 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) Somerset West & Taunton Council plans to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) despite Coronavirus restrictions, and wants as many people as possible to join in the virtual commemorations by sharing stories, photos and videos on its social media platforms.
The Council had been hoping to help communities run a host of activities on VE Day, Friday 8 May 2020, to remember the sacrifice so many made in the fight for our freedom. However, these were cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak so SWT is hoping that people can still get involved and show their support while following social distancing advice. It wants to encourage everyone to hold their own celebrations at home, create their own decorations and make their own memories then share stories, photos and videos with SWT on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram tagging @SWTCouncil #VEDay75. It is also encouraging people to take part in The Nation’s Toast to the Heroes of WWII from the safety of their homes. It hopes households will stand at 3pm, raise a glass or cup of refreshment and undertake the following toast: “For those that gave so much, we thank you.” The Chair of SWT, Cllr Hazel Prior-Sankey, said: “This is an ideal opportunity to gather with those in your household and pay tribute to the many millions in the United Kingdom and overseas who sacrificed so much to secure the freedom we have today. We would love to see via social media the ways in which you are marking this important anniversary while in lockdown, from how you’ve decorated your home, to how you are celebrating with or remembering friends and family. This will be the first time such a tribute has ever taken place so please encourage others to join in and share their stories, photos and video clips with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram tagging @SWTCouncil #VEDay75.” SWT plans to collate all the photos and video clips to create a documentary which it hopes to share. The film will be saved in the archives so when generations look back, they will see that even through a pandemic the residents of Somerset West and Taunton still managed to mark a poignant day in history. There are many ways people can get involved - get creative and use materials already at home in keeping with the “make do and mend” spirit of WW11; download a home decorating toolkit including bunting, posters and colouring in templates from the VE Day 75 website which has more resources to help make this VE Day 75 special. Please note that by posting your videos/photos onto our social media platforms you are giving permission for Somerset West and Taunton Council to use that footage and share it. Remember, where possible, to film in landscape not portrait mode (make sure your phone or device is on its side) and that your audio is loud and clear.
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Memories of Taunton with Nick Chipchase I was talking to my postman last week who lives at Athelney. As a consequence, I thought I would talk about this image. It shows William Upham repairing the breach in the River Tone embankment in 1929 at Athelney ( Curload ).
During December 1929 much of the Taunton area was hit by heavy rain. Vivary Park and part of the town were flooded. Efforts to contain the River Tone finally failed and the river burst through in the early hours of the morning. Much of the area had to be evacuated and the local inhabitants made good use of the flat bottomed punts kept by for such emergencies. Sixty families were made homeless at Burrowbridge in the worst affected area. There were one hundred and twenty homeless families in the parish of Stoke St. Gregory. A county relief fund was set up. Nobody died during the flooding but a railway worker fell into a ditch and drowned shortly after. The 1929 floods are remembered by an odd series of postcards whose images were taken from a punt travelling through the area. One shows Kathleen Boobyer in wellington boots standing by the breach with a torrent pouring through. This part was known locally as ‘The Sheilings’. We also see Athelney crossing, The Railway Hotel (later The Pigeons), Withygrove House and Ivy House. I have never seen a posted postcard so it seems that they were kept as a reminder of the flood. Taunton suffered severe flooding in 1960. In the last week of September heavy rain caused flooding in parts of Devon. The rain later eased but returned in torrents during October. Two inches of rain fell on Exeter on October 26th. The rivers Exe and Tone took a huge amount of water and Taunton’s worst fears came to pass at breakfast time on October 27th. The flooding arrived at fast pace stranding vehicles and breaking shop windows in Bridge Street and Station Road. Much of the town below North Street including the market was underwater. Timber washed out of the yard upstream of the bridge and jammed under the supports. It was feared that the bridge would collapse. Luckily the Victorian engineering held fast. Floods came again in July 1968. I had a very lucky escape. That is another story. Memories of Taunton with Nick Chipchase This, to me, is the most remarkable image I have ever found. I was rifling through a stock at a London postcard fair when it came up. I will tell you why. Featured are my grandfather Albert Heny Yarde b.1887. My grandmother with the dog Mabel nee Mutter b 1888. My uncle on the wall Charles b. 1912. My great grandmother with the pinney Sara Mutter b c 1860. Next to her is ‘Aunt Jane’ Parsons who with no children of her own who took on some of the large Yarde brood. The cottage they lived in is Rose Cottage owned or rented by my great grandfather William Mutter baptised 1853 at Yarcombe. In the background is the Crown Inn now housing. Grandfather was a bombadier during World War One but survived though sadly dying in 1934. I never knew either of my grandfathers.
