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Edward Robert Capon

1941 - THE DEATH occurred yesterday (Tuesday) morning, of Mr. Edward Robert Capon. who passed away at his home “Ashdean,” Sunningdale Drive Skegness.
Mr. Capon, who would have reached his 80th birthday next month, died suddenly, although he had not enjoyed good health for a long time and had been compelled to take life very quietly.

Mr. Capon. whose wife was a Miss Dunkley, was the first surveyor to the Skegness Council, and was the only survivor of the photographic group of the original authority which hangs in the Town Hall.
He went from Skegness to Harrow and thence to Epsom, where he was engineer and surveyor to the Epsom
authority for about forty years. He rurned to Skegness, and settled down in retirement some ten years ago.
Mr. Capon was elected to but resigned his seat after a few month’s service.
The funeral takes place tomorrow (Thursday) at St Clement’s Church at 2.30 p.m.

Source: Skegness Herald 1883

Pembroke House School

There is now being erected, and in fact is rapidly approaching completion, a large and commodious building at the corner of Rutland and Ida Roads, for the Rev. E. R. lremonger, principal of the above-named boarding and day school.

The reverend gentleman established a high-class school, for the education of the sons of gentlemen, in Algitha Road, only a comparatively short time since, and it has been attended with such success that the present building is not adequate to the requirements. That such is the case cannot be a matter of surprise as this is the only school of the kind in the neighbourhood, and was what was much required.

The new building is not only a most commodious one, but is situated in the best position in Skegness, having immediately in front of it the beautiful pleasure gardens and the sea, commanding a magnificent view of both. It is being built by Mr. T. J. Kassell, who has already erected a handsome terrace adjoining. We understand the Rev. E. R. Iremonger has taken the building and premises on a long lease.

Before giving a description of the building we may state that at the back is nearly one acre and three-quarters of land enclosed for a playground, where various kinds of amusements may be indulged in by the boys. Two fives courts are being erected, and workshops and gymnasium are in contemplation.

The building consists of five stories, including the basement, where there is a large kitchen, scullery, dining-hall, lavatory, and other necessary offices. There are two staircases on every floor throughout the building, one public for the boys, and the other private. A door from the basement opens out to the playground. On the ground floor on the right-hand side, is a large school-room 35ft. by 20ft. exclusive of the bay windows, and this room may also be used for the purposes of private theatricals.

In the centre of the room is a sliding partition. On the left is a dining-room about 20ft. square. This floor is approached from the street by five flights of steps. There is an entrance porch with inlaid pavement, and double doors with the upper panels of glass. The entrance hall is nine feet wide. On the left side is a large dining-room a room for a library, and a lift for taking anything from the basement to the upper portion of the house. There are also lavatories etc on this floor.

The second story contains a spacious corridor, one bed-room 20ft. square, and three other bedrooms, a drawing-room about 20ft. square, lavatories, etc. 

On the third story is a beautiful sitting-room, five large bedrooms, storeroom, suitable bathroom, lavatories, etc. This portion of the building is divided, as it were, into two parts, one for boys and the other for servants of the house.

The fourth story contains seven bedrooms for boys, and three for servants. This portion of the house is divided into two distinct parts, so that in case of fever or other disease breaking out, the parties suffering from such may be isolated. The house throughout is being admirably fitted up on the most improved principle, and will be supplied with hot and cold water, bells, etc.

On either side of the entrances are massive, carved and ornamental caps and trusses, together with the name of the school and the monograms of the principal, and on the top of the roof is a gilded filial, and the front altogether has a very imposing appearance.

Below is an advertisment for the school as placed in a 1883 issue of the Skegness Herald

Alas, Pembroke House School didn’t last for long and was up for let three years later in 1886.

However, in 1909, the building was advertised in the Guide to Skegness as the Essendon School.

MEMORIAL  WINDOW TO THE LATE COLONEL IREMONGER, the First Mayor of Skegness in St Matthew’s Church Skegness

Source: Skegness Herald 21st December 1888

The relatives of the late Colonel Iremonger have just placed a handsome stained-glass window in the east end of the south aisle of St. Matthew’s Church, in memory of the gallant colonel.

There are two “lights” in the window and in the one near the chancel the subject is the scene of the agony in the garden of Gethsemane, our Lord being in a kneeling posture and an angel immediately above presenting a cup to Him. On this part is the inscription “By thy cross and passion good Lord deliver us.”

