Archive
Scrapbooks albums: 'Avonbankiana'
Description
An album relating to Avonbank, the house substantially remodelled by Charles Edward and Sarah Flower in 1866, and which was their home until their respective deaths in 1892 and 1908.
Includes:
f.1 - pencil copy of 1830 engraving from Swanwick's map
f. 4 - copy of Swanwick's map of Stratford with engraving looking towards Holy Trinity Church, 1830
f. 5 - watercolour copy of eighteenth century oil painting [?by Edward Grubb] showing Avonbank and Holy Trinity Church from the ferry
f. 6 - 2 photographs of Avonbank from across the river, c.1860 c.1866 - engraving of Avonbank from across the river, engraved by Charles Askey, published by J. Ward, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1828 - letter from Phyllis D. Hicks, author of 'A Quest for Ladies' to Sir Archie Flower about the Misses Byerley and their school at Avonbank between ff. 6-7 - Ground plan of Avonbank when used by the Misses Byerley
f. 7 - watercolour sketch of Avonbank from across the river, subscribed 'To Charles Flower, Esq. with the kind regards of J.O. Halliwell - 1866 ' [? copy of eighteenth century view]
f. 8 - watercolour sketch of the front of Avonbank looking along Old Town, subscribed 'To Charles Flower, Esq. with the kind regards of J.O. Halliwell - 1866 ' [? copy of eighteenth century view]
f. 9 - pencil sketch 'Avonbank in Mr Battersbee's time', c. 1790 'copied by Miss Paget from a pencil sketch in Shakespeare's House' - Rock engraving of Avonbank and Holy Trinity Church from upstream, c.1864
f. 9r. - photographs of Edward Grubb's portraits of Mr Mrs Battersbee, c1780 loose between ff. 9-10 Watercolour sketch of unidentified house surrounded by small pleasure garden. Endorsed in pencil 'Avon Bank ?Where'
f. 10 - three copy sketches/watercolour of early nineteenth century view of Avonbank from across river; East view of the College by John Jordan 'copied by Miss N. E. Paget, 1890'; John Jordan's drawing of Brook House
f. 11 - photograph of Avonbank from across river after alterations, c.1870
f. 12 - letter from J.O. Halliwell-Phillipps to C.E. Flower, 8 February 1885, inquiring about the fate of the original Avon Bank
f. 14 - printed sale particulars with map, for Avon Bank and other property in Stratford and Loxley, 20 August 1860 . At top is a brief manuscript note as to the ownership of the house from its sale by Charles Hunt in 1792 to Edmund Battersbee
f. 15 - revised plan from sale particulars with draft memorandum of agreement for the purchase of Lot 1 [Avonbank land] by Charles Edward Flower for £2200 and £54 11s for fixtures
f. 16 - Ground plan of house and grounds of Avonbank with shrubs and trees marked, numbered and identified , c. 1866
f. 17 - plan on tracing paper of Stratford from High/Chapel and Church Streets towards the river, with principal buildings marked [before 1872]
f. 18 - photograph of entrance to Avonbank from Old Town, c.1860 - monochrome watercolour sketch of Avonbank from across the river during Miss Byerley's occupancy: figures of pupils appear. Note below 'Given to Mrs Howe by S Timmins, Feby 1898'
f. 19 - photograph of Miss Martha Smith with pupils and teachers of Avonbank outside the house. Pencil date below 'March 1866' - Note by Sarah Flower that Avonbank was advertised for sale in 1860 and bought by C. E. Flower in June 1866 from Mr Battersbee's family. 'The present house was built in 1867'
f. 20 - Sale particulars and plan for the College Paddock and premises, 13 June 1823
ff. 22-3 - dated four pencil sketches recording the demolition of Avonbank, 26 June - 10 July 1866
f. 24 - rough pen ink ground plan and elevation of new Avonbank
f. 25 - plan for ground floor of new Avonbank
f. 27 - side elevation and section through new house
f. 28 - pencil drawing of Avonbank, showing front and side of house towards the church
f. 29 - pencil sketch of unidentified house, [?Italian villa used as inspiration for Avonbank]
f. 30 - 2 block plans showing proposed drainage system for Avonbank, F.C. Penrose, architect, Chapter House, St Paul's , London [1866-7] loose - plan showing drains at Avonbank, signed John Brook, Sanitary Inspector. December 1908
f. 31 - plan of foundations for Avonbank [1866]
f. 32 - basement plan [1866]
f. 33 - ground floor plan [1866]
f. 34 - chamber plan [1866]
f. 35 - plan of roof timbers [1866]
f. 36 - roof plan [1866]
