Mr Brasch, and the ongoing tale of our own brewery

Now this is another of those stories which is just about to give up its secrets.

The Bavarian Brewery, 1887

Most will know we had a brewery but my old friend Tricia has uncovered a bit more.

She told me, “I found the following entry in The Post Office Home County Directory for 1887.  Bavarian Brewery Co Ltd  (Moritz Brash Manager) High Street Eltham. 

Apparently it was originally  established under the name of Bavarian Brewing co in 1866 in Covington, Kentucky by Julius Deglow but became known as Bavarian Brewery in the 1870's. It was family owned until it was acquired by International Breweries in 1959. 

I wonder if this was the brewery at Outtrims Yard by Jubilee Cotts? I would love to find out more”.

The page with the clue, 1887

And so would I, and knowing Tricia she will uncover more.

A quick trawl of the records uncovered an entry in another directory for a Moritz Brasch at 6 Grove Terrace in High Road in Tottenham.

The date was 1882 and while there is an inconsistency in the way the name is spelt, I think this is our chap.

And that will allow us to find out more.

Location; Eltham

Pictures; extracts from The Post Office Home County Directory, Kent, 1886, sourced by Tricia Leslie

* The Post Office Home County Directory, Kent, 1886

**Post Office County Directory, Middlesex, 1882

Annie Morris, Lady Kirby and a neat little history lesson

Annie Morris circa 1900

What connects a reward issued by the Lord Mayor of London at the height of the Whitechapel Murders with Avery Hill and Mrs Morris of Court Yard?

This was the question I posed last week and now it is time to reveal the story.

According to a leading newspaper
"The Lord mayor, acting upon the advice of the Commissioner of City Police, has, in the name of the Corporation of London, offered a reward of £500 for the detection of the Whitechapel murderer, the last crime having been committed within the jurisdiction of the city.”

But he was not the only person to come forward with a reward and the same newspaper reported that “Colonel Sir Alfred Kirby, J.P., the officer commanding the Tower Hamlets Battalion Royal Engineers has offered, on behalf of his officers, a reward of £100, to anyone who will give information that will lead to the discovery and conviction of the perpetrator of the recent murders committed in the district in which his regiment is situated.”

And it is Colonel Sir Alfred Kirby who is the link to Avery Hill or to be more precise his wife, Lady Kirby who regularly visited Avery Hill with her husband to dine with Colonel North who lived there.

Their food would have been prepared by Annie Morris who lived at Court Yard but worked as the family cook.

Avery Hill today

I doubt that Annie and Lady Kirby ever passed through the gateway at Avery Hill at the same time but even so they were bound together by that simple relationship of cook and guest.

The one was a resident of Eltham and the other a visitor.

But that is not all. Almost a century later the descendants of Annie Morris and Lady Kirby met by chance both shared an interest in painting and began attending art classes together.

They became friends and discovered the link with the past, a link which has a nice twist.  Annie Morris’s great granddaughter is my friend Jean who readily admits she “hates cooking” while Pam whose great grandmother was Lady Kirby loves entertaining and so Jean is regularly wined and dined by Pam and her husband.

Jean and Pam 2013

It is one of those quirky turn of events that the great granddaughter of the cook at Avery Hill should in turn be served by the great granddaughter of Lady Kirby.

Now I could go off and explore the neat reversal of roles and examine the social changes which in just a few generations transformed the relationship between the descendant of a cook and a Lady.

But I won’t, that is perhaps for another time.

Instead I shall just leave with that thought that history is messy and it always has a habit of surprising you.

Picture;s of Avery Hill, 2013, Annie Morris, circa 1900 and Pam and Jean today courtesy of Jean Gammons

Back with the Grace family at Pippenhall Farm

Now I like the way a story takes on a new life and goes off in all sorts of directions.

Pippenhall Farm, circa 1900

Earlier in the month I revisited an old story about Pipenhall Farm and the Grace family.*

The farm was on the southern side of Bexley Road almost opposite Glenesk Road and appears on the tithe map of the 1840s, and I have no doubt with a bit of digging I could get much further back in time.

