Jasmine Cottage
This house (no 39) sits on the corner of Main St, at the Plough crossroads.
When it was built this house (red) fronted Main St and sat next to the Plough (blue) at a T-junction. In the 1930s a road was driven westwards through the Plough’s site towards Newark Rd, to bypass some of the narrow stretches and awkward bends on Main St.
The house has a double pile construction, with a pantile roof and corner chimney stacks. It has 3 reception rooms with beamed-ceilings and 3 bedrooms.
The frontage has a central door and pretty chequered brickwork. (There are more examples of this in the village - like 'Old Vicarage' opposite, the house next to the Plough nearby, one of the demolished Main St cottages and the Green frontage of the Inn on the Green.)
In 1935, the Campions were compensated for allowing an overhead electric cable post on their land. In 1963 the family also received £60 and a new fence in compensation for the loss of 45sq yds of ground taken for road widening.
The Campion Family
Jasmine Cottage was in the ownership of the Campion family from at least 1841 until 1983.
The 1841 census shows John Campion, 40 year old carpenter and wheelwright from Bathley was living alone, but by 1861 he was joined by a wife Mary (41, from Coddington ) and a family of four: William (10), John (8), Ann (6) and Elizabeth (5). On census night 1871 both John and Mary are at home, with John (18, wheelwright’s apprentice), Thomas (12), Hannah (9), Mary’s mother Sarah Linney (84, farmer’s widow from Bleasby) and boarder William Collins (wheelwright, 44 from Claypole). William Collins was a long-time boarder and was still living with the Campions 20 years later (aged 64 in 1891).
By 1881 John Senior had died, but widow Mary (60) was at home with John (28, who would soon die young, aged 32 in 1884), Thomas (22, wheelwright), Hannah (19). Elizabeth had left home, marrying Alfred Daws in 1878, at Coddington.
In 1891 Mary was still heading the family aged 69, and Thomas (31, who appeared in trade directories after 1885 until at least 1928) was the wheelwright, still with the faithful William Collins. Daughter Hannah (28) was at home and Mary Daws (described as Mary’s neice, aged 5 and born in Westminster) was visiting. Mary Campion (nee Linney) died in 1891, aged 70 and was buried in Coddington.
By 1901 Thomas (42) was married with his own small family - wife Eliza (37) and two children John (3) and Charles (1). Eliza was eventually to die, aged 86 in 1949. Their son Charles also became a wheelwright and carpenter. He married a lady called Winifrid - he died in 1981 aged 80 and his wife died in 1973 aged 67- their family still live locally. We have a picture of them and many pictures of their descendants taking part in village activities such as Cricket and Youth Guild/Fellowship outings.
{insert photo A920 - old picture of Jasmine Cottage}
We also have a photo taken from the gardens of Jasmine Cottage of a Campion baby in a pram. It gives one of the best views we have of the houses on the right of Main St, before they were demolished, between 1966 and 1989.
There was also a Sarah Ann Campion b~1845, and died 1938 – but we don’t know how she was related to John Campion.
A chaff house built by one of the Campions still stands at Sunnyside Farm and some recently-demolished loose boxes at Manor Dairy Farmhouse may possibly also have been by them. (A painted wagon-end dated 1919, had been incorporated into that structure).
