A Tribute to Len & Connie Spencer of Martham
This article was kindly provided in a collaboration between Stephen Spencer, the nephew, and Georgina Graver nee Williams, the granddaughter, of Len & Connie Spencer.
Leonard Spencer was born on 16th June 1908 in the town of Belper situated in the Amber Valley of Derbyshire. His father Samuel Spencer, born 1882, ran a blacksmiths business in the City of Derby where his main business at that time was as a farrier. Len’s mother was Lily Emma Burgess Mays born 1883, and he had a younger brother Reginald born 1915. The Spencer family can be traced back in Belper to the mid-1600s mainly as nail makers.
Len was a competent boxer as a young man and whilst working with his father was occasionally set up to fist fight with Sam’s more flamboyant customers for a small wager. Len was also a keen fisherman from an early age and had an exceptional eye for photography and he would always carry a camera with him wherever he went. Additionally, he was an accomplished musician and played the tenor saxophone as a member of the Mayfair Super Band one of Derby’s top dance hall bands at the time.
After Len met Constance Gertrude Strelley, who was born on 8th August 1908, they were married in 1935. Constance’s ancestors were from the aristocratic family of the Strelleys, one of the oldest and most famous in the county of Nottinghamshire. They were originally named de Stradleigh with a family tree that stretches back to the 1100’s. Sir Robert Strelley (1390-1438) was at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and Nicholas William Strelley´s (1480-1560) wife was Elizabeth Izabel Spencer a relative of Princess Diana and Winston Churchill.
Despite his father’s attempts to get him into the blacksmiths trade Len had other plans and with some help from his father became proprietor of the long-established and successful Stevens Photographic business in Albert Street Derby City. Derbyshire Photographers: J Alfred Stevens of Derby (rootsweb.com)
At that time colour photography had not been developed and customers who needed a coloured photograph were provided with a black and white photograph that was hand coloured by an artist.
When not photographing industrial settings, family weddings or carrying out portrait photography Len found time to pursue his love for fishing which took him off to Norfolk where he discovered the small village of Martham. In 1963 along with his wife Connie, daughter Valerie and her husband Maurice they all decided to make a break from Derby city life and move to Martham where they bought a house on Martham Green which at that time was named Thurne Thatch but earlier was known as Hope Cottage. Len established a new photographic studio in the small building shown here attached to the left of Yew Tree Cottage, on The Green. He also found time to pursue his love for fishing and at one time managed the Martham fishing ponds. People in the village remember Len for his charismatic personality his photographic studio and his Bentley.
Len was photographer at Hopton Holiday Village and was often seen taking photos of the holidaymakers there during the summer months.
On 31st May 1965, Connie attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace to mark the Golden Jubilee of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes. Her name had been picked out in a draw to represent the Martham branch.
Len & Connie’s daughter Valerie and husband Maurice moved to Hall Road in Martham where they started a family. As Len and Connie got on in years, they decided to downsize their home and moved to a more modern property with less maintenance at No 32 Rowan Road. There they carried on with their lives in the village until Len passed away in 1978 whilst Connie spent the rest of her years in Martham until she passed in away in 2007 when she was 98. They are buried together at St Mary the Virgin, and leave behind a family of grandchildren and great grand children.
