I must offer my thanks to a number of people who have contributed knowingly or otherwise to this little piece of work.
Samuel Thompson
Samuel Thompson (1870-1945), a Scotforth resident, was an exact contemporary of my grandfather Samuel Rushton and a prolific photographer in Lancaster and the surrounding area in the early 20th century; he got to know many people from the local farming community – farmers, labourers and estate workers – and took their portraits; he also took photos of the Lancaster streets and the people who populated them. I am grateful for access to some of his work to illustrate some of the places mentioned here, courtesy of the Red Rose Collection, Lancs CC, the Lancaster Museum and the Lancaster Guardian, etc.
The following photos give a glimpse of the Thompsons’ farm, at the time when Samuel’s brother James was in charge, and some of the nearby premises which have long since disappeared.
Samuel was himself from a farming background, being the eldest of nine children of a local dairy farmer Adam Thompson (1844-1911) and his wife Margaret Ellen (nee Jackson) (1847-1927), of Newsham House, Barton Lane/Road, Scotforth. His professional occupation was engraver, however – in the days before the Lancaster School of Art was opened (at the Storey Institute) he had trained at Preston, and he subsequently worked there for a time, before returning to the family home in Lancaster. There he gained employment with the newly formed Rembrandt Intaglio Printing Company as their chief engraver, a position he held until 1926, when the firm decided to relocate to London – he chose to retire and stay in Lancaster, in order to pursue his hobby, rather than move with his company. Some years previously, following his parents’ retirement, they and most of the Thompson family moved to West Bank, Scotforth Road, a house built new for the family, where they were already living in 1911; Samuel was still there in 1939, now head of the family as the eldest of four unmarried siblings.
After Samuel’s death105, his youngest sister Winifred (1890-1961) became our neighbour in Bowerham Road. His younger brother William106 (the third son) (1880-1934) was also a photographer and etcher, and he seems to have been the artist who painted the picture of the watersplash on the cover of this article. James Wilson Thompson (1902-64), shown in two of the illustrations on the previous page, was the son of another of Samuel’s brothers: James. It was James107 (1875-1941), the second son, who maintained the family tradition of farming and continued to run the business at Newsham House after his parents’ retirement; he was still living there in 1939, now working as a dairyman, rather than farmer – perhaps the fields and farm buildings on the other side of the lane had already been sold off by this time. The house still remains on the corner of Warwick Avenue, and is now numbered 42 Barton Road. When I was at school, I believe it was the Blacktop family, previously of Warwick Avenue, who lived there – it was no longer operating a farm then. The farm buildings opposite the farm house became a school meals kitchen, managed by the county council and supplying meals to many of the schools in Lancaster; later they became a local community centre, in which capacity they still serve. Much of the farm land became the Barton Road school playing field, used by children from the Greaves, Scotforth and Bowerham schools108 at various times.
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105 Samuel Thompson, of West Bank, Scotforth, died at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary on 15 March 1945, according to the probate index; administration of his estate, amounting to £10,962, was granted to the District Bank.
106 At the time of his death William was living at Sunny Bank, Durham Avenue. Administration of his estate, amounting to £6,688 was granted to his widow Esther Elizabeth.
107 The calendar of probate states that James Thompson of Newsham House, Scotforth, died at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary on 4 March 1941; administration of his estate amounting to £1,397 was granted to his widow Margaret and brother Samuel.
108 Greaves Secondary School closed as long ago as 1987, and the building has since been converted into apartments, but Scotforth St Paul’s CE Primary continues to flourish, as does Bowerham CP. The Barton Road field, owned by the county council, miraculously still survives as a sports facility, now specifically for the nearby Moorside Primary School. There is some public access for recreational use.
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