5 St John Street

Joe & Amy Green and their family

The house was occupied by the family of Joe Green from 1935.  They were to stay in the house for over 20 years. 

Joe was born in Hill and baptised on 6 May 1877.  He was the son of Joseph Green, an agricultural labourer and his wife, Caroline.  They lived at Woodend Lane in Hill.  In 1891 young Joe was a servant at New Park Farm in Berkeley, but by 1901 he was back living with his parents in Hill working as a carter on a farm.   

In September quarter 1905, Joe married Amy Georgina Stickler in Thornbury.  Amy (shown on the right below) was born in 1883 in Huntingford, Gloucestershire.  She was the daughter of Robert Sticker, a labourer, and his wife, Georgina.  In 1891 they were living in Avening Green.  In 1901 Amy was a servant working in Fleet, Hants.

Joe continued working as an agricultural labourer.  He and Amy Georgina had eight children: Gwendoline, Robert, Thomas, Joseph, Charles, Amy, Annie, and Margaret.  It was noted in the Gazette when he died that he had worked for many years at Norton Farm, Thornbury, we're not sure if that should have read 'Morton Farm'.

The Council School records show that in 1927 and 1928 the Green family were living in Upper Morton when Annie and Margaret started at the school.  In 1935 Joe and Amy were living in St John Street with Joe junior and Tom.   Another son Charles was listed in the 1939 register.

An article in the Gazette of 1937 described an accident in which Joe Green sustained some  injuries in a head-on collision between his cart and a motor lorry.  The article says that Joe Green worked for Trayhurn Brothers and was driving down the High Street on a cart with a load of hay.  The load over-ran the horse which set off down the street at some speed.  It was going so fast that it could not take the corner on The Plain and instead went straight down Castle Street and crashed into a van from Messrs Shield of Filton Laundry.  Joe Green was hurled to the ground.  Don Trayhurn slid off the hay and got away with minor bruises.  The pony was only slightly injured, although the shafts of the cart were broken.  The radiator of the van was dented.  Joe however was more seriously injured.  He was given first aid by Dr E. M. Grace and sent to Bristol Infirmary where he was detained.

Joe died in 1946 aged 69 years and was buried in Thornbury Cemetery.  Amy continued living in the house with her son, Tom and his wife.  She died in 1961 aged 77 years and was buried with Joe in Thornbury Cemetery.

The house continued to be occupied by the family until 1957.

Thomas, better known as 'Tom' married in 1941.   His wife was  Joan Muriel Blanchard, the daughter of Lawford Henry and Florence Blanchard from Tytherington.  They married in Tytherington Parish church.  They met while Joan was working in the kitchens at Thornbury Grammar School.   After a couple of years living in Tytherington, Tom and Joan moved to his parents house in St John Street which they shared with several other members of the family.  They had one son, Adrian born in 1946.

Tom (shown here on the right) was a transport driver, starting first at Weatherheads in Thornbury when he left the Council School.  After other short-term employments he worked for many years with ARC at Tytherington Quarry.  Tom had already been a part-time fireman for several years and then during the War he became a full time fireman, travelling as far away as London and Plymouth to fight fires during the Blitz, as well as fires in Bristol and the local area.  Around 1966, he moved from the Quarry to Berkeley Power Station where he worked in labs.  Tom must have been well known to different generations of Thornburians because his other jobs included being caretaker of Manorbrook School and, with the help of Joan, his wife, caretaker of Armstrong Hall.

Tom and Joan moved from St John Street to Stafford Crescent in 1957, and after a couple of years in Wotton-Under-Edge they returned to Thornbury about 1969/1970 to live in 5 Horseshoe Lane before being moved on to Stafford Crescent when their house was demolished for the development of Rock Street car park!

Tom died in 2000 aged 89 years and he is buried in Thornbury Cemetery in the same grave as his wife's parents.

Other children:

Margaret married in 1941 when she was only 17.  Her husband was Joseph Ernest Parker, a carpenter aged 29 who was living with the Green family at the time.  Edward's father was Ernest Henry Parker a collier.  Joe was described as an agricultural labourer.  Amy G and William Green were witnesses.  Joseph was killed in 1944 when he was serving as a gunner in the Royal Artillery 494 Battery, 146 Lt. Anti- Aircraft Regiment.  In July 1945 Margaret married again.  Her new husband was Edward Lawlor, who was in the Army aged 37.  They had a son, Nigel John Edward, born in 1946.  The record of his baptism shows that Edward and Margaret were living at number 5.  Godparents were Robert Ernest Victor Organ, Tom  Green and Nancy Farr, who was the friend of Charles Green.

Annie Green married in September 1945.  Annie was a post office worker aged 23. Her husband was Harold Lawrence Lotinga, a shopkeeper.  Tom Green was a witness.

Amy married Robert Victor Organ whose widowed mother, Sarah Organ, lived in Laburnum Terrace.  After the wedding they lived in The Court House, 2 St John Street, directly opposite number 5.  They later moved to Wotton-Under-Edge.

Caroline Georgina Gwendolen Green was born 29th July 1906 and baptised at St Leonard's Church Tortworth 2nd September 1906.

Joe Green was born 9th April 1912 and baptised 9th June 1912 also baptised at St Leonard's Church.

Click here to read about the other occupants of number 5 St John Street.

This page was last updated: 21/03/2012