kelly's final house in Blackheth; he moved here in 1889 and remained until his death in 1906. At the time it was situated in the village of Lee, the very opposite side of Blackheth to where he had lived before. Now, Lee has essentially disappeared; today the house would be said to be in Lewisham.





Comments:
Jeremy Manners said ...
I work at Lewisham Hospital and walk past this address most days. By complete accident I was googling my great grandfathers name and up popped the probate for William Kellys will, and my great grandfather was the executor of Kellys will. My great grandfather William Posnette Manners was a brewer in Burton on Trent (he ran Worthingtons brewery) so Isn't a little stange that he knew Kelly? I couldn't see any ties to kelly and Staffordhsire so how would have known my great grandfather?
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27931/pages/4835/page.pdf
Wednesday, Mar 12, 2014 : 13:45
Tom said ...
Thank-you very much for sharing this!
I had a look through the letters of WK and he visited Burton quite frequently. Below is the last reference I have to this in a letter from 1904, where he indicates he usually would stay with the M family! Possibly this could have been a connection somehow but I can't collaborate it sadly! Anyway I will look into it further!

15th September, 1904.
My dear H.
Here I am at the extreme North of my visitation; began my Edinburgh addresses last night, and close with next Lord’s Day, going South to Manchester on the 19th. and home a week after D. V. . I trust that you have all got good from country air and relaxation, as I from change of the scene of work. All effects of the bicycle incident have, I think, passed away but at Burton where I was L’s guest (the M. family being at Weymouth) ...
Thursday, Mar 13, 2014 : 12:19
Tom said ...
There is a document on my site entitled 'References' which is a address list from 1880. In that, under the meeting at Burton-On-Trent, a W.P. Manners of Stapenhill Road is listed as a correspondent for the meeting, so there we go! The brewery connection is interesting though!!
Friday, Mar 14, 2014 : 08:30
Jeremy Manners said ...
Hi,

Many thanks for the information, I'll have to look into who L could be.

The House William Posnette Manners lived in was called "Highlands", and was knocked down soon after he died in 1915. The area is now a housing estate called The Manners Estate. It is where the film director Paddy Consadine was born and where he located his most successfull film "Tyranasaur".

Incidently across the road from where the house was is now a memorial graveyard for the war dead of WW1, WP manners son Cecil Frederick Manners is one who died in that war and commemorated there. The graveyard is named in honour of William Coltman the highest decorated non ranking soldier in WW1. He was a stretcher bearer, and won the Victoria Cross among other medals. He was stretcher bearer due to his religious beliefs, a member of the Plymouth Brethren.

William Coltman is buried in St Marys Church in Winshill, a few hundred yards away from WP Manners house. St Marys Church was built (in 1869)like many other churches in the area, by the major employer, Bass brewery. WP Manners son Arthur Manners became the chairman of Bass, when Worthingtons and Bass merged in the inter-war years.

Many Thanks

Jeremy Manners
Monday, Sep 8, 2014 : 08:48
Mrs Janice E Hansford said ...
The Highlands was not on the land which is now called "Manners Estate." It was on Newton Road, There was also another large house in the vicinity of The Highlands which was called Dale Brook House, which was also either owned or occupied by the Manners family There was no trace of that house even when I was a girl in the early 1950's, but my Nan could remember it and where it stood.

Incidentally, the church in Winshill is St Mark's. One side of my own family were Plymouth Bretheren and I used to go to their chapel in North Street. That disappeared in the slum clearance programme of the 1960's, but it's successor is on Hawfield Lane in Winshill. Hope this helps.
Sunday, Feb 21, 2016 : 16:04


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