A T W Penn

Albert Thomas Watson Penn was a photographer who retired to Eversholt in 1911, having made his name in India. There is a fine biography of him by his grandson, Christopher Penn, here. He’s listed in Kelly’s Directory for 1914 as “A T Watson Penn, Rose Cottage”, a “private resident” as opposed to someone who actually had to stoop so low as to earn a living. Christopher Penn has photos of ATWPenn, or taken by ATWPenn, in Eversholt, and has very kindly provided copies to show here.


 

1 Front of the Mund 1914“Rose Cottage” may, or may not, have been the house in Lower Rads End that ATWPenn renamed “The Mund”, an Indian dialect word meaning “home”. This photo, which may be from 1914, shows ATWPenn, his wife Elizabeth or Zillie in the foreground, and A. N. Other in front of the Mund. The house is still present in Eversholt today.


Veg garden The Mund 1914 lo resThis is ATW Penn’s wife, Elizabeth or Zillie, tending the vegetable garden at The Mund in 1914. They had dug up the tennis court to “dig for victory”.


6 Pony and trap with 5 lo resATWPenn with his family, probably in Eversholt.


 

Albert, Vera and ClaudeATWPenn with his children Vera and Claude Delves.

“Delves” was not an unheard-of forename in Victorian times. 105 births were registered with this name between 1837 and 1915.


 

5 Hay makers, Eversholt 1914 lo resHay making, believed to have been taken by ATWPenn in Eversholt. I put out a plea for information on where this was taken, and it was answered! Terry Hawkes, when she was a very young Terry Jennings, lived in The Mund. Christopher Penn visited the Hawkeses around 2010 to discuss the history, and they recognised this spot straightaway, for the house in the background is the house where Chris and Terry live now, in Rads End. this field is the one just across the road from the entrance to Rads End Farm. Thank you very much, Chris and Terry!


 

eversholt church by ATWPennEversholt church, about 1914. The main differences from today are the splendid oil lamps, which must have been a lot of work, and the carved oak screen on the right, which nowadays is expanded to surround a larger space.


 

 

One Reply to “A T W Penn”

  1. Thank you for providing the answer about where exactly The Mund was.

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