f. 37 - Sections A-B and C-D as from plans above [1866]
f. 38 - west and south elevations [1866]
f. 39 - north and east elevations [1866]
f. 40 - longitudinal section through hall; external and internal elevations of front door
f. 40v - plan and elevation of alterations and additions to Avonbank, March 1884, F.C. Penrose, architect
f. 41 - section plan of proposed alterations and additions as above, with newspaper cutting describing Avonbank as 'a pretty specimen of an Italian villa residence'. Names architect, builder, clerk of works and foreman
f. 41a - another sketch of building at f. 29
f. 42 - photograph of Avonbank from Old Town, approaching completion, 23 March 1867 - photograph of new Avonbank from across river [1867] - photograph of entrance gates and front of house [1867]
f.43 - architect's drawing for entrance gates [not executed]
f. 44 - architect's drawing for entrance gates [executed]
f. 45 - front and side elevations of vestibule for conservatory, with example of floor tiles
f. 45v - newspaper advertisment for sale of estate of Thomas Mason [1867]
f. 47 - printed sale particulars, with map, for Thomas Mason's estate, annotated with purchasers of lots and prices. At end is signed memorandum of agreement by Charles Edward Flower to purchase Lot 1 [Dower House and Avon Croft with paddock behind] for £1200
f. 48 - section of map from printed sale particulars, 1867, showing Lot 1
f.49 - advertisement for auction of house, malthouse and land behind on Waterside [Ferry House and malthouse] and stables and outbuildings on Southern Lane, 12 February 1879
f. 50 - unsigned and undated watercolour sketch of Guild Chapel and King Edward VI School from Avonbank paddock
f. 51 - Plan showing footprint of Avonbank 'showing position of new house' and other buildings in Southern Lane 'Copied from Town plans and corrected by Thomas T Allen, Architect Surveyor' 29 March 1869
f.52 -recte 51v] - photograph of tree blown down [? in Avonbank garden]
f. 53 - photograph taken from tower of Holy Trinity Church, showing Avonbank in foreground (6363 GWW) - photograph from across river looking towards Holy Trinity Church with partial view of Avonbank
f. 54 - Elevation and section of new chimneypiece for billiard room at Avonbank. Architect A. S. Flower, 18 July 1889
ff. 56 - 67 blank
f. 68 - Cutting from the Stratford-upon-Avon Chronicle, 14 November 1884 recounting the story of the burning to death of Sir William Keyte at Burnt Norton
f. 68 - Two photographs of the conservatory in the garden of Avonbank, with letter from William Oakes Hunt to Charles Edward Flower, 8 May 1866 recounting that it was built from the material of the old College, and bears the coat of arms of Sir William Keyte
f. 71 - Cuttings from reports in the Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, 1866-1867, of Town Council meetings at which, inter alia were discussed C.E. Flower's proposed improvement of the road at the entrance to Avonbank from Old Town; the extension of new pavement from Southern Lane to the church and access for carriages to the entrance gate of Avonbank
f. 73-4 - Printed letter from Charles Edward Flower, 8 November 1867 to Local Board of Health regarding the dispute over paving with cuttings from Stratford-upon-Avon Chronicle and Herald, 29 November 1867 reporting decision to take up paving and lay macadam surface in front of gates
f.75 - further cuttings concerning pavement dispute - cutting from Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, 29 December 1884 about the introduction of electric light at Avonbank - cutting from Birmingham Gazette, 28 August 1908 concerning Sarah Flower's bequest of Avonbank to Shakespeare Memorial Association
f. 76 - Cutting from Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, 31 July 1908 concerning bequest of Avonbank, quoting in extenso from will
f. 77 - Obituary of Sarah Flower from Stratford-upon-Avon Herald, 24 July 1908
ff.80-1 - printed sale particulars and map for auction of Sarah Flower's estate, 7 October 1908 loose inside back cover: Mounted coloured tracing by Richard Savage, February 1905 of map of River Avon in 1773, used in Partheriche v. Mason (original at ER23/2/3) guarded inside back cover: coloured map, made by Thomas Taylor Allen, surveyor, in 1861 of area covering Avonbank, Holy Trinity Church and Old Town 'from the Ordnance Survey'