Malcolm Smith's Family History Archive

Biography of

Sydney  Newton  FOLKER

[Ref. Q.5]

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Chapter 1 : Family & social life

 
Sydney Newton Folker was born at the family home at 106 St.George's Avenue, Islington on 26 July 1888. He was not baptised until 27 November 1897 and that was in Guildford at Holy Trinity church where his uncle Horace Shepherd Folker was a member of the congregation. Reputedly, Sydney was given that name after his father's trip there on business in 1886, and the name Newton because of the family connection to Isaac Newton.

When the census was taken in 1891, the famiy were living at Beaulah in Albert Terrace, Wolstanton in Ashton-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. Sydney's father would have been working as an agent for a pottery manufacturer in that area. However, according to local directories, the family had moved back to London by 1897 and were living at 11 Springfield Villas in Springfield Road, Enfield, Middlesex. A directory of 1902 shows the family at 12 Park Road, Harlesden, Middlesex.

It is likely that Sydney attended Willesden High School along with his brothers.

The census of 1901 records that the family were living at 12 Park Road, Willesden, Middlesex, and they were still there in 1911 by which time Sydney was a Commercial Traveller having followed his father to be employed by the pottery manufacturer Royal Crown Derby.

Sydney was a keen on amateur dramatics and was particularly interested in the works of Charles Dickens. He used to perform with the Brentham Players at the theatre at Stonebridge Park which is where met his wife to be. Sydney married Vera Gwseeni Cook on 16 December 1911 and the couple went to live in 12 Crown Terrace in Cricklewood. His profession was still that of a Commercial Traveller at that time. Their daughter and only child, Dora Emily, known as Doady, was born there on 3 September 1913. All of the names given to her were characters in Dickens plays, reflecting Sydney's admiration for the author.

The family moved a couple of years later to 103 Fowlers Walk in Brentham, Middlesex. This was a house situated at the end of a cul-de-sac on a new estate. The census of 1921 confirms the family at that address and records Sydney's profession as an actor with no fixed place of work.

Sydney was a sociable man by nature and comfortable in the company of all people which benefited him both in his acting career and later at work in his showrooms. Both he and his wife played Golf well. It was a passion for Vera but with Sydney probably more a means of socialising to promote his contacts for work. They engaged also in other recreational activities as they had selection of equipment such as clock golf, croquet and bowls also several tennis rackets in their presses. However, many of these may have belonged to Sydney's parents originally.

Sydney went into films during the silent era and his daughter recalled that, as a young girl, she watched him at work in places such as Syon House. He was offered work in Holywood but declined as his wife was unwilling to make the move. He left the industry when the talkies came along, after which he was out of work for some time and emigration to Australia was considered. Apparently, the family were ready to go but, for some reason, never actually did. In retrospect, it is possible that Vera resisted the plans to move abroad as her false claim to having been born in USA would have come to light when she applied for a passport.

During the period in which Sydney was in films, he had a Violet-Bogey car.

Sydney and Vera both loved the outdoor life and spent much time away from home in their caravan. They initially went to Climping in Sussex but latterly went to the the Windmill caravan park at Selsey in Sussex where they had two caravans. They towed the caravans with their Morris 10 registration number AXH 278.

In about 1928 the family moved to 80 Gresham Road in Osterley, Middlesex. Sydney called the house Tappee after a tappee brought back from the antipodes by his ancestor Samuel Folker. It was a carved figure and rather obvious fertility symbol which his wife found offensive so Sydney finally gave away to the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow. The museum identified the figure as a rare Maori Tapu.

In 1929, Sydney became a Freemason at Highbury Lodge. It is known that he was involved with the Old Masonic Dramatic Society as newspapers of 1931 and 1932 report on his work in producing plays.

The 1939 register shows Sydney and Vera still at 80 Gresham Road in Osterley. Sydney's profession was recorded as Wholesale agent in London district for china, glass and pottery manufacturer, that manufacturer being Royal Crown Derby.

Two years later, in 1941, they bought a three acre plot in White Hill at Marlow Bottom, Buckinghamshire. The book The Buckinghamshire Village describes plots along that road being sold at £20 for a forty foot frontage and the purchasers building their own houses. The 'self-build' applied to Sydney and Vera and they lived in their caravan until Sydney had built a wooden chalet which became their temporary home. He then proceeded with building the house which he called Dingley Dell, the name coming from the Charles Dickens play The {ickwick Papers. He undertook most of the work himself, learning each trade and purchasing the tools as necessary. A toolchest containing many of those tools remains in use by his descendants. Sydney and Vera became largely self-sufficient from their own produce. They kept goats, ducks, chickens and bees and had a productive vegetable patch. They also preserved some of their produce also made jam, wines and beer. Sydney had constructed a small cellar the size of a manhole under the kitchen floor to store the alcohol. At White Hill, Sydney and Vera had neighbours who lived in White Hill Cottage nearby. They were swiss and called Christian and Catherine Bernet and, by co-incidence, Catherine had been a neighbour at Crown Terrace in Cricklewood.

In the early days of the second World War petrol became scarce. Sydney used to travel to London each day by train from High Wycombe but would have to drive to and from the station. To get round the problem of petrol shortage, he bought himself a pony and trap which he used instead of the car. He arranged with a friend who had a garage near the station in High Wycombe to keep his horse there during the day until his return in the evening. The journey itself must have been quite hazardous as there is a notoriously steep hill down into High Wycombe from Marlow.

Sydney was active in the local Civil Defence during the war period. During petrol rationing in the war and the period afterwards, Sydney had an additional allowance as he was a Commercial traveller. He used to take advantage of this to visit his daughter, but carrying some of his wares in case he was stopped and questioned. He had a Jowett car during the war then later bought a light green Hillman Minx, registration number PKX 390. The Hillman was inherited by his daughter.

Sydney continued his involvement in building by designing a village hall for Marlow Bottom. It was called the Witches Barn and was located in an old chalk quarry beside the road and the original planning drawings survive. He contributed to the running of the hall and put on stage productions to entertain the villagers. There is a reference to Sydney in the book The Buckinghamshire Village Book as being the first president of the village hall. That book also goes on to record him as "A flamboyant character who strode the valley in a large black sombrero and a black cloak". It also mentions that he lived in "Dingley Dell".

Vera died in 1949 after which Sydney looked after himself. His health soon deteriorated and he engaged a housekeeper called Nora Drower, who had been a neighbour when he and Vera lived in Fowlers Walk.

Sydney was taken to the Royal Masonic Hospital in Hammersmith but returned home where he died on 6 January 1955. At his own request, he was cremated at All Saints Crematorium at St.John's in Woking, where there is a plaque to both himself and his wife.

In his Will of 15 August 1949, Sydney bequeathed items to members of his family. He had added a codicil on 31 August 1851 entitling his housekeeper to remain in the house for life or until she married, of which she did the latter. She was also bequeathed furniture, one item of which she selected being a bookcase with a complete set of the works of Charles Dickens, reputedly signed first editions.

 

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