Lea Bailey Lodge

Mary Freeman has sent us the following fascinating response to last month’s article about the Bailey Lane.

See also an article by Allan Ockenden on the origins of Lea Bailey Lodge.

(from the 1903 Ordnance Survey map – National Library of Scotland)

The Keeper's Lodge was called Lea Bailey Lodge. In brief, from around 1900 it was the home of my great grandparents James and Mary Anne Adams, and my grandmother, as well as her brothers and sisters. My great grandfather was the Head Forestry Keeper for the area and the Forest of Dean from circa the turn of the century. He had a telephone to help carry out his work. His sons attended the Forestry School at Parkend and became Kings Foresters, taking charge of projects in Africa as well as Forests all over England. I have some of their obituaries.

One of the reasons my late Mother spoke of Jenny Robbins shop was that the Head Master of Hope Mansell School, Mr. Cook, would send her in the lunch time to run to the shop to get his tobacco.

I don’t know who is standing in the doorway. Unusually for the area it is a painted house. My mother used to point it out to us from Starve Beech, my sister Jane remembers it was white but we have no idea when or why it was demolished. My mother spoke of unusual trees planted nearby to the Lodge - they were tall - which she said were brought back from the sons' tour of Africa in their capacity of Kings Foresters.

Mary Freeman