Belmont House

[Justin Thyme]

Does anybody know who owned Belmont House, Euston Road, Bangor in 1920? It is the large house at the top end of Euston Road (it could also be said that it is situated at the end of Belmont Road due to the configuration of the streets.)

[Admin (Matt)]

Hi Justin

First hit:

Have you seen this: http://www.isle-of-man.com/cgi-bin/interests/genealogy/bulletin/index.pl?noframes%3Bread=534034

(re:  Stanley Darwell, Father, Belmont House, Euston Road, Bangor)

an answer to this

http://www.isle-of-man.com/cgi-bin/interests/genealogy/bulletin/index.pl?noframes;read=534014

Posted by a Martin Hussingree?

Nothing else jumping out at me at the moment. A few standard method for finding out:

1. House Deeds - Yours or ask you landlord.
2. Census Records - may tell you up to 1911 (http://www.1911census.co.uk/)
3. Electoral Roll Information for later years (Gwynedd Archives/Bangor Library)

[JT]

Mat,
got that many thanks
JT

[Admin (Matt)]

Okay...a few other online places to maybe check:

Search the RootsWeb Mailing List: http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
Gwynedd Archives:  http://www.gwynedd.gov.uk/DATRhagorolNET/Chwilio.aspx?iaith=en
Bangor University Catalogue: http://library.bangor.ac.uk/screens/mainmenu.html

best of luck with it! if I find (/think of) anything I'll post it here.

[JT]

Matt,
thanks for that, anything else you come up with is gratfully appreciated, meanwhile checking the leads you have given.
JT

[Admin (Matt)]

Is this Belmont House?

[JT]

Affairmative, thats it, althought Orme Terrace/View is/was called Euston Road in 1920 and still is I think?
JT

[Admin (Matt)]

This whole red brick development above was for railway workers built in 1898 by the LNWR (London and North Western Railway) Company. It incorporates around 76 dwellings and the Railway Institute. The estate is known in Welsh as 'Tai Stesion' (Station Houses), they are also known by the bastardisation 'Tai Station'.

The land was purchased by the Rail Company in 1880 from Edwin Dixon (Slate Merchant) and R M Griffith (Banker) who bought the land, amounting to 9 acres from the Deanery fifteen years earlier (1865).

http://www.bangorcivicsociety.org.uk/pages/hisso/ocup7.htm the 1840 Tithe Map indicates the land as being owned by the Dean of Bangor. It also shows Richard Morris Griffith owning several acres on land the other side of Caernarfon Road at the time.

Today there is a community association who might be worth contacting also:
Maes Tryfan & Tai Station Community Assoc, 7 Belmont Street, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2YU
p: 01248355545

[Admin (Matt)]

London and North Western Railway Society, might be worth contacting too.
http://www.lnwrs.org.uk/

Belmont Estate Ownership (Railway Companies)
London and North Western Railway (1880 to 1922)
London Midland & Scottish (LMS) Railway Co (1923 to 1948)
British Railways (1948 - 1966)

Also of note is that The British Railways Board sold most of the estate to the Council in 1966 to supplement the social housing stock in the wake of the falling numbers of people employed by the railways in Bangor. It is at this point that many were extended and WC/Kitchen/Bathroom facilities were upgraded.  

[JT]

Matt,
excellent leads again, thanks very much for your efforts, following up.
JT

[Admin (Matt)]

Also Known as Belmont Villa apparently.



Above are the Belmonts today to avoid any confusion, and Euston Road, as you say running upto the House/Villa

Belmont Drive, Avenue and Road (Part of the 'Gorst Built' development) and appear to be built on land called 'Bell Mount' owned by an Edward Case in 1840 http://www.bangorcivicsociety.org.uk/pages/hisso/ocup7.htm

And Belmont Street (West End) part of the Tai Station development.

All refering back to the Belmont Estate of course



The Belmont House

The last owner was a Mr Skyrme Rees a surgeon in the C&A Hospital. The original house was demolished and a Skyrme Rees family built a modern Chalet house called Cortina which overlooked Anglesey, he eventually emigrated to Australia and Trefonwys estate was developed


 Belmont, Sir Henry Lewis's home, a few weeks before demolishing in 1967

Lewis, a flour trader at work, was a prominent figure in Bangor and had a variety of jobs in local politics, served on the city council for thirty years, and was a mayor between 1900 and 1902.

Because he was a man of principle and socially conscious, he was taking a leading role in the social issues of his time. Nora, her daughter, was part of the swallow movement. Surely he did influence Lewis's decision to welcome Mrs Pankhurst to Belmont and hold a number of parties in his garden to support his case. Articles about this can be read in his magazine, kept in the Belmont collection in Bangor University archives.

[Admin (Matt)]

 

Second image from 1936 aerial photo which can be seen here




And it's been extended at some point. But not in the last 12 years or it would show on the planning site here: http://www.gwynedd.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/WPHAPPCRITERIA.display

Sorry gave up trying to do the roof:

[Admin (Matt)]

Justin,

How come you're researching the house/old owners? I'm guessing some sort of family history, but have you any names? etc.

Matt

[JT]

Matt,

Searching for information on Dora Quale [Grandmother], Quale was her maiden name, She gave Birth to my Mother; Constance Joan Marguerite [deceased] in Belmont House, Euston Road, Bangor, Gwynedd[then Caernarvonshire], [North Wales] U.K. on 27 January 1920. According to the birth certificate, my Gandfather's name was; Stanley Darwell.

My mother Joan was , adopted shortly after being born and placed by a priest from the Catholic Church, with a married Irish Woman and her Family, living in the West Country having the sur-name of Purse.

My Mother did not realize she was adopted until, aged 20ish she enlisted in the QARANC during WW2 and had to produce a copy of her birth certificate.

I have no other info except that my Grandfather was a "Gentleman of independant means", all the main players in this story have now passed on so the trail is cold.

I would like to find out why my mother was adopted and why she ended up with strangers rather than with Family.

Also what happened to my Grandparents?

Family rumour has it that there is an 'Isle of Man' connection but I have only heresay evidence, Quale sounds like Quayle which is an old IOM Family Name.

Also that my Grandfather may have been a Military Man?

I only have a copy of my Mother's Birth Certificate and have been unable to trace any connected Darwell's or Quale's.

>>>>>>>>>

I am trying to see if the above have any link to Belmont House, Martin Hussingtree is helping me, you have seen his posts on the IOM web site, he is following up the possible Quayle link.

JT

[Admin (Matt)]

I'll just add this...

1911 Census records the house as a Private Dwelling.

Clifford Windy (Head) b abt 1865 (46) Rhymney, Monmouthshire
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINENT

Elenor Windy (Wife , 36yo b abt 1875 Berwick on Tweed)
Lizzie Owen (Servant, 20yo Bangor)

1901 census, 10 years previous again showed the Windy's resident with a household of 1 Male, 2 Females

I'm not sure what a LOCOMOTIVE ENGINENT did, but they had a good house and a servant!

The 1921 Census was taken on the night of Sunday 19th June 1921 and will be accessible in 2022, in accordance with the non-statutory '100 year rule' under the 1920 Census Act.

----------------------------------

This refers to the land prior to development... http://bangor-civic-society-message-board-forum.2217623.n2.nabble.com/1884-indenture-with-plan-Hughes-amp-Edward-Bangor-td7572798.html#a7572882

[David Price]

I would have thought that at that time all the houses on the estate ('Tai Stesion') were owned  by the London and North Western Railway Company.