View source for Ernest William Sprott and Dr Barbara Sprott

'''1918 [[The Sprat]] closed as a public house and became a private residence.'''

'''1924 Kelly’s Directory.'''   [https://laceygreenhistory.com/w/index.php/Ernest_William_Sprott_and_Dr_Barbara_Sprott Ernest William Sprott and Dr Barbara  Sprott]

'''1939 Register (census).  T'''he Sprat.  Ernest William Sprott, director of a national acetylene gas company and Dr Barbara Sprott, anaesthetist.

'''BACKGROUND HISTORY     by Joan West    researched on 'Ancestry.com''''

In 1912 Ernest William Sprott married Barbara Broster at St George, Hanover Square, London

In May 1917 Dr. Barbara Sprott, nee Broster, born 30<sup>th</sup> May 1882 in Grassdale, Lancashire, qualified with honours, to become a Dr at the London Royal Free Hospital, School of Medicine for Women,   She specialised to become an anaesthetist.

'''In 1934''', aged 52, Barbara Sprott qualified to be a pilot at the Airwork School of Flying.   She acquired a plane which she landed and parked on “[https://laceygreenhistory.com/w/index.php/The_Grubbin The Grubbin]”.   [https://laceygreenhistory.com/w/index.php/Harold_Weller Harold Weller] told of how he and other local boys hearing the plane arriving would go to help her secure it down.

'''''Comment'''''

''A very few commuters were going to London by train by this time.    A number of prominent people stayed in London all week, returning home here for the weekend.''

''This intrepid woman commuted to work quite regularly by plane.''

'''The 1939 Register''' (census) shows Mr and Dr Sprott were living at [https://laceygreenhistory.com/w/index.php/The_Sprat The Sprat] in Loosley Row.   He was a director of a national acetylene gas company and she was an anaesthetist.

'''Ernest William Sprott died at The Sprat in 1943''', leaving £10,534.19s.10d to Barbara.   '''Dr Barbara Sprott died''' in a nursing home in Woburn Green in 1982, aged 100

'''Rita Probert''' filled me in with more local knowledge In 1924 (Kelly’s Directory) they were living at The Sprat, which had become a private house in 1918.

'''An Extra House for Guests.'''   Local knowledge tells that they entertained many friends at weekend parties, to the extent that they needed extra accommodation for them.    They either bought or rented “[https://laceygreenhistory.com/w/index.php/The_Upper_House The Upper House]”, sometimes called “[https://laceygreenhistory.com/w/index.php/The_Other_House The Other House]”, in [[Loosley Row]] for this purpose.