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Aspley Guise
Kelly's Directory of Bedfordshire 1894 (Extract)

Places > Aspley Guise > General History

Aspley Guise, formerly a town, is now a parish and well-built village. a mile and a half from Woburn Sands station of the London and North Western railway, in the Southern division of the county, hundred of Manshead, petty sessional division and union of Woburn, county court district of Leighton Buzzard, rural deanery of Fleete, archdeaconry of Bedford, and diocese of Ely.

The church of St Botolph is an elegant building in the Decorated and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, with organ chamber and vestry on the north, and a small chapel on the south, clerestoried nave of four bays, aisles and an embattled western tower with crocketed pinnacles and containing a clock and 6 bells; the south aisle was added and the whole fabric greatly enlarged and restored through the exertions and almost sole expense, as well as under the superintendence, of the Rev. John Vaux Moore, formerly rector; all the windows, twenty eight in number, are stained; there is a memorial window in the vestry to H.R.H. the Prince Consort, placed in 1862, and three memorial windows in the south aisle to the Moore family: in the north aisle is an alter tomb with fine brass effigy of a knight in plate armour, worn over a hauberk, to one of the Guise family, circ.1490, from which the village derives its adjunct; there is also an ancient slab, from which a floriated cross and marginal inscriptions are lost, but at the foot are figures in brass of a priest kneeling and St John the Baptist standing, circ. 1410. The church was restored in 1855, and in 1884 the upper portion of the tower was rebuilt at a cost of 150, and the peal of 4 bells increased to six: in 1890 the church was entirely restored, an organ chamber, vestries and chapel erected, and the interior reseated at a total cost of 2,200

The village of Aspley contains a number of good houses, and is very beautifully situated on and below a range of sand hills, which rise to a height of about 420 feet above the level of the sea. The atmosphere is dry and salubrious, and the temperature equable: there is a plentiful supply of pure, soft, spring water. Adjoining the village are large plantations of firs and evergreens, to the growth of which the soil is peculiarly adapted.

Sexton & Verger, Thomas William Brown.

POST, M.O. & T.O., S.B> & Annuity & Insurance Office, -Sidney James Chisnall, sub-postmaster.

WALL LETTER BOXES, Duke street and Mount Pleasant.

A School Board of 5 members was formed April 12, 1879; Charles Gosling, Ridgmont clerk to the board; James Page Chapman, Woburn Sands, attendance officer. This place also contributes 2 members to the Aspley Heath School Board

Board School (mixed and infants), built about 1850, for 199 children; average attendance, 110; George H. Taylor, master; Miss Grace Hurman, mistress.

CARRIERS:-

Joseph Rice, from Woburn Sands to Leighton & Woburn, tues

Thomas Clarke, from Woburn Sands to Bedford, sat; & to Newport Pagnell, tues. & fri.

PRIVATE RESIDENTS

Brooks Mrs Hollydale
Burrell Miss The Laurels
Courtney Miss Berry Lane cottage
Connal Mrs The Lindens
Downes Major C. Villiers J.P. Aspley House
Downes Mrs The Shrubbery
Dixon Benj. Wm. The Rookery
Dymond Edward Ernest J.P. Oaklands
Farmer Mrs Firdale
Grimshaw Cecil The Avenue
Good Miss  
Harris Mrs Rectory cottage
Harris Henry Paul J.P. The Holt
Henderson Miss Hillside cottage
Joplin Mrs  
Kemp John Powage
Mahon Mrs G. W.  The Mount
Malcolm Mrs The White cottage
Maltby Rev. James Chadwick M.A. (rector) The Rectory
Minter Charles Caxton house
Mordaunt Henry Sillwood house
Poyser John Woodside
Robinson John Lodge
Roby Mrs  
Seabrook Mrs Grove house
Smith Miss Carter The Hoo
Smith Miss E. H. Carter The Hoo
Sullivan Henry E. Westridge
Thorpe Miss  Mount Pleasant
Tite Mrs  
Twitchell Mrs  
Unwin Mrs Avenue house
Veasey Henry  
Westell Percival M  
Wing Miss Larchfield

  COMMERCIAL
 

Adams Wm. Chas Red Lion P.H.
Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands Gas Light & Coke Co. Limited. (George Whitman, sec)  
Barnwell James Brandon butcher
Billington John watch maker
Britten Mary (Mrs) Wheatsheaf P.H
Brown Frederick bootmaker
Brown Thomas William bootmaker
Brown Wm. farmer, Rectory Farm
Burgess Henry J. Bell P.H.
Chisnall Sydney Jas. saddler, Post office
Cook John gardener
Cooke Thomas C. gardener
Co-operative Stores (Frederick William Handscomb, manager  
Daniels Samuel greengrocer
Day Frederick grocer
Day Thomas builder & undertaker
Ellis Douglas famer & landowner, Hayfield Farm
Everett John beer retailer
Fryer Henry cowkeeper
Goodall John Wm. baker & corn dlr
Handscomb Alfred James nurseryman
Handscomb Geo. nurseryman, Mount Pleasant
Hayter Henry florist & gardener
Hayton Henry beer ret. & carpenter
Higgins Charlt. (Miss) lodging house
Higgins Samuel brick maker &c.
Howard Thomas farm bailiff to H.A. Hoare esq. Wavendon, Crabtree farm
Kemp John & co. printers, bookbinders & publishers
Kempster William John Swan P.H.
Large John shoemaker
Lane Wm. beer retailer
Meachen James coal merchant
Minter Chas manager of printing wks.
Millard John farmer, Manor farm
Odell John Aspley Hall farm
Perry Joseph shopkeeper
Pickering Frank Albert butcher
Pickering Thos. cattle dealer, Chain Ho.
Reading Rooms (M. Chisnall mangr)  
Rich Elizabeth (Miss) grocer
Sinfield Charles builder, contractor & undertaker, house decorator, plumber, & hot water apparatus fixer.
Spring Charles builder & contractor
Steers John Watkins butcher
Timms Joseph Harper wheelwright & carriage builder; carriages exchanged or sold on commisssion
Turney & Sons who. & retail grocers
Twiney John grocer & draper
Usher Kate (Mrs) dressmaker
Walters Richard blacksmith
Whitman George house & estate agent & licensed valuer & registrar of marriages, Woburn district
Whitman George Martin tailor & clothier
Westell Percival W  M.N.P.S. teacher of shorthand

Page last updated: 22nd April 2014