Memories of Taunton with Nick ChipchaseClearly a nice day here on a Wednesday or Saturday when the Parade market was held. The ladies have their parasols. The livestock market was held on Castle Green and fruit and vegetables and meat sold in the Guildhall on the left. A new market site was opened at Priory Bridge Road in 1929 and everything was moved there into purpose built accommodation.
Memories of Taunton with Nick Chipchase There are many images of The County Hotel from its days as The London Hotel around 1900. I have chosen this image as it shows the hotel in the mid 1920’s when it also incorporated a cinema. I love the film posters as they tell a story though I have not been able to trace the film mentioned. “ The Mormon and His Wives “. Most Mormon missionaries were recalled to America in World War One. In the mid 1920’s a large number returned to continue their work in the UK.
Memories of Taunton with Nick Chipchase I have lived in Galmington for some 40 years though now we think of the area as Comeytrowe. This image shows “The Galmington Inn” before its Art Deco conversion and series of name changes. Now “ The Shepherd’s Rest “ though it must be a long time since shepherds loitered here. Between the pub and “ The Manor “ we see the end of “ The Rank “, mostly agricultural workers dwellings, only part of one wall remains.
Memories of Taunton with Nick Chipchase I thought we would look at something topical this time. We are all probably fed up with seeing this big derelict site over the last ten years but it does have a little bit of history.
The lime kilns were connected to the canal which joins the river Tone at Firepool. The name Firepool dates back at least to the 1880’s and probably just reflects the turbulent nature of the weir there. The Bridgwater and Taunton Canal was opened as far as Huntworth in 1827 though the connection with Bridgwater was not finally achieved until 1841. Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase The original town bridge was rebuilt in 1834 and during that time a stone bottle was found bearing this note. “This centre arch was erected at the expense of The Taunton and Bridgwater Canal Company and the first stone was laid on Thursday the 29th May in the year of our Lord 1834 “. The stone bridge had a narrow section which impeded traffic to the newer developments in North Town and around the railway station. It was rebuilt as the current structure in 1894 at a cost of £7,000 from a design by J.H. Smith the Borough Surveyor. Beyond the bridge is the chimney of The West Somerset Brewery and Aerated Water Factory. At this time the premises belonged to S.H. and F.H. Hatch. The brewery was substantially remodernised around 1884. Water for the manufacture of products came from an artesian well bored through a bed of clay 130 ft. thick.S.W. Arnold and Sons bought the brewery in 1897. By 1903 most of the buildings had been demolished and now The Brewhouse Theatre stands on the site.
On the near side, right of the bridge is The Taunton Brewery. Thomas Starkey of North Petherton bought the brewery in 1881 from Alfred Tebbitt (late Davey and Tebbitt). Knight of Bridgwater joined the firm in 1887 which then traded as Starkey, Knight and Co.until 1895. In March 1895 the business of Ford and Sons of Tiverton was bought the company acquiring the name under which it became well known. Older folk may well remember Starkey, Knight and Ford’s famous trade mark- the flying horse.( Still seen on old pub buildings around Somerset. Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase The Staplegrove Inn, Taunton I thought I would talk about public houses again as we are seeing so many closures locally. On average eighteen pubs a week closed in 2017 with breweries blaming higher beer duty , business rates and VAT. Really its not that simple as there has been a huge change in social conditions from the heyday of the public house in the early 1900,s. The public house then served as a respite from poor conditions in the home where there was overcrowding poor heating and light. Add to that the concern about drink and drive so village pubs are bearing the brunt of many closures. Without a good restaurant business times can be very hard.
Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase Hatch Beauchamp c 1905. I went to see “Warhorse” on stage last year and being a sensitive fellow it made me sniff a bit. What a fantastic production. I don’t think that I could watch the film though. Poor 'Joey'. Well that got me thinking about an image for this edition. Something with a horse in. The postcard featured came from Ebay recently as an unlocated view. It was taken outside the post office at Hatch and features a tradesman holding scales. Possibly a butcher by the look of his apron.
Britain had a million working horses in 1900 but by 1914 this number had dropped to around 25,000. Most were used for transport or in agriculture. The steady progression away from horse transport can be seen in Francis Frith’s postcards. By 1925 we see none on the streets of Taunton. Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase Aviation in and around Taunton, Chard, Somerset.jpg Unlike Chard which calls itself “ The Home of Powered Flight “ pioneering aviation has passed Taunton by. Nevertheless a few episodes of early aviation have touched the town in decades gone by.
