Leslie Claxton

Claxton married Aldridge

Leslie Claxton was the brother of Allan Claxton of the Claxton Furniture shop on Canvey and Benfleet. This picture has come from his granddaughter Cathy in the USA. Cathy’s mother was Leslie’s daughter Lesley.

The Claxton family of which there were several children, were born in Wales, their father was William Alfred and their mother was Mary Ann, who were born in Suffolk and Essex respectively.

On the 24th December 1939, at St Katherine’s Church,  Leslie Gordon Claxton married Violet Ann Aldridge who was the daughter of William Aldridge who was a builder on Canvey from the 20’s to about 1940. On his marriage certificate Leslie stated he lived at Station Stores, South Benfleet and that he was a driver. Was he driving for the Claxton furniture/removal company?

During those years the Aldridge family lived or had the building business on Canvey at ‘Greengate’, in Heldon Road (1929 Electoral Roll), ‘Prospect’ in the High Street (1933 Kelly’s Directory) and ‘Cromwell’ in Long Road (1939 Leslie and Violet’s Marriage cert).

Lesley died in 1989 aged 76. You can see the Claxton family in Allan Claxton’s films.

If anyone can add any information to the Claxton or Aldridge family regarding their time on Canvey please comment below. Cathy is waiting to hear from you.

Comments about this page

  • I remember Les Claxton when I worked with him at the Shell oil refinery Stanford le Hope in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s, I lost touch with him for a while and then met him again when he was working with his family at the shop in Furtherwick road.

    By Ian Newman (03/10/2012)
  • Thank you, Ian. I didn’t get the chance to meet him and it always wonderful to learn more about him. 🙂

    By Cathy (03/10/2012)
  • I am wondering if this is the same Claxton family who my dad Vic Barnes used when buying items?  I gave a ‘Bill’ to Janet Penn on 13th Feb’16 in the Canvey Library and am intrigued to find out if Shirley Claxton was a daughter too?….

    By Bobbie Barnes Jones (19/02/2016)
  • It is the same family Bobbie. No idea if Shirley is related she does not show up in anything I have researched.

    By Janet Penn (20/02/2016)
  • Les was my mums, Shirley, stepdad. My step grandad. He married my mums mum
    lilian and went onto have a son Warren. Les came to live with mum and dad in his twilight years then discovered he had cancer. Mum looked after him and after treatments, countless appointments, Les was admitted to Southend hospital where he passed away surrounded by Shirley, Bill Blainey, Pam (Shirley’s half sister) and myself Juliet. Warren died from cancer in 2014. He was just like Grandad Les. Warren also walked and talked so much like him too.
    Mum (Shirley) remembers Lesley and Janet (I recall) visiting their dad Les when they lived in Benfleet.

    By Juliet Beavis Blainey (01/02/2021)
  • My mum Shirley has a couple of photos she has saved from little grandad belongings. Mum isn’t sure who they are but the gentleman, we believe, is a Claxton. He is so very similar in looks. For some reason, I cant get them attached to this site. But if you would like to see them perhaps you can send me your email address and I can them post them on there.
    Mum would never throw them away as she’s always said they are part of Les’s family and some day someone may want them or be interested in them.

    (Editor) Juliet’s photos can be seen here.

    By Juliet Beavis (02/02/2021)
  • You can email them to the archive on cca@canveyisland.org

    By Janet Penn (02/02/2021)

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