Everything eventually wears out or falls to bits, and houses are no exception. Even when they are meticulously maintained, there comes a time when their upkeep simply becomes too much or they no longer fulfil a need.
But a bit of background to the two cottages pictured here. Well-known postcard collector Howard Beards from Stroud, recently asked if anything was known about them.
The first, I was able to help a little with – this was Vernal Cottage. From what I’ve been able to discover, it stood in the corner of the field at the end of the lane that runs from Millend up to Cress Green. It was located just beyond the last cottage on the left. There are now only a few remnants left deep in the undergrowth. Howard suspects that the photo may have been taken by the Stonehouse photographer Frederick J Restall, who was active between c1910 to 1927.
Vernal cottage
The house with the two chimneys is what is now Hazel Cottage and Millend Mill is just visible in the background.
Apparently the cottage was demolished in the early 1950s by Mr Keyes, who farmed the land at the time.
It’s been suggested that it may have taken its name from that of the field sometimes referred to as ‘Bloody Vernal’, a name that supposedly commemorates a ‘battle’ that took place there during the Civil War – probably no more than a bit of a scuffle!
It would be interesting to identify the little girl holding the cat.
The photograph of this second cottage carries the impressed mark of Walter G Lewis, an Eastington-based photographer.
He was born in 1874 and died in 1957 and was descended from a family that lived at Nupend.
We’ve not been able to identify this one so far. It may be that it has been demolished or modernised, changing its appearance.
Does anyone recognise it?
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