When he began his daily diary entries in January 1893, Billy Hoad was 20 years old and in his final and fifth year of his apprenticeship to Sendall Brothers, a local building and decorating company in Horsham, Sussex. He was living at home with his parents and younger brothers and sisters at 25 Park Street. The account he wrote in his old age of this period in his life provides some insight into the sort of work he was involved in during his apprenticeship: stock control for the first couple of years, plumbing for the next year or so and principally painting and wall papering by the time this diary begins.
In the nature of painting and decorating, the jobs tended to last for a few days or weeks rather than months. Some of these would be in Horsham itself; others would be within an hour or so walk from the town. In his younger school days, when he was helping his father with chimney sweeping, he got to visit most of the larger houses in the neighbourhood. In his new role as an apprentice plumber and painter, he got to revisit many of them in a new role. His diary provides a fairly comprehensive list of these jobs and often the tradesmen he worked with on these jobs. These are listed here for the interest of those who may be familiar with these same houses or be related to these workers.
10 Jan 1893: “The Warren”, a pub at Itchingfield.
12 Jan “Oak Dene”, Holmwood, with Fred Mitchell.
17 Jan “Northlands”, Warnham, with Alf Mitchell.
18 Jan Back to Oak Dene.
26 Jan “New Lodge” with Fred Mitchell.
30 Jan “Carrylls”, Faye Gate, with C. Tilling[1], repairing pipes burst in the icy weather.
6 Feb “Northlands”, Warnham, plumbing work with C. Tilling.
8 Feb Painting guttering at Stores.
9 Feb Plumbing at “Bald Horns”, Rusper, with C. (General) Jackson.
“[Went] in the pony and cart. When we came home the pony bolted and overturned the cart. Not much damage done.”
13 Feb Nunnery Farm with Fred Mitchell.
15 Feb Curtis Farm with Fred Mitchell.
18 Feb A house on West Crawley Road.
20 Feb “Started a job at King and Chasemore’s old offices”.
24 Feb “Walshams”, Horsham.
2 March “Turners Stores”, Park Street with FES (Fred Sendall).
4 March “Jupps”, Station Road.
13 March “Nunnery Farm”.
30 March “Horsham Park”, Carfax, burning off the front gates.
5 April “Mill Hall”.
6 April “Drungewick Manor”, Loxwood, home of E. Brabys Esq., plumbing work with C. Jackson.
Loxwood House, Loxwood, c. 1910,reproduced with permission from West Sussex Past Pictures, Ref: PP/WSL/PC005601, Rep: West Sussex County Council Library Service; Image credit.10 April Station Road Estate.
18 April “Grandford House” with Fred Mitchell. This job was interrupted by the death of Fred’s brother Alfred from smallpox.
19 April “Lausanne Villa”, Crawley Road.
24 April Home of J.G. Gould Esq, repairing a bath.
25 April “Harts” with W. Sendall.
29 April Working at 40 Carfax.
40 Carfax, Horsham, in 2008.3 May Dr. Kirsopp’s house.
8 May Working at 40 Carfax.
11 May Painting the Grandstand.
12 May Back to Grandford House to finish the job.
15 May Painting two cottages at Partridge Green with T. Tugwell. “Took lodgings at the cottages and in the evening went to “The Green Man””
23 May “Old Park”, Rusper with a team of seven workers.
16 June “Ranfold Grange” with J. Bickerstaff. This job lasted for the next two weeks and required Billy and Bickerstaff to walk out to the site on Monday morning, bunk down on the job during the week, and walk back to Horsham on Saturday afternoon.
15 July Plumbing work at the Horsham Workhouse (or “Spike” as it was known) with C. Tilling.
19 July ‘Crown Inn”.
The Crown Inn, Horsham, 2008.20 July Working in the wallpaper stores at Sendall Bros.
21 July Working “in the shop”.
24 July P.C. Herrington’s house, Crawley Road.
26 July “Engine House”, Crawley Road.
28 July “Bradfords”. Helped J. Boxall fix the ‘board’.
29 July Russell and Sons, painting the shop front.
31 July Beer and Co., North Street. Varnishing the ‘board’ with J. Lindfield.
1 August Glazing at “Cramps”, Middle Street, and painting at “Westons”, Carfax.
9 August Lynwood.
7 Sept Partridge Green, with Fred Mitchell, to install some taps in the scullery.
9 Sept “Started repairing a house in Birch Terrace. Very dirty hole, full of ‘company’”.
11 Sept Birch Terrace and “Magpie Cottage with Fred Mitchell.
13 Sept “Colehings West Lodge” with C. Jackson. “Putting a new rising main to pump.”
14 Set Birch Terrace.
20 Sept “Lausanne Villa”, Crawley Road.
23 Sept 23 Burford Road, Horsham .
25 Sept Back to “Lausanne Villa”, Crawley Road.
2 Oct Miss Hodgson’s Causeway House, painting the servants’ rooms and passages with J. Goldsmith.
5 Oct Birch Terrace and “Singers” shop, East Street.
9 Oct Fred Sendall’s house, painting the kitchen.
14 Oct Painting a window for Lade’s, Carfax and painting at “The Anchor” Hotel.
The Anchor Hotel, Horsham, 2008.17 Oct Back to Lynwood to “touch up moulding in porch”.
