Woodlands, Malpas, Newport, Chauffeur & Car

Postcard.

The sender's address is the Lodge, Woodlands, Malpas, Newport, Mon.

The message is signed by Edwin.

The 1911 census tells us the chauffeur was then Edwin Hopkins (born around 1880). He was living in the Lodge with his wife Leticia Hopkins (born around 1883) and their son Edwin Raymond Hopkins (born around 1909).

Dafydd Powell sent up the following information relating to this picture:

The Steer family had lived in the Woodlands for over twenty years. On the night of the (1911) Census Edward Steer, a Managing Director of GKN was staying with his two sisters and niece, at the "Chestnuts", Weybridge. The Woodlands was occupied by five servants and a visitor.

Edward Steer purchased The Woodlands in 1886 and had the Parc y Prior built in the grounds as a wedding present for his eldest son, Edward Pemberton Steer (Ted) and his family. Ted became Master of the Llangybi Hunt.

Edward had two other sons. Reginald, the youngest, became a vicar. He was the vicar who officiated at the trial of William Butler and stood next to the Judge when he passed the death sentence on Butler in 1910.

The middle son, Gordon Pemberton Steer, was a Captain in the Somerset Light Infantry. He was mortally wounded at Givenchy 25 November, 1915, aged 30. Edward had an inscription affixed to the main stain glass window of Llantarnam Church as a memorial to him.

Edward had two daughters, the youngest was Augusta who married Frederick Gordon Phillips, elder son of Fred Phillips, ex mayor and part owner of Phillips Brewery. The eldest daughter Bridget married very young to Fred Donisthorpe and lived at Enderby Hall, Leicestershire.

At the outbreak of the 1914/18 War, Edward Steer was appointed Chairman of the South Mon. Recruiting Committee. This necessitated him to change his motor vehicle (in the photograph above). He was quite proud of his car and it was reputed to have cost £1000! Edgar Brown, on an errand for Edward, was given a lift to Newport one morning by Hopkins, the Chauffeur. In his own words, "I noticed the top speed for the first half mile was 20 m.p.h. so I suggested, as it was a Rolls Aero-Engine, that he 'opened it up' on the hilly next mile, but despite all the coaxing and 'needling' I was capable of, I entirely failed."

Edward Steer died in the Woodlands in 1927.