·  LMS  ·  GWR  ·  LNER  ·  Misc  ·  Stations  ·  What's New  ·  Video  ·  Guestbook  ·  About

Miscellaneous

Keith Turton's Private Owner wagon's in Warwickshire

Photograph Reference: kt618

WH Thane of Leamington Private Owner Wagon No 21

WH Thane of Leamington Private Owner Wagon No 21.

WILLIAM HENRY THANE

Born in Barnett, Middlesex, in 1854, William moved to the Midlands to establish his coal business and agency for the Griff Colliery, Nuneaton, living wha would have been regarded then as some distance away in Claverden, Warwickshire although his main business was in Leamington.

There are no census records of Thane until 1891, but he must have moved from London to Leamington between 1881 and 1887 for that was were his second child, Ralph was born. In 1901 he was living at "Sunnyside", Claverdon with wife Fanny Elizabeth and daughter Rose, born in Stoke Newington, London, in 1881 . Ten years later he had moved to a different address in Claverden, "Highclare", his son had taken up a career as an electrical engineer rather than following the tradition of coal merchants families in passing on the business from father to son. The business was one of short duration with little to indicate that it lasted more than the next decade, there is noreference in the 1911 census to Thane.

The only wagons known to have been operated by Thane were no's 21, 22 and 23, built in 1892 by the Gloucester RC&WCo. and registered with the Great Western Railway. They were six planks, side doors only, painted lead colour with white letters shaded black and black ironwork The boltheads for the inside diagonals have also, in this instance, been picked out in black, Measurements are 14'6" x 6'11" x 3'8" Although hard to distinguish empty returns in the bottom left hand corner rfead my to Griff Colliery, Nuneaton This was only a short distance from Leamington vie Coventry, and this is the area where thse wagons would have been líkely to have been seen.

Keith Turton

back