View allAll Photos Tagged bit
With peeled off numbers and the wrong destination showing, First Great Western 150001 passes Southcote with a Basingstoke train.
I know a tiny bit about the Owens Farm, but I'm going to go try to find out MORE about it. Not positive when the house was built, but the barn behind it was built in 1870. Not too long ago a tree fell on it, and some repair has been done. The house was occupied by Tom Owens who was 82, again, not too long ago. His great grandfather was the original homesteader. The over 300 acre farmstead has remained in the Owens family for 4 generations. The Knotts family fits in there somewhere, but I don't know the connection. I did find a William Knotts, born in 1805, at a nearby historic cemetery (Locke Cemetery) along with his daughter Mary Jane Knotts. Her stone has her dying about 21 years before she was born. Pretty obviously that was a stone carver's error.
Remember the old school house I posted not too long ago that looked as if it were being restored. Well it wasn't, at least not then and there. It was being prepared for moving down the road about a mile to this Owens Farm. Because the height of the school house would not fit under power lines and such, the roof was removed, and hauled separately. It was recently placed back on the schoolhouse. Much restoration will be done on it, the barn and the old home. Sort of a living history and learning center is planned. A number of people, and companies or corporations, have contributed to all these improvement happening and all this history being honored. I believe there are Parks and Recreation and Historical Society and Preservationists involved too, but because I am not sure of which ones nor of the accurate names of those groups, I am not trying to list them. I'm not purposely excluding them; I just didn't want to get my information wrong. I only happened upon the old school and photographed it recently, unaware that it was being moved to the Owens farm. The Owens children attended that school, possibly some Knotts children too. I don't know which generation of them attended, probably 4th. The Tom Owens I mentioned earlier as 4th generation may have.
I am not a historian. I am a photographer/storyteller. I like to get the photo and give the gist of the story with my own slant and/or humor and interpretation of it. If you are looking for historical accuracy, I am probably not the best source, although I try to get most of it accurately. My stories have written and visual qualities and heart.
I do know that Samaritan Regional Medical Center (Hospital), which is where I go for medical care, bought 85 acres of this parcel planning for future expansion. I'm fairly certain there was some sort of mutually beneficial deal to help with preserving the history of the property and having it thrive as an open space and learning center. I do not know the details. There were at least 2 other large purchasers of land made. I don't recall, nor know the name of each one, but again I think they going to preserve the rich history. None of the land purchasers will be allowed, for example, to build homes, or restaurants or the likes on the property.
Pretty soon I will post the school house right after it was moved with the roof still off, and one or two of it with the roof back on but not restored yet. It is placed on a piece of the property that is not accessible to me, as is the home in this photo. I had to take the photo from quite a distance away, hand held, so it is a tiny bit blurry, but gives the idea.
The original school had a bell tower, and there are plans to restore that. I had thought it was just a front porch. Also, the bell itself is missing, and there are hopes that it will turn up and get donated by someone.
By the way, the old schoolhouse was no long being used as a school quite some time back, like maybe 1930 or so. It became just a normal residence for a family, or for a series of families over the years, and most people didn't know it used to be a school.
If you want the facts about this, look elsewhere. If you want the general feel and look of it, stay here. I will try to post the first pictures I took of the old farmstead, and the school before it was moved near to this home. Then the second series of photos with what looked like restoration going on, and then the third photo, which was taken when the school house moved, but not the roof placed back on it, and then with the roof place back on, but not restored yet. Restoration on all this could take a long time and a lot of money.
This home is run down and very old, and the last Owens resident to live there has moved out, but it is not in any sense of the word, abandoned. It is being looked after, and has a bright future ahead. I love all the porch trim, but have never been close to this home.
*****************************************************************************
My story and photo are both copyright by me, Dorothy Delina Porter - 2014
(DSCN2623-OwensFarmHouse020414)
Out for a windy, snowy, hailed on and sunshiny ride this afternoon! (Sunday) 42 miles around the edge of Sheffield and into the Peak District. Lovely stuff!!
Bit of calm here sheltered from most of the wind with a nice bit of sunshine too.. That's Stanage and Millstone Edges on the horizon..
Bit of a theme going on here! Watercolour on paper, various sizes, but all pheasants. Beautiful birds, but really stupid. They make my chickens look bright!
Chemical tanker Bit Oktania sailing up the River Thames: the stretch of river is Gravesend Reach, the 'point' is Shornemead, identified by the light tower, which replaced a rather more photogenic light-house in 2003.
Shot 16 February 2017 and uploaded 18 May 2022, when Bit Oktania is sailing from Goteborg to Halmstad, Sweden.