Marion Banyard (nee Tracey) - memories of my grandfather

I am the youngest Scott grandchild and did not know my grandfather, WH Scott. As a child, I remember we often visited my grandmother Clare Scott at Oaklands in Thorpe. She was close as we lived in Thorpe Road during the war and later moved to Cotman Road.

W H Scott had 'Oaklands' built in about 1908. I do remember the special oven he designed and built. It was like a cake stand, cylindrical with several round shelves fixed to upright rods, this had a cover which was on a pulley attached to the ceiling. When you wanted to look at something in the oven you just gently raised the cover by the handle (well balanced) – the hot air remained under the cover and did not disappear due to the design. This was an early electric oven which Grandfather invented. It may have been removed when Granny died, which was when I was about 20.

WH Scott also designed his own picnic stove and had several made up. In those days there were few roadside cafes etc. The stove could be lit using newspaper and twigs; it packed into a box which also held the kettle and the teapot which were both specially designed to fit neatly inside it. We would be sent to gather up twigs and could quickly light a fire to boil the water for tea.

I was told that if Grandfather had an idea in the middle of the night he had been known to call his chauffeur, Wright, to take him into the factory straight away, despite the early hour.

Grandmother’s maiden name was Reavell and great grandfather Reavell was the ‘Clerk of the Works’ or architect to the Duke of Northumberland at Alnwick. They were living 'in the shadow of’ Alnwick Castle. The Duke of Northumberland wanted to put electricity in the castle and one of the Reavell brothers suggested that the man to do this was his friend Will Scott. This is how WH Scott went to Alnwick and how he met my grandmother who was his second wife. There are still Reavells in Alnwick.

I have the original OBE award for WH Scott however the medal was stolen in a burglary.

I think it is probable that Grandfather was cremated. I was told that Uncle Tom, his youngest son, had died of a brain tumour. I don’t why the other son Jim died.

The oldest son, Harold was crippled and died young. When Grandfather married for the second time, I think that Harold may have gone to live with WH Scott's sisters, his Aunts in Soham in Cambridgeshire.

My grandmother’s real name was actually Clara although she used Clare interchangeably.

WH Scott loved travelling and the family went to various places including India, Jamaica and the Caribbean and the continent. He also enjoyed sailing. He built the cruiser 'Moonraker' which was the first Bermudan rigged boat on the Broads – he liked anything new.

I have found some photographs taken by my mother showing WH Scott sailing in the 30s. I also have a photo album which my mother said contained photos which Grandfather took in the 1890’s. One of them was taken in Philadelphia USA – so he obviously visited there. I also have some postcards which he sent to Granny from the Paris Exposition in 1900.

I was told that Grandfather was a man of few words. There was a family story that he went into, I think it was Chamberlain’s (outfitters). He was a regular customer and they knew his hat size. He went into the shop, tried on a hat, paid for it and left – all without saying one word.