The Twickenham Museum
People : Traders and Artisans

John Nash Goatly (1810-1862)
Twickenham Auctioneer and Estate Agent
1862

John Nash Goatly
Four or more generations of Goatlys lived and worked in Twickenham as auctioneers and estate agents from about 1850. According to the 1851 Census John Nash Goatly, born in Long Acre, Covent Garden was living in Ealing with his wife Mary Ann, aged 44, born in Greenford. Their children were: Mary Ann (13), Henry Nash (11), John Nash Junior (9), Hannah (7) and Julia (4). He described himself as a 'Comm. Chandlers Traveller'. He had married Mary Ann Heaseller at Holy Trinity Church, Marylebone on 11 December 1832, a handsome building erected four years earlier to the design of Sir John Soane. Registers of birth held at Dr Williams's Library (then in Cripplegate) suggest that there had been two other children, born at Hanwell, a district of Ealing: John Nash, on 31 August 1833 and buried on 10 October 1836, and William Nash, born on 25 March 1836 who, presumably also died in childhood. In Business at TwickenhamIt has been stated that he opened business as an auctioneer in the London Road in 1850, but his name does not appear in Street Directories at this time. He is first mentioned in 1854 as the auctioneer for the land now occupied by no13 Sion Row. The auction was conducted at The White Swan inn, just down the road. In 1846 he was buying land along much of the north side of the newly built road Pope's Grove. Here, he owned, and may have built, the three pairs of villas known as Natchez Villas. In 1852 he disposed of one by a 55 year lease to a John Boakes. Certainly by 1855 he was living in the area and described as 'Haulier and Auctioneer'. He had opened an office at the start of Twickenham Green (later to become 173 Heath Road) by 1861. In 1862 the builder, Abraham Slade recorded in his diary that his friend, John Nash Goatly had died:'John Nash Goatly died Nov. 2nd. 1862 aged 52 years. And we buried him at Ealing old church on the 8th. This man was the only man that ever took me by the hand in business. I have found in him a friend, and in him I have lost one.'In 1859 it was Goatly who, as agent for the owner, Henry Joel Emanuel, had arranged for Slade to carry out renovations to the row of 15 rented houses on Twickenham Green then known as Apsley Villas. Slade found the job profitable but the tenants rather tiresome (' My Apsley cottages are nearly finished, and right glad I shall be when the matter is settled as the tenants have given me more trouble than any job I ever had before....') However, in 1871 he repeated the task, painting all the exteriors and some of the interiors. Mary Anne remained in the Popes Grove area of Twickenham, occupying several houses until at least 1882: Grove Villa (1865), Bromley Villa (1872) and 2 The Laburnams (1874-1882).

John Nash Goatly Junior (1842-1923)

John Nash Junior (1842-1923), was born in Ealing. In Twickenham he is first recorded in a Post Office Street Directory for 1860, described as John Nash Junior, Collector of Taxes, and working with his father at their office in Heath Lane. Whibley's Street Directory for 1865 shows him there aged 23, described as auctioneer, surveyor and house agent. He was living, perhaps with his widowed mother at Grove Villa, in the Popes Grove area, probably at the upper end of the road today known as Popes Grove. In 1865 he was living at Radstock Lodge, recently built., now 79 Popes Avenue. This house may have been built by Abraham Slade; what is certain is that Slade was undertaking repair work there in 1870 for Miss M Goatly, possibly Mary Anne, John's older sister.

He married, on 18 July 1869 at St Mary's Church, Twickenham, Annie Critchley Langstone (1852-1939) from Teddington, aged 17. Her father was described as “Gentleman”. They had a large family, including Sidney Arthur Goatly (1881-1965) who followed in the family business. In 1871 they were living at no15 Apsley Villas (now 29 The Green) with a daughter, Florence. More children followed:, John Henry Nash, Amy C, Emmeline F, Percy E, Herbert and Sidney Arthur.

As the family increased it needed larger accommodation and, by 1880, had moved to Heath House in Heath Lane, an early 18th century house then standing where Lion Road now starts. 1882 saw them living at Knowle House, a late 18th century property at the end of Knowle Road. John Nash was still there in 1902, though by 1913 it was being used as a furniture store. He appears to have sold the property that year.

Life in Twickenham

John Nash Junior, auctioneer and Estate Agent, took a prominent part in the life of Twickenham. In 1871 he was one of the nine enumerators for the Census, responsible for district 7 which covered the Strawberry Hill area. He served on the Local Board throughout its existence, and later on the Urban District Council as well as in the Volunteer Fire Brigade. The Town Hall was built in King Street in 1882. There was an auditorium and, in 1888, Goatly obtained a licence for performances of music and dancing.

He conducted his business from the premises at the start of Twickenham Green, holding auctions of furniture from there. By 1880, needing more space, he had acquired auction rooms in the centre of Twickenham, next to the London and Provincial Bank on the corner of Cross Deep and Heath Road. He also conducted sales of property destined for demolition. Among these was Twickenham House in 1887, next door to his office, and Lismore house in 1892, further along Heath Lane.

He owned land in Teddington, possibly through his wife, and in 1884 he sold a plot in Church Road to the Baptists for the erection of the locally famous Tin Tabernacle; described as freezing in winter and baking in summer.

Henry Nash Goatly (1840-1895)
Henry Nash Goatly was the elder brother of John Nash Junior and a butcher by trade. In 1866 Abraham Slade finished building premises at the corner of First Cross Road and the Hampton Road. Henry took a 21 year lease on the building which remained a butcher's for over a century until rebuilt as housing.

When he died his wife Julia inherited Natchez and Russell Villas beside the railway bridge in Popes Grove.

Henry was associated both with the Congregational and the Baptist churches on Twickenham Green, as the secretary and treasurer of The British School, founded in 1834 by Lady Shaw which used accommodation in both premises in the 1860s.

Sidney Arthur Goatly (1880-1965)

Sidney Arthur, the youngest son, joined the business, taking it over when John Nash retired. He and his wife Emily Frances took part in local affairs, Sidney as president of the Twickenham Cricket Club on Twickenham Green and she as an honorary life governor of St John's Hospital in Amyand Park Road. She died in 1969 aged 81. In turn, his son Sidney Lawrence (1910-1987) followed him, and together they moved the firm to 25 London Road, then to Church Street, on the corner of Bell Lane, described as Goatly & Goatly. When Sidney Lawrence, who had been a major in the Indian Army, retired in 1975 the firm was taken over by Milestone & Collis.


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