Lake District B&B - Thorneyfield Guest House, Ambleside, B&B in Ambleside



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The History of Thorneyfield Guest House
As the Thorneyfield dates back to Victorian times we have been trying to discover some of its fascinating history. We were helped in this by a Canadian gentleman Mr Raymond Shirritt-Beaumont, whose family owned the house in the late 1800's and early 1900's. This is what he was able to tell us about the use of the house at that time and to confirm that it has had the same name for well over a hundred years! Sadly we still don't know why it got the name though: - "Over a hundred years ago, my great-great-aunts, Ruth, Clara, and Isa Beaumont, had a thriving dressmaking business in Ambleside at Thorneyfield. In 1988, I interviewed a cousin, Jean Irving Whiting, who was raised by the 'old aunts' after her mother (their sister Agnes) died in South Africa. Jean was able to describe the layout of the house in some detail, when she lived there circa 1900-1919. Here's a brief summary of what she told me. Aunt Ruth had a fitting room on the main floor at the front of the house. Behind that were two rooms, to which one gained access by a hall. One was a kitchen, and the other a utility room of some kind that had a gas stove in it, with a wash basin in one corner that was heated by a wood fire underneath. Periodically, the laundress would come and do the laundry in that corner washer. This kitchen was used by the aunts for preparing their meals. Apparently, there was a landing at the front door, and a few steps up, off the stairs, there was a bathroom, and then the stairs continued up to the second floor. On the second floor, Clara and an assistant had a room facing the front street. This is where they made the skirts for the dresses and added pleats, embroidery, etc. This was a smaller room, but there was a larger room either behind or along side that one that was supervised by Aunt Isa. Here there were between perhaps a dozen young women from the neighbouring district who worked as seamstresses. (She must have been a taskmaster because my Aunt Alice Beaumont worked there as a girl, and she didn't like it at all!) Apparently, the girls arrived in the morning and entered the house by a side door into the basement, where they changed into their working clothes. It was not clear just how they got to the second floor, but there was undoubtedly a flight of stairs up to the main floor connecting to the stairs going up to the second. At the back of the second floor was the private living room of the Beaumont sisters. It overlooked the back garden. It was quite a good sized room. From it was a set of stairs that went up to the third floor, where there were three bedrooms. The smallest was reserved for Jean. Clara had the next bedroom, and Ruth and Isa shared the largest bedroom." Raymond also sent us two photographs of the house taken in the 1890's. The second enlarges part of the wider shot and gives some more detail. Raymond describes these: - Picture One: "This is a picture of the house, we think before 1900. The woman standing by the wrought iron fence is my Aunt Ruth. We suspect the woman in the second floor window is her sister Clara Beaumont, who was in charge of making the skirts for the dresses in the room on the second floor facing the street." Picture Two: "This is an enlargement of one part of the house. You may notice that there was a sign on the wall next to the door which reads; 'R. Beaumont Dressmaker and Milliner'. This was significant, because it provided evidence that Aunt Ruth was in charge of the business and that her sisters worked under her direction. This added supporting evidence to the information I had that she was in charge of the accounts and divvied out the money! You will also notice that the Thorneyfield lettering above the door is still in place over a hundred years on!" The only other source of information we have comes from a Land Registry search which has uncovered the following: - "A conveyance of land in this title dated 30 May 1891 made between Robert Crewsdon and Thompson Harrison contains the following covenants: - The said Thompson Harrison hereby covenants with the said Robert Crewsdon that he will for ever hereafter keep in repair so much of the land hereby conveyed to him and also that no steam engine or machine for sawing wood or stone shall be erected nor shall any noisome noisy or offensive trade or occupation creating a nuisance be carried on upon any part of the said premises AND ALSO that no building be erected shall be higher than those forming any other portion of Compston Parrock(?) and that no such building shall be used or occupied as a licensed victuallers public house or beer shop." We promise that we have kept to this and don't have a steam engine or machine for cutting stone or wood, nor do we have a beer shop! We don't yet know who either Robert Crewsdon or Thompson Harrison are, but would welcome any information on them and anything that might predate 1891.

