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Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 06 Sep 2014 18:17
by Gwebb1
Anyone out there able to help with this one?
My father once mentioned a relative owning a laundry in Low Hill, which was operating at the time of WW2 but closed during the war. Likely owner was John (Jack) Forrest. I have found him on the 1911 census but he had nothing to do with laundries. He died in 1947 and this might explain the closing of the laundry.
Was my dad right or did he imagine the laundry?!
Many thanks,
Glen
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 06 Sep 2014 18:51
by MaryA
You could try either BT phone books or trade directories (up to 1938) available on Ancestry - if you don't have a subscription your local library should have free access.
I think the main thing would be to get the death certificate and see the address where he died and who registered the death, that might help.
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 06 Sep 2014 19:12
by Bertieone
I don't know if this is Low Hill or anywhere near it,
1938 Directory,
Forrest's Laundries,
172 Boaler St, corner of Gilroy Rd
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 06 Sep 2014 19:29
by Bertieone
1940, phone book
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 06 Sep 2014 19:59
by Gwebb1
Thanks Mary and Bertie - I had a feeling someone would come up trumps! My dad's memory seems to have come up trumps again. I've been corresponding with someone who has done a lot of research into the Forrest family tree and he reckoned he could not make a link with the laundry idea so I will let him know your findings and give the forum all the credit.
Regards,
Glen
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 06 Sep 2014 22:39
by Blue70
1938 Kelly's Directory
Low Hill Kensington L6
53 & 55 Forrest's Laundries
Blue
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 07 Sep 2014 09:54
by Gwebb1
Thanks, Blue. I wonder if the Forrests had more than 1 laundry business, given that Bertieone found one in Boaler Street. As an aside: do you notice that the apostrophe is used correctly, which is not always the case these days?!
Glen
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 07 Sep 2014 22:53
by Blue70
The Alphabetical Directory for Kelly's 1938 has the following:-
Forrest's Laundries 53 and 55 Low Hill and 172 Boaler St. E. Anfield 64
This confirms there were no other premises. The Low Hill premises were more or less across the road from where Winter Street is now on modern maps. On 1950s maps three or four properties including 53 and 55 Low Hill have disappeared so perhaps they were lost in the war.
Blue
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 08 Sep 2014 07:45
by Gwebb1
Thanks, Blue - that's great.
Glen
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 16 Sep 2014 14:16
by Gwebb1
Further to my previous post, I have now found out that John Arnot Forrest, who had the laundries, lived with his widowed father (James) at 137 Boaler Street at the time of the 1911 census - John was married and a warehouseman at this time but his father was head of the family. His father also lived at this address in 1901.
Just wondered if any of you have ready access to trade or telephone directories and a bit of time to spare to see if you can help me find out when John moved to 172 Boaler Street or when the laundries began. John's father died in 1934
As always, your help would be much appreciated.
Glen
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 16 Sep 2014 14:59
by Bertieone
Hi Glen,
1911 Gores Directory,
Frederick Forrest, Laundry, 172 Boaler St,
1911 census,
172 Boaler St,
Frederick James Forrest 28
Emma Forrest 27
Irene Forrest 2
RG14 P22616
Looks like it was kept in the family.
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 16 Sep 2014 15:18
by Bertieone
The above married as,
http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/2197/ ... turnRecord
Name:
James Frederick Forrest, Laundry.
Birth Year:
abt 1883
Age:
25
Marriage Date:
27 Apr 1908
Parish:
Stanley, St Anne
Spouse's Name:
Emma Blackburn
Father's Name:
James Forrest
Spouse Father's Name:
Henry Blackburn
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 16 Sep 2014 16:38
by Gwebb1
Thanks, Bertie.
James Frederick was John Arnot's brother and he died in 1941 - perhaps that was when John took over. I'll track down James's death certificate and see if he was still in Boaler Street or Low Hill when he died. As you say, it seems they kept the laundry in the family although I could do with finding some evidence to show that Forrest Laundries did continue after 1941 to rule out the possibilty that my dad got confused between John and James!
Glen
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 16 Sep 2014 17:01
by Bertieone
Hi Glen,
I haven't come across the Boaler St laundry mentioned in any of the phone books,
Low Hill, mentioned in a few, 1923/40/41.
Forrest's Laundries/ Boaler St/Low Hill are not mentioned in the following I checked, 1942/45/50.
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 16 Sep 2014 19:30
by Blue70
The Stanley addresses on the marriage look to me like temporary parish addresses he would have probably been living in Boaler Street. The laundry business must have started some time between 1901 and 1908. In 1911 Gore's Directory Frederick Forrest also has 63 Low Hill he is listed as "laundry proprietor".
Blue
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 17 Sep 2014 15:53
by Gwebb1
Mary: what makes you think the Stanley addresses were temporary ones? The 1901 census has Emma Blackburn living in West Derby so why wouldn't the couple get married there?
Bertie: thanks for going to the bother to do the looking-up. I'm beginning to think my dad mixed up John Arnot with James Frederick as far as the laundry business was concerned. Records suggest J. F. was a civilian casualty in WW2 in 1941 - just need to check it out further - and there does not seem to be any mention of the laundry after this date.
If you get the time, is there any chance you could see if any entries in the various directories refer to John Arnot Forrest (possibly a warehouseman)? Having lived with his father in Boaler Street in 1911, he then died in Southport in 1947, again suggesting he probably didn't get involved with the laundry.
Finally, J.F. left £688 to his wife after he died. Would this have been a significant amount of money and would suggest that the laundry business had been successful? I guess he would have been renting the premises.
Many thanks.
Glen
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 17 Sep 2014 16:18
by Bertieone
Hi Glen,
The 1911 directory only shows father James at Boaler St and would with him being head of household, haven't come across John as yet.
Civilian death which you've probably seen,
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 17 Sep 2014 16:46
by Gwebb1
Thanks, Bert.
I hadn't read the actual civilian death record so many thanks for that. Seems that the laundry was doing well enough for J.F.'s family to no longer live on the premises. I'm assuming he died in a bombing raid although his wife survived as she was the benficiary of his will.
Let me know if you turn-up anything else.
Glen
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 17 Sep 2014 17:03
by Blue70
Gwebb1 wrote:Blue70: what makes you think the Stanley addresses were temporary ones? The 1901 census has Emma Blackburn living in West Derby so why wouldn't the couple get married there?
Bertie: thanks for going to the bother to do the looking-up. I'm beginning to think my dad mixed up John Arnot with James Frederick as far as the laundry business was concerned. Records suggest J. F. was a civilian casualty in WW2 in 1941 - just need to check it out further - and there does not seem to be any mention of the laundry after this date.
If you get the time, is there any chance you could see if any entries in the various directories refer to John Arnot Forrest (possibly a warehouseman)? Having lived with his father in Boaler Street in 1911, he then died in Southport in 1947, again suggesting he probably didn't get involved with the laundry.
Finally, J.F. left £688 to his wife after he died. Would this have been a significant amount of money and would suggest that the laundry business had been successful? I guess he would have been renting the premises.
Many thanks.
Glen
St Philip, Sheil Road was the C of E parish church for the Boaler Street area. St Anne Stanley is a different parish although both are in the district of West Derby. When people married outside of their own parish they would often be recorded under an address within that parish that wasn't their permanent home.
Blue
Re: Laundry on Low Hill
Posted: 17 Sep 2014 17:29
by Bertieone
Hi Glen,
just a little,
1938, Frederick James was living at Esher Rd, just down the road from Boaler St. (Google Maps)
Came across a tree on Anc with photo's, have you seen them?