In the light on the right hand the subject is the crucifixion, with Jerusalem in the background and a centurion kneeling on one side, and also the words “Truly this man was the Son of God.” In these words the centurion is represented as giving his testimony that the crucified was the Son of God.

The variations of tone in the different pieces of glass give a great richness of effect, and the artist has displayed great care in the arrangement of the colours, which are bright and pleasing.

At the foot of the window is a band, running the whole length, on which is inscribed “To the glory of God, in loving memory of Henry Edward Iremonger, Colonel Bengali Staff Corps,born 25th March, 1826, died 21st February, 1888, this window is placed by his widow, sister, and children.

The artist was Mr. W. H. Constable, F.S A., of Cambridge.

We visited St Matthew’s Church in Skegness to track down the memorial window to Iremonger, but unfortunately it is no longer there. In its place is another memorial window which was placed in 1951, just after WWII. Was Iremonger’s memorial damaged during the war? We know that the nearby Scarbrough Avenue Baths suffered bomb damage during a Second World War air raid.

Any further information on this is welcome.

This October, 1926 news article depicts the beginnings of the foreshore development in Skegness.
The Marine Gardens “come under the plough” as the first attempts begin to clear the way for the new Piazza and Bathing Pool.
The old photo also gives us a good view of the old Sun Shelter on Grand Parade.

“FARMING” ON SKEGNESS FRONT - Marine Gardens Come “Under the Plough”

The above photograph is one which many Skegnessians who take interest in local history will retain as a memento of the ambitious scheme undertaken by Skegness so far. It depicts the “passing” of a considerable section of the Marine Gardens, fronting the Grand Parade - the area to be occupied by the imposing 0rchestral Piazza at the rear of which a huge bathing pool is, to  be constructed.
The gardens which have now come under the plough, have for years formed on of the chief playgrounds for visiting and resident children and during that period some hundreds of thousands of children (to say nothing of adults) have enjoyed romping and games of football, cricket, rounders etc on the turf which has now disappeared.
A section of the area will in due course of time consitute a “playground” of  another sort, as a large dancing surface is to form a supplementary attraction to the Piazza.

The photograph will recall to many familiar in the days of war (World War I) when many grass fields were ploughed up to meet the exigencies of the national situation.
The timber building seen in the picture is one that has been erected as a workshop and store by the contractors.

Skegness Castle and Walled Station
Rev Edward H R Tatham, MA, in his ‘Lincolnshire in Roman Times’, wrote that he was convinced that the Romans had a ‘walled station’ at the northern entrance to The Wash and conjected that it had disappeared into the sea.
A reference to this ‘walled station’, and a ‘castle’, was also made by a historian called Leland, as he wrote in his logs that a Mr Paynelle had told him that he could prove that there was once “an haven and a towne wallid having also a castlille” and the “olde towne is clene consumid and eten up with the se”.
Tatham consulted his friend, Massingberd who was reported to have an unrivaled knowledge of local medieval history, about the ‘Skegness Castle’ but Massingberd confessed he knew nothing about it. However, Massingberd pointed out that there were fourteenth century records of the surname ‘atte castle’, and references to a piece of land in the Ingoldmells Manor called ‘Castleland’.

Court Rolls of Ingoldmells
The Manor of Ingoldmells included most of Skegness and the Courts of the Manor were held there. It is from the Court Rolls that Tatham obtained his ‘proof of the existance of a Skegness Castle’, and cited an entry whereby the sons of a Robert atte fflete inherited land which was called ‘Chesterland’, and the daughter a piece of land “lying in Castelland”.
A subsequent entry in 1422 described a case held in Skegness when a “William Skalflete surrended four acres of land in Castelland.

(It is worthy of note here that an Alyson SCHALFLET, Father John Schalflet, was baptised 14 FEB 1562 in Skegness. Could this be a corruption of the same surname over a hundred years later? See 16th Century Baptisms in Skegness)

Tatham observed that there was no further mention of Chesterland or Castelland, noting that this concurred with Leland’s account of it being “swallowed up by the se”.
On further study of the Court Rolls, Tatham deduced that Chesterland and Castelland were infact the same piece of land. He conjected that “the site now beneath the sea, near Skegness, was first called Chesterland by the first Anglian settlers and afterwards pronounced Casterland, corrupted into Castelland”.

Reference book used for this article:
Ancient and Modern Skegness and District by George H. J. Dutton, F.B.P.S., of Skegness, written in c1921