The History of Thorneyfield Guest House

As the Thorneyfield dates back to Victorian times we have been trying to discover some of its fascinating history. We were helped in this by a Canadian gentleman Mr Raymond Shirritt-Beaumont, whose family owned the house in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

This is what he was able to tell us about the use of the house at that time and to confirm that it has had the same name for well over a hundred years! Sadly we still don't know why it got the name though: -

"Over a hundred years ago, my great-great-aunts, Ruth, Clara, and Isa Beaumont, had a thriving dressmaking business in Ambleside at Thorneyfield. In 1988, I interviewed a cousin, Jean Irving Whiting, who was raised by the 'old aunts' after her mother (their sister Agnes) died in South Africa. Jean was able to describe the layout of the house in some detail, when she lived there circa 1900-1919. Here's a brief summary of what she told me. Aunt Ruth had a fitting room on the main floor at the front of the house. Behind that were two rooms, to which one gained access by a hall. One was a kitchen, and the other a utility room of some kind that had a gas stove in it, with a wash basin in one corner that was heated by a wood fire underneath. Periodically, the laundress would come and do the laundry in that corner washer. This kitchen was used by the aunts for preparing their meals. Apparently, there was a landing at the front door, and a few steps up, off the stairs, there was a bathroom, and then the stairs continued up to the second floor.
On the second floor, Clara and an assistant had a room facing the front street. This is where they made the skirts for the dresses and added pleats, embroidery, etc. This was a smaller room, but there was a larger room either behind or along side that one that was supervised by Aunt Isa. Here there were between perhaps a dozen young women from the neighbouring district who worked as seamstresses. (She must have been a taskmaster because my Aunt Alice Beaumont worked there as a girl, and she didn't like it at all!) Apparently, the girls arrived in the morning and entered the house by a side door into the basement, where they changed into their working clothes. It was not clear just how they got to the second floor, but there was undoubtedly a flight of stairs up to the main floor connecting to the stairs going up to the second.
At the back of the second floor was the private living room of the Beaumont sisters. It overlooked the back garden. It was quite a good sized room. From it was a set of stairs that went up to the third floor, where there were three bedrooms. The smallest was reserved for Jean. Clara had the next bedroom, and Ruth and Isa shared the largest bedroom."

Raymond also sent us two photographs of the house taken in the 1890's. The second enlarges part of the wider shot and gives some more detail. Raymond describes these: -

Picture One:
"This is a picture of the house, we think before 1900. The woman standing by the wrought iron fence is my Aunt Ruth. We suspect the woman in the second floor window is her sister Clara Beaumont, who was in charge of making the skirts for the dresses in the room on the second floor facing the street."

Picture Two:

"This is an enlargement of one part of the house. You may notice that there was a sign on the wall next to the door which reads; 'R. Beaumont Dressmaker and Milliner'. This was significant, because it provided evidence that Aunt Ruth was in charge of the business and that her sisters worked under her direction. This added supporting evidence to the information I had that she was in charge of the accounts and divvied out the money! You will also notice that the Thorneyfield lettering above the door is still in place over a hundred years on!"

The only other source of information we have comes from a Land Registry search which has uncovered the following: -
"A conveyance of land in this title dated 30 May 1891 made between Robert Crewsdon and Thompson Harrison contains the following covenants: -
The said Thompson Harrison hereby covenants with the said Robert Crewsdon that he will for ever hereafter keep in repair so much of the land hereby conveyed to him and also that no steam engine or machine for sawing wood or stone shall be erected nor shall any noisome noisy or offensive trade or occupation creating a nuisance be carried on upon any part of the said premises AND ALSO that no building be erected shall be higher than those forming any other portion of Compston Parrock(?) and that no such building shall be used or occupied as a licensed victuallers public house or beer shop."

We promise that we have kept to this and don't have a steam engine or machine for cutting stone or wood, nor do we have a beer shop! We don't yet know who either Robert Crewsdon or Thompson Harrison are, but would welcome any information on them and anything that might predate 1891.

Thorneyfield Guest House, Compston Road, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9DJ

Tel: 015394 32464
Email:info@thorneyfield.co.uk