It also features in a few of the books about Eltham which make reference to Mr Grace. “whose family farmed here in Victorian times and into the 20th century.”*

The same spot today

Now the Grace family were here by the June of 1841 but had originated in the Midlands.  Old Mr Grace may have been born in Nottinghamshire and his wife Ann Fryer in Leicestershire, but he had died in 1842 leaving Ann to bring up their four children

She variously described herself as a “cow keeper,” “dairy farmer” and “market gardener” which was the occupation her son John gave later adding “farmer.”

If I have read the tithe schedule correctly back in 1841 the family were renting a mix of meadow land with a small orchard which would fit with the description of dairy farmer and market gardener.

To be honest I first posted the story last year, inspired by some pictures sent to me by Chrissie Rose and as lots more people now read the blog it seemed a good idea to publish it again.

And I am glad I did because my old friend Tricia went off to uncover more of the story of the Grace family.

As she said “I have been doing a bit of Miss Marpling and have compiled a draft of the Grace family tree.

John Vincent Grace, date unknown

It appears that Pippinhall farmhouse was situated on the south side of Bexley Road 1,200 yards east of the church. It was built in the mid 17century

According to The House of Lords Session Papers dated 1838, Pippin hall consists of a messuage or farmhouse and several parcels of land containing about 236 acres in the parish of Eltham.

I found John Vincent Grace born 1881 an interesting character.

He shows up as “Infant Grace” on the 1881 census as he was only 6 days old living at Elm Villas Eltham.

In 1911 he was living at 3 Southwood Cotts Southwood Rd New Eltham but it seems that after his fathers death in 1915 he moved to Pippin Hall.

In 1899 when he was 18 he was serving in the military in the second Boer war attached to Mafeking Railway Volunteers winning a medal.

Lucy, Kitty and John Henry Grace, 

Sadly he died on the 9th March 1931 age 49 at Kent County Mental Hosp Maidstone and was buried at Sidcup  March 12 1931.

The previous address before he went into the mental hospital was Cambria, Halfway St, Sidcup. Probate to Harry Gower Contractors effects £2,182.65 dated 20.5.1931.

I mistakenly missed out two of John Vincent's children from the tree, William born 1912 and Lucie born 1914.”

Nor has Tricia finished because she has gone looking for the medal John was awarded, and tells me that there are other clues to follow up.

All of which promises an interesting part three and maybe four or five.



Research; Tricia Lesley

Location; Eltham

Pictures; Pippenhall Farm, date unknown and the same spot today, courtesy of Chrissie Rose, and Grace family tree, and John Vincent Grace, and Lucy, Kitty and John Henry date unknown from the collection of Tricia Lesley

* Down on Bexley Road looking for Pippenhall Farm and the Grace family, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/down-on-bexley-road-looking-for.html?spref=fb

A mystery, a challenge and a romp through Eltham’s history with a neat lesson in social change part 1

Now here’s a trailer for a story that could run and run and I think I am minded to turn it into a challenge.

Here is the question.

What connects a reward issued by the Lord Mayor of London at the height of the Whitechapel Murders with Avery Hill and Mrs Morris of Court Yard?

Those who are regular readers of the blog will know that some at least of the clues are to be found in the stories that have already appeared.

At this point I know the challenge is a bit obscure but the fun will be to see who can begin to suggest a link.

And over the next few weeks I shall offer up bit more of the story.

The winner will be the one who comes closest to the solution.  But just as my old Maths teacher used to say the answer is not as important as the working out.  So full credit to anyone who can put together a nice set of links which have a sound historical grounding.

There is of course no prize other than the pleasure of contributing to the fun.

And just to show I cannot be accused of favouritism I am going to ask my good friend Jean to make the final judgement.

And for those in the know that in itself is a clue.

Picture; Avery Hill from the collection of Jean Gammons