Do you recognise this location?

Mystery photograph
From the private collection of Julie Briggs

This is a postcard which was found by Julie Briggs when sorting through the effects of a relative. It has a Brighton postmark 1911 and is addressed to:

Mrs Spink

The Red Lion

Newton

Lincolnshire.

The family name of the location where the image was found was also Spink.

Click on the image to open a large version in a new window.

Perhaps you will recognise the location? Maybe you recognise the ladies?

If you can help, please leave a comment below.

Comments about this page

  • The 1931 Kelly’s Directory of Brighton lists a Grove Lodge at 20 Prestonville Terrace on Old Shoreham Road. As the number 20 is visible on the fence in the picture above I wonder if it could be there?

    By Rosanna (31/03/2016)
  • In 1911, living at the Red Lion Inn at Newton, near Folkington in Lincolnshire, were: Robert Ernest Spink, married 10 years, age 38, Marine pensioner and public house manager, born Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire. Mary E Spink, wife, age 38, born Burton, Hampshire. 3 children, all born in Portsmouth: Robert George Spink, age 9; Ernest Albert Spink, age 8; Doris Mary Spink, age 2. 

    Census 1881: High St, Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire: Annie Spink, married, age 28, Butler’s wife (husband not present), born South Molton, Devon. Children, Robert E, age 8 and Albert P, age 5 months, both born Swaffham Prior. Annie Spink was living in Bury St Edmund’s in 1901-11. Sons Francis W (17), Sydney G (14), Percy J (11), Evelyn M (9) and Cyril (7) living with her in 1901. Husband not present.

    No suitable Spinks in the Brighton area in 1911.

    By Renia Simmonds (01/04/2016)
  • There used to be a “Grove Lodge” at no. 20 York Villas but this doesn’t look the same as that house was detached. 

    By Marilyn Jones (01/04/2016)
  • This house could be almost anywhere, however, when I first saw the photograph my immediate reaction is that it could be 20, Old Shoreham Road, Brighton. This would place it in the terrace of houses, on the left hand side of the road as you go down the hill, travelling eastwards, from the junction with Stanford Road.

    By Derek Lake (01/04/2016)
  • According to Pikes Blue book for 1928, page 1156, it lists this property in Prestonville Terrace.

    By Terry Etherton (01/04/2016)
  • It looks remarkably like No 20, Old Shoreham Road, Brighton, on the north side just above the junction with Hamilton Road. It has the same type of garden wall on the left of the entrance, and railings on the right.  A window has been added above the front door, and the bays have been altered (like many others in this row), but some still show the same features as in the mystery photo, e.g. No 36.

    By Alan Hobden (01/04/2016)
  • There was a Grove Lodge at 20 Prestonville Terrace which I think was the original name for the terrace on the right hand side of Old Shoreham Road where it starts at the Brighton end. The houses today are similar though knocked about somewhat.

    By Peter Barnard (01/04/2016)
  • With the clues from Derek Lake and Peter Barnard, I did some further investigating.

    Henry Smith, of 52 Old Shoreham Road (formerly called 20 Prestonville Terrace), Brighton, died 23rd November, 1941. Probate to Kate Priscilla Smith, widow. Effects £748.10s.1d. Died age 77.

    Henry Smith married Kate Priscilla Keeping in 1890, Steyning (Hove) Sussex.

    Mary Elizabeth Keeping married Ernest Spink in 1900 in Portsmouth.

    So the postcard was sent from one sister to another!

    Just for the record:

    Henry Smith, married 21 years, age 46, born Bridgewater, Somerset. Builder’s general foreman. Wife Kate Smith, age 42, born Christchurch, Hampshire. Housekeeper. Children: Dorothy Kate; age 20, born Brighton. Showroom assistant (costumier); Marie Louise, age 9, born Brighton. At school. (Henry was a plumber at the same address in 1901 with wife Kate P Smith.)

    In 1901, Ann Smith, age 65, born Bridgewater, Somerset, lived at 24 Prestonville Terrace, with daughter Anne, unmarried age 24 and 4 boarders. She was still there in 1911 (age given as 52), with Annie Frances Smith, her niece, age 18.

    By Renia Simmonds (01/04/2016)
  • There are several Spinks listed in the 1911 census living Sussex (not necessarily Brighton) whose birth is given as Norfolk.  Henry Spink b Aylsham 1833, Eva b Aldby 1847, Shadrach S b Banningham 1857, Joe b Gt Yarmouth 1890, and Willian b Hailsham ? (Aylsham?) 1891. These don’t quite cross refer with BMDs though. I only looked at census index so didn’t get full addresses. I was in Brighton a few weeks ago and photographed a house in Old Shoreham Road in connection with my own research. This property looks remarkably similar to those on the north side of the road i.e. behind me, as I was photographing the south side.

    By Tim Sargeant (02/04/2016)
  • I am the owner of the photo. You people are awesome! What amazing information! It certainly does look like 20 Old Shoreham Road, sadly not so grand now. The picture came from an estate where the female deceased was Dorothy Gammon nee Spink, which ties in, and my maiden name is Keeping! We are related, somehow, never have been able to work out how many times removed 3rd, 4th or 5th cousins we were. Mum has a family tree so we may be able to add more or make more sense of what we do have. Thank you all so very much. I am sure there are more photos to be uncovered………watch this space!

    By Julie Briggs (04/04/2016)
  • Looks like Dorothy Gammon (nee Spink) was the same person as Doris Mary Spink, daughter of Robert Ernest Spink and Mary Elizabeth nee Keeping, who was living at the Red Lion and was sister to the writer and recipient of the postcard! She married in Surrey in 1937.
    In 1881, Mary Elizabeth Keeping (age 8) was living with her parents and siblings in Burtin, Christchurch, Hants. Her parents were Thomas (labourer age 60) and Louisa (laundress age 44). Her siblings were: George (tailor age 23), Tom (carpenter age 18) and Kate (scholar age 12). The whole family was born in Christchurch.
    George Keeping was living in St Bartholomew Hyde in Hampshire in 1891, a tailor age 34, with his wife Caroline, age 48. She was born in Overton. They do not appear to have had any children.
    Tom Keeping was married to Rhoda by 1891 when they were living in Portsea. He was a 28-year-old carpenter born in Burton, Hants. Rhoda was 27, born in Stockford, Dorset. Their children were Thomas L (age 3), Wilfred (age 1) and Ethel (age 1 month) all born in Portsmouth. In 1901, they were living at 92 Newcombe Road, Southsea. Leonard (was Thomas L) now age 13 and siblings George (was Wilfred? age 11), Ethel (age 10), Herbert (age 7), Frank (age 5), Ernest (age 3) and Harry (5 months) all born Portsmouth. Tom married Rhoda Barnes in Wareham in 1886. He died in 1946 leaving a will.

    By Renia Simmonds (06/04/2016)

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