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Thornseat Lodge, Bradfield - Know anything about it?

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If anybody has Facebook and wants to see pictures of Thornseat Lodge, here are a few i took.

 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4091618900325&set=a.4091618580317.154995.1578332443&type=1&theater

 

They aren't brilliant as they were taken on my phone!

 

I think you have captured the essence on a basic camera and this will prompt others to do the same I guess.

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I think you have captured the essence on a basic camera and this will prompt others to do the same I guess.

 

The reason we went up there is because my boyfriend is a photographer and he wanted to get some pics. So while he was being all professional with his tripod and stuff, i just had a quick wander round with my phone and took a few pics!

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Thanks Angel, A friend said he'd get back to me, that was a few week ago.

and no i'am not on face book would have to try the other one you mentioned.

Thank again.

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I know this is an old thread but I had to comment as I was a resident of Thornseat Lodge when it was a children's home back in the early seventies. Although I was a bit of a mixed up kid I did have some happy memories of the place and some of the staff so it was sad to learn it was in such a sorry state. The place was run by Aunty Jean (Ellis?)when I was there. Other staff I remember were Gordon, Trevor, Anne, (Margaret?) and a wonderful lady called Betty Dawson ('Aunt Betty', a local volunteer) who kind of unofficially adopted me until her death a few years later. I also remember Mr Merryweather the handyman. My best mate during that period was a kid called Steve Butler. We were inseparable and always up to mischief; nothing heavy just high spirits. I was sent from there to Castle Howard Community Home and Joined the Royal Navy as soon as my care order had finished so I never saw him again. But the story didn't end there. My Mum died some years ago and was buried at City Road Cemetery. A short while later a fresh grave appeared next to hers & few weeks later a grave stone was erected. The name on it was Stephen Butler. The deceased's age tallied with that of my old pal & at the time of his death he would have been in his mid forties. Later I was visiting my mum's grave when the deceased's mother and two children turned up. I had to know if the person buried next to my mum and my former pal were one and the same so I asked the lady if Stephen had ever been a resident at Thornseat Lodge children's home. She confirmed that he had been and that the person buried next to my mother was indeed my old mate Steve. How sad and how strange life can be ? RIP Steve. RIP Thornseat. p.s. I don't believe in ghosts parse but that place must resonate with memories and should have been preserved.

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There is no 'like' or 'thanks' button on the forum so I would just like to thank you for your very interesting account. It was sad that Steven died relatively young but nice that you met his family.

I had not heard of Thornseat Lodge so find this thread interesting.

Edited by Jomie

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I remember Stephen Butler, probably remember you too. Sorry to hear of his early death. I'm pleased to see you have done well. I worked in child care for many years and, though I loved the job and hoped I made a difference, we seldom see the results of our efforts. I am still in touch with Ruth who was the cook, she will be very interested to hear this. Best wishes.

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I know this is an old thread but I had to comment as I was a resident of Thornseat Lodge when it was a children's home back in the early seventies. Although I was a bit of a mixed up kid I did have some happy memories of the place and some of the staff so it was sad to learn it was in such a sorry state. The place was run by Aunty Jean (Ellis?)when I was there. Other staff I remember were Gordon, Trevor, Anne, (Margaret?) and a wonderful lady called Betty Dawson ('Aunt Betty', a local volunteer) who kind of unofficially adopted me until her death a few years later. I also remember Mr Merryweather the handyman. My best mate during that period was a kid called Steve Butler. We were inseparable and always up to mischief; nothing heavy just high spirits. I was sent from there to Castle Howard Community Home and Joined the Royal Navy as soon as my care order had finished so I never saw him again. But the story didn't end there. My Mum died some years ago and was buried at City Road Cemetery. A short while later a fresh grave appeared next to hers & few weeks later a grave stone was erected. The name on it was Stephen Butler. The deceased's age tallied with that of my old pal & at the time of his death he would have been in his mid forties. Later I was visiting my mum's grave when the deceased's mother and two children turned up. I had to know if the person buried next to my mum and my former pal were one and the same so I asked the lady if Stephen had ever been a resident at Thornseat Lodge children's home. She confirmed that he had been and that the person buried next to my mother was indeed my old mate Steve. How sad and how strange life can be ? RIP Steve. RIP Thornseat. p.s. I don't believe in ghosts parse but that place must resonate with memories and should have been preserved.

