Violet Amy Stevens^{[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]}

1911 - 2000  (89 years)

• Name	Violet Amy Stevens
  Nickname	Babs
  Birth	12 Feb 1911	Acton, London, England   [2, 4, 5, 9, 13]
  	Violet Amy Stevens, but always known as Babs.
  Baptism	15 Apr 1917	Acton, London, England   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Death	29 Feb 2000	Acton, London, England   [14]
  Person ID	I74	DBH Twigs
  Last Modified	20 Jun 2026

  
  

  Father	James William Stevens,   b. 8 May 1889, Brentford, Middlesex, England d. 20 Apr 1958, Acton, London, England (Age 68 years)
  Mother	Lilian Blanche Berrett,   b. 25 Jul 1887, Fulham, London, England d. 4 Mar 1978, Acton, London, England (Age 90 years)
  Marriage	27 Mar 1909	Fulham, London, England   [4, 15]
  	Witnesses: Richard Burrough, Ada Annie Berrett & Edith Ansell Witness Role: Witness: [I45] Ada Annie BERRETT Witness Role: Witness: Name: Edith Ansell Witness Role: Witness: Name: Richard Burrough
  		Lilian Berrett & James Stevens - marriage Media Date: 27 MAR 1909 Keywords: Picture
  		Lilian Berrett & James Stevens - marriage Media Date: 27 MAR 1909 Keywords: Picture
  Family ID	F6496	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Geoffrey Douglas Bessent,   b. 13 Jul 1914, Richmond, Surrey, England d. 25 Dec 1991, Hammersmith, London, England (Age 77 years)  [12]
  Marriage	Oct 1949	Surrey N, Surrey, England   [16]
  Family ID	F50	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Jun 2026

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Phyl, Babs & James Stevens (grandfather) Keywords: Picture
  		Phyl, Babs & James Stevens (grandfather) Keywords: Picture
  		Flo, Phyl, Babs & Lil Stevens Photo received from Maureen Grimwood Keywords: Picture
  		Phyl, Babs & James Stevens (grandfather) Keywords: Picture
  		Tom Fowler & Phyl Stevens' wedding (MG) Photo received via Maureen Grimwood Media Date: 1933 Keywords: Picture
  		Flo, Phyl, Babs & Lil Stevens Photo received from Maureen Grimwood Keywords: Picture
  		Len & Babs Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		Flo, Phyl, Babs & Lil Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		Sue & Chris Horn's wedding Media Date: 1977 Keywords: Picture
  		Tom Fowler & Phyl Stevens' wedding (MG) Photo received via Maureen Grimwood Media Date: 1933 Keywords: Picture
  		Berrett Siblings Keywords: Family
  		Tom Fowler & Phyl Stevens' wedding (MG) Media Date: 1933 Keywords: Picture
  		Babs & Phyl Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		Len & Babs Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		Flo, Lil, Phyl & Babs Keywords: Picture
  		Len & Babs Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		Stevens & Fowlers - holiday Tom, Phyl, Flo, Lil, Ada & Babs Keywords: Picture
  		Sue & Chris Horn's wedding Media Date: 1977 Keywords: Picture
  		Flo, Lil & Babs Keywords: Picture
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Babs at Phil & Tom's wedding Media Date: 4 JUN 1933 Keywords: Picture
  		Acton - 5 Meon Road Keywords: Place
  		Babs & Len Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		Berrett Siblings Keywords: Family
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Babs & Phyl Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Babs & Phyl Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		James, Babs, Phyl & Lil Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		Flo, Lil, Phyl & Babs Keywords: Picture
  		Violet Stevens - Dressmaker Keywords: Picture
  		Stevens & Fowlers - holiday Keywords: Picture
  		Flo, Lil & Babs Keywords: Picture
  		Babs at Phil & Tom's wedding Media Date: 4 JUN 1933 Keywords: Picture
  		Babs & Len Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		James, Babs, Phyl & Lil Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		Violet Stevens - Dressmaker Keywords: Picture
  		Acton - 8 Vyner Road Keywords: Picture
  		Phyl, Babs & James Stevens (grandfather) Keywords: Picture
  		Flo, Phyl, Babs & Lil Stevens Photo received from Maureen Grimwood Keywords: Picture
  		Tom Fowler & Phyl Stevens' wedding (MG) Photo received via Maureen Grimwood Media Date: 1933 Keywords: Picture
  		Len & Babs Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Babs & Phyl Stevens Keywords: Picture
  		James W Stevens - 1911 Census Media Date: 1911 Keywords: Picture

