Pages from a Howe Family Album
When Hugh Lanham told me of some pages of photos of Ryburgh taken in the 20’s that he’d purchased on Ebay, I was obviously eager to see them and when he asked if I would like them for the Ryburgh Archive that I have been slowly building up, I gratefully jumped at the chance. The contents were immediately recognisable and fortuitously came at the time when we were investigating WW1 and in particular one soldier Frederick John Bone. Click on the link here to take you to the page to see the relevance of the album in that context. There have been otherimages that I have since placed on other pages on the site, but a chance find in the archive of Picture Norfolk has brought the album once again into the light.
The photos were pasted onto manilla card and clearly formed a part of a larger album. They were all identified on the card and on the backs of the images where these could be seen. They date from 1923/4 and document one family in particular from a Ryburgh dynasty, that of the Howe family and in particular Sam Howe and his daughters. Sam kept the Railway Tavern andmany of the images show the building from the rear with daughter Ethel May and grand-daughter Sylvia. It also contains other images of the village and people described as Pre-War, followed on the same page with the heading 1923 and where numbering appears as 58 and 59. There was also one loose image of the school dated 1924.The visit to the Picture Norfolk Archive was to find a place initially for my increasing collection of Ryburgh Postcards which they said they would be pleased to have. On visiting the store at the Forum, I was shown the Ryburgh relevant box folder where items from a longterm survey of the County’s villages are housed. Almost the first item revealed and one that I had not seen was clearly a page from a manilla card album with photos from 1924/1925. I was sure that this was connected with Hugh’s find but it wasn’t until I was sent the scans of the contents that I was certain that it was indeed another page from the same album. The images were also numbered. Our pages end with two views of a lock and a reservoir in Tottenham as numbers 69 and 70. The Picture Norfolk page starts with 141. What happened in between? I have sent the two pages that I had to join the one in the Picture Norfolk Archive to ensure their preservation for the future. We have their permission to publish the entire surviving contents of this Howe Family Album and who knows, it may bring some more of those further pages out of hiding…...I do hope so.
The Ebay pages complete:
Ebay page 1:
Pre-War
Jack Boulter was a miller working for the Smith's at Ryburgh Mill. He died in February 1933 aged 79.
Walter Smith was a butcher. His shop was on the corner of present day Wensum Court.
He is seen here within yards of his premises driving up Doctor's Hill. He died in January 1937 aged 65
Sam Howe's daughter baptised Phyllis Maud Sadler in 1889
1923
58.
Sam Howe with his daughter Ethel May Sadler Howe baptised 1891 and Grand-daughter Sylvia Rose Bone Sadler.
59.
The Railway Tavern where Sam Howe was the publican.
Ebay page 2:
60.
Ethel May and Sylvia at the rear of the Railway Tavern looking down Doctors Hill across the field that is
now occupied by the Council Housing built c 1947
61.
A group of village men drinking in garden at the rear of the Railway Tavern.
The cottages in the background were demolished and now are the site of the telephone exchange buildings.
62.
River Wensum looking South from the Bridge at Ryburgh
63.
Sam Howe and Sylvia at the rear of the Railway Tavern.
64.
The newly completed Village War Memorial on Station Road
Ebay page 3:
65.
Ethel May and Sylvia at the rear of the Railway Tavern
66.
Sam Howe and Sylvia at the rear of the Railway Tavern
67.
The newly erected Think and Thank War Memorial Screen in St Andrew's Church
68.
The newly completed Village War Memorial on Station Road.
69.
Ston[e]bridge Lock on the River Lea navigation.
70.
Probably Lockwood Reservoir adjacent to the Stonebridge Lock.
.
Ebay pages loose image:
Ryburgh school dated 1924.
The "New" Images by kind permission of Picture Norfolk:
141.
Ethel May and her mother ? (Jane Howe nee Hudson) drinking tea outside the back door of the Railway Tavern
14?.
Ethel May? and Sylvia? outside the rear of the Railway Tavern.
A rare view of the Ryburgh Farmers Foundry at work pouring molten metal from the Cupola
170.
The rear view of the cottage known as Yew Trees "Dunmovin" set back from the South side
of Fakenham Road opposite Ebenezer Cottage. The cottage had a large orchard which was sold as building plots
for the 3 bungalows that front Fakenham Road up to Westwood Lane
The front view of the cottage known as Yew Trees.
June Clarke tells me:
"this is where Uncle Sam(Howe) lived, then Grandad Barney, then Charlie and Winnie."