 

Thank you for sharing this. Such a wonderful description of the place and the people there. Sorry about your mum and your mate Steve but what an amazing coincidence

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I know this is an old thread but I had to comment as I was a resident of Thornseat Lodge when it was a children's home back in the early seventies. Although I was a bit of a mixed up kid I did have some happy memories of the place and some of the staff so it was sad to learn it was in such a sorry state. The place was run by Aunty Jean (Ellis?)when I was there. Other staff I remember were Gordon, Trevor, Anne, (Margaret?) and a wonderful lady called Betty Dawson ('Aunt Betty', a local volunteer) who kind of unofficially adopted me until her death a few years later. I also remember Mr Merryweather the handyman. My best mate during that period was a kid called Steve Butler. We were inseparable and always up to mischief; nothing heavy just high spirits. I was sent from there to Castle Howard Community Home and Joined the Royal Navy as soon as my care order had finished so I never saw him again. But the story didn't end there. My Mum died some years ago and was buried at City Road Cemetery. A short while later a fresh grave appeared next to hers & few weeks later a grave stone was erected. The name on it was Stephen Butler. The deceased's age tallied with that of my old pal & at the time of his death he would have been in his mid forties. Later I was visiting my mum's grave when the deceased's mother and two children turned up. I had to know if the person buried next to my mum and my former pal were one and the same so I asked the lady if Stephen had ever been a resident at Thornseat Lodge children's home. She confirmed that he had been and that the person buried next to my mother was indeed my old mate Steve. How sad and how strange life can be ? RIP Steve. RIP Thornseat. p.s. I don't believe in ghosts parse but that place must resonate with memories and should have been preserved.

 

 

Exactly the kind of post that makes a forum worthwhile.

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I remember Stephen Butler, probably remember you too. Sorry to hear of his early death. I'm pleased to see you have done well. I worked in child care for many years and, though I loved the job and hoped I made a difference, we seldom see the results of our efforts. I am still in touch with Ruth who was the cook, she will be very interested to hear this. Best wishes.

 

TREV are you the ex cop who sported a beard and used to play the guitar or am I thinking of someone else? I think I remember Ruth. Does she remember Betty who was also a cook? I loved the meals at Thornseats; cooked on that amazing Arger range. I occasionally run in to the odd person that was at Thornseats when I was there . One or two had the misfortune to end up in Castle Howard or other dumping grounds like it, as I did. Unfortunately, as is the case with a lot of kids who've been in care their experiences after care are invariably unhappy ones. My sister became a residential carer/social worker and I gather the situation hasn't improved that much. But nice to know you remember Steve and may even remember me. My name is Martin Scott by the way.

 

---------- Post added 20-11-2016 at 16:45 ----------

 

I remember Stephen Butler, probably remember you too. Sorry to hear of his early death. I'm pleased to see you have done well. I worked in child care for many years and, though I loved the job and hoped I made a difference, we seldom see the results of our efforts. I am still in touch with Ruth who was the cook, she will be very interested to hear this. Best wishes.

 

TREV I hope I didn't give the impression I was having a go at residential social workers / carers like yourself and my sister? Nothing could be further from the truth. With the odd exception, most of the people who worked on the front line [i, [/i]so to speak, during my time in care were decent, hard working, well meaning people. It's the policy makers, the upper echelons of the Social Services I take issue with; if anyone. Having reviewed my last contribution I realise I came across as been quite bitter & cynical. I didn't intend to. I have my fair share of tragic stories to tell but I've plenty of happier, positive ones too. Not all of the people I was in care with have ended up in prison, living rough or wasting their lives on the end of a needle. A few years ago I bumped in to a bloke who turned out to have been in the same boarding school in Devon and at the same time as I was. We went back to his flat and he showed me all these mementoes, photos etc of his stay there. I was only there a couple of years but he stayed for ten and ended up as head boy. As I was sifting through his treasure trove I found a group photo featuring the both of us and an annual booklet the boarders produced; featuring my very first literary endeavours (circa 1968). We reminisced about our shared experiences and ended up being the best of mates. He went to Leeds Musical College and is now a session musician and a few years ago I graduated from Sheffield Hallam with a double first (BA English / MA Writing). I mention this only to put things in perspective. We were planning to visit the place (now a retreat for severely disabled kids) which is located on the edge of Dartmoor earlier this year but illness prevented me/ us. Hopefully we'll get there next year. It was/is a really beautiful place and though I was really homesick a lot of the time, I do have some very positive memories of my time there; just as I have of my time at Thornseats.

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It was looking sorry for itself when i drove past it in the snow this morning.It looked very eerie covered in snow.Its a shame that it has ended up like that.

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I was using the English version not the US spell-check version for those compelled to write by numbers.Do not bother to reply please as I can see you are tedious and pedantic.

 

So you used a fancy word, spelled it wrong, and then make up some story about the "English" spelling...

Edited by Cyclone

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