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