19 Oct F.H King’s “The Gables” “to do the bathroom”.
24 Oct Back to Causeway House to paper the servants’ hall.
26 Oct Working on the skylight in the Fire Engine House.
27 Oct St Leonard’s House, with C. Jackson to reline a sink.
30 Oct “Charts” North Street with Jim Lindfield and J. Boxall.
6 Nov West Grinstead Convent, with C. Tilling, “to repair pipe in well – very dirty job – well covered in slimy mud.”
7 Nov Back to “Charts”.
15 Nov “Taylors” the bakers, repairing guttering.
20 Nov Catholic Schools, painting.
21 Nov Miss Wells’ house in North Rd, with C. Tilling and then to a “well job” at “Laurel Cottage”, Crawley Road.
27 Nov Back to “Lades” with Joe Goldsmith, sizing and varnishing a staircase.
28 Nov Working with C. Stoner[2] at Windors, Park Street putting in new stop tap to water main.
29 Nov Back to Lade’s.
1 Dec Paper hanging with Joe Goldsmith at Chapman’s, Copsale.
8 Dec Repairing a well at Lockyer’s Farm with C. Tilling.
13 Dec Davison’s, West Street.
14 Dec Miss Caffyn’s. Hurst Rd.[3]
15 Dec Mills’, London Road.
16 Dec Back to Chapman’s, Copsale with Joe Goldsmith.
27 Dec “Had a rough job at the Gov.’s property in Leechpool Lane mending windows. After dinner went to Farhall’s, Little Haven to mend a burst [water pipe]”.
28 Dec “Mrs Moon’s, Bedford Street to wipe a crack in lead gutter”.
29 Dec Normany, paper-hanging.
30 Dec Chart’s, Norfolk Square, putting new bucket to lead pump.
2 Jan 1894 Glazing at Policeman’s house, Crawley Rd in the morning.
3 Jan “Working in the shop getting ready for the alteration”.
6 Jan “Shop in the morning. After dinner C Jackson and I started making a lead coffin for H Bethune Esq. Who died last night. Got finished about 10.30 pm then went with Mr Beeching to help put the body in. Worked to 12.30”.
9 Jan “All hands very busy on the ‘bursts’ today. I had several different jobs.”
10 Jan “Went with C. Jackson to solder Mr Bethune’s coffin down this morning. Rest of the day on at ‘bursts’.”
11 Jan Busy still with ‘bursts’. So many jobs in, don’t know which to do first”.
12 Jan “Northchapel nearly all day mending burst pipes”.
13 Jan Harris & Scrace’s, Park Street.
15 Jan “Had a very dirty job at Page’s, Carfax, repairing a pan closet.”
16 Jan Started a job at Miss Agate’s cottages in Gladstone Road.
18 Jan Mrs Rogerson’s, Albion Terrace.
19 Jan Police Station and County Court House.
20 Jan (Saturday) “Working at odd jobs for most of the day. At 4 o’clock started to walk to ‘Woodlands’ with F.E.S. to look at a job for next week. Got home at 6.30.”
22 Jan “Started job at Woodlands, Southwater.”
29 Jan “Working at the alterations to the shop.”
13 Feb Cater’s, East Street.
14 Feb “Went to the Grange with Charles Jackson to reline scullery sink.”
16 Feb “Working at Waterworks Extension with J. Boxall.”
19 Feb “Started job with Dick Allen at ‘Selehurst … Got a nice little job there, 5 bedrooms to do out.”
4 Mar (Sunday) “Got home about 9.30 when I found out that Mr Sendall had just called and left orders for me to go to Broome Hall next week.”
5 Mar “Went up with the other chaps by first train for Broome Hall. Rare lot of work to be done here, mostly outside, making 11 hours a day.
[1] 1891 Census: Richard C. Tilling was a plumber, aged 31 and living with his wife and six children at 22 East Street
[2] 1891 Census: Charles Stoner was a plumber’s labourer, aged 40 and living with his wife and children at 21 East Street.
[3] 1891 Census: Miss Emma Caffyn was a lady of independent means living with a boarder and a servant at Lea Pale Cottage in Hurst Road.
