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    1. [B&S] The Woodlands
    2. Chris Jefferies
    3. For many years I have been searching for the location of a house called "The Woodlands" in Court Rd Kingswood and asked for help on this list. I have a wedding group photo taken in front of the house after the marriage of my father's cousin William Bertie COX to Mary Ethel DOUGLAS in 1913. The house was the residence of William Douglas the head of Douglas Motorcycles of Kingswood but in 1913 motorcycles were just one of many things the company made. Mary Ethel DOUGLAS was said to be the "boss's daughter" by my uncles but I later found out she was William's Australian niece, daughter of his younger brother John who emigrated about 1880 age 18. After Johns wife died the children were sent back to Bristol around 1900 to live with their uncles. I had previously walked the length of Court Rd virtually on Google Street View and later on foot but nothing was found. There is a Woodland Terrace but that is off Hanham Rd. The only house with any similarities to The Woodlands was Enmore House now a nursery on the corner of Courtney Rd. Recently while viewing the Kingswood area 1900s OS map on the city councils "Know Your Place" web site the large words "The Woodlands" appeared. The house is located at the northern end of Court Rd next door to Enmore House set back about 30 mtrs from the road with a circular drive in front. The wedding photo shows two bay windows at the front with a large porch between and these all show up clearly on the large scale map. The big advantage of the site is that you can instantly switch to view the same area between 2012 OS map, 2010 Aerial photo, 1949 OS, 1900 OS and 1880 OS, plus earlier maps for more central areas. Switching to the 2012 OS and 2010 aerial photo it is easy to see that the house was located on what is now a car park for a care home and the RC Parish rooms. Switching to the 1880 map shows the house was not yet built as it was just an empty field but switching to the 1949 map shows the house was still there. From the age of the new buildings it looks as if the house may have been knocked down in the last 10-20 years. Chris Jefferies Cheltenham Glos

    07/19/2012 09:13:14