George Snell appears briefly in the timeline of 16 Cloudesley Square as a 22 year old lodger with the surveyor Robert Reed and his wife Elizabeth at the time of the 1871 census.  As such we can take him as typical of the many relatively transient, relatively well-to-do young men who passed through the area at this time.  We are lucky in that the Snell family is extensively documented on Ancestry, with several excellent early photograhs.

George was born in Westminster in 1849 and while living at No 16 was employed as an Engineer's assistant.  He married Sarah Plumb in 1877 and they lived in various parts of London including Ealing, Barnes and Chelsea before moving to Yorkshire, where George rose to become Draftsman and Secretary to Wombwell Colliery.  George died in 1915 and his son, also called George, eventually became Director and General Manager of the colliery.

 

George Snell