  
  

  Place		Acton - 5 Meon Road Keywords: Place
  		Acton - 8 Vyner Road Keywords: Picture

  
  

• Notes

  I thought you might be interested in this, following a talk at our WI. The talk was by 'Gloria' who'd worked in the Green Room at Harrods - the green room was where they made couture gowns from the Paris shows which were then displayed at fashion shows. Customers then ordered the model which was made personally for them. Well, it made me realise how proficient Auntie Babs was and how well she'd been trained. Gloria bought in a couple of dresses she'd made for herself in the 60s and they were finished to the Babs standard - the seams were exactly as Babs did them. Apparently, Gloria only had to mention she was trained at Harrods (6 months at their school) and she could have got any job in the bespoke fashion industry. She brought along her book - just like Babs' books, showing sketches of dresses and details of materials used. Fitting too was a skill I (remember how boring I found it!) and also cutting - Harrods had individuals employed solely as fitters or as cutters.. The Harrods buyer was allowed to buy a maximum of 6 toiles at a Paris fashion show. These were in unbleached calico. I'm sure we had one of these which we've just passed to a friend of my daughter, who is studying fashion. One or two harrods' employees would accompany the buyer to the fashion show - they there to remember the designs and transpose them into patterns (another of Babs' skills). Incidentally, Gloria said that the designers don't have the knowledge to make their designs and quite often chose unsuitable material. Again. Babs always went into lengthy discussion of appropriate material after deciding on a design. I appreciated everything Babs made for me and realised she was exceptional as a dressmaker but maybe didn't realise the extent of her skills. Maureen Grimwood Niece January 2012

  
  

• Sources

  [S4192] Ancestry.com, London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1924, (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), London Metropolitan Archives; London, England, UK; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: Dro/052/014. [S4276] Ancestry.com, London, England, Church of England Confirmation Records, 1838-1923, (Ancestry.com Operations Inc), London Metropolitan Archives; London, England, UK; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: DRO/126/A/04/001. [S4193] Ancestry.com, London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1972, (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), London Metropolitan Archives; London, England, UK; Electoral Registers. [S286] 1911 Census, The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911. [S4177] Ancestry.com, England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007, (Ancestry.com Operations Inc.), General Register Office; United Kingdom. [S4179] Ancestry.com, England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005, (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc), General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 5g; Page: 588. [S4174] FreeBMD, England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915, (Ancestry.com Operations Inc). [S4191] Ancestry.com, England and Wales, Death Index, 1989-2024, (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), Greypower Deceased Data; Compiled By Wilmington Millennium; West Yorkshire, England; England and Wales Death Indexes. [S4181] 1939 Register, The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1939 Register; Reference: RG 101/968D. [S286] 1911 Census, RG14PN6965 RG78PN345 RD128 SD6 ED14. [S290] Sue Horn. [S797] DBHT (exported from Ancestry).ged. Record originated in... [S4174] FreeBMD, England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915, (Ancestry.com Operations Inc), Mar 1911, Brentford 3a 218. [S7] Find My Past, Mar 2009, Hammersmith 2311b 7b 267 0200. [S22] Ancestry.com, Mar 1909, Fuham 1A 319. [S7] Find My Past, Dec 1949, Surrey N 5g 588.