The image shows James Beach’s Pioneer Aeroplane Works which was situated in his motor car garage in St. James Steet.The Aeroplane Works were only listed in a directory dating to 1911 so the venture soon ceased.The aeroplane is powered by a version of the Gnome rotary engine introduced in 1908 which revolutionized the development of powered flight.The initial problem being lack of power to weight ratio. The image came from a collection of Beach family photos I was allowed to copy after the death of Eddie Beach and his wife. Jame’s son Eddie Beach was a well known local figure madly keen on motorbikes and on occasion likely to cycle around Taunton on a penny farthing bicycle.In later years the Beach company had a garage in Greenway Road which was taken over by Edwards and Sons in 1927. Memories of Taunton - With Nick ChipchaseLondon Hotel, Taunton. Car Rally. This scene is from a postcard by Henry Montague Cooper. Not a rare card as it appears sometimes rather over priced on Ebay. The card was used by guests at the hotel over quite a long period of time as the photo was taken on 21st July 1904. In 1914 W.F. Whittingham acquired the hotel and the address box was altered to include his name instead of E.H. Claridge.The image shows the newly formed Somerset Automobile Club with French automobilists sponsored by The De Dion Bouton Motor Co.
Most early cars in the UK were engined by French or German companies as Britain was a little slow in accepting the new fangled motor car. De Dion engined cars were being sold in Bridgwater by The Bridgwater Motor Company in 1901 and small car suppliers were springing up in Taunton around the same time. Incidentally 1904 was the year that motor registration was introduced. The first Somerset number being Y1. Memories of Taunton - with Nick Chipchase Taunton And Somerset Hospital I apologise in advance if the image is impaired as it comes from a souvenir booklet printed by Barnicott and Pearce in 1913. In some 40 years of collecting Taunton items it is the only one I have seen so it must be very rare.
The booklet was produced to mark the centenary of Taunton and Somerset Hospital 1812 - 1912. It contains numerous photographs but I have chosen this one as it clearly reflects differences in attitudes and behavior between 1912 and today. This is the nurse’s sitting room at East Reach where the immaculate staff are engaged in ladylike activities like chess, the piano and needlework . Having worked at the Musgrove Park Hospital social club for a while ( it no longer exists ) I am well aware how the medical staff of today would rather spend their free time. A tennis court was also built at East Reach across the road from the hospital for staff to engage in healthy outdoor pursuits. Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase Bathpool, Taunton c 1908 I thought we could look at Bathpool as it has changed so much in the last 100 years. I have used this super dated image ( 1908 ) of the Bathpool Inn to illustrate the account. Most villages had their own pubs 100 years ago. Many were simply named after their locality. Sadly 'rebranding' has meant that the old local names have been dropped in many cases to something entirely inappropriate. This pub is now “ The New Mill “ which is far better than our own local pub which became 'The Pickled Newt' for a while. It has since returned to 'The Shepherd’s Rest' though I doubt many shepherd’s have actually rested in this area. It was originally named 'The Galmington Inn' which I thought the best. In 1903 The Bathpool Inn was run by Mr E. Rockett whose name may be linked to Rockett’s Cottages at nearby Creech St Michael.
Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase Station Road Taunton c1903 This photograph shows Station Road in 1903. It was one of a set published by Wrench Ltd who published many well animated postcards between 1900 and 1906. We can be precise about the date because a placard is advertising the arrival of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show which visited Taunton in August 1903. Buffalo Bill (Col. William Cody ) toured the UK using four special trains carrying 500 horses and 800 people. The latter supposedly including 100 American Indians. The show took place twice daily at the “ Poor Grounds “ at the bottom of East Reach.
Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase Bridge Street Taunton c1904 This is a postcard by the Stengel Company of London but printed and artificially coloured in Saxony. Like so many good images this one originates in the “ Golden Age “ of postcard production dating 1902 to around 1914. Many are quite formulaic, though, and not so well animated as this one. The social historian will see a lot of interest here. We can date the image by the fact that the tram system opened in Taunton in August 1901. Initially six double decker trams were in use but these were replaced by single deckers in 1904 and the line relaid on granite setts which are not seen in the image.The covered cart belonged to Mr George Paul the well known Taunton pawnbroker.” Georgie Paul’s three brass balls “ the children cried. Paul’s shop was at the top of East Reach. There were three pawnbrokers in the town at this time. Above the cart is a sign for “ Pratt’s Motor Spirit “. The term “petrol “ was then covered by copyright by Carless, Capel and Leonard now part of Petrochem UK an oil refining business.
Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase The County Hotel, Taunton c 1925..jpg There are many images of The County Hotel from its days as The London Hotel around 1900. I have chosen this image as it shows the hotel in the mid 1920’s when it also incorporated a cinema. I love the film posters as they tell a story though I have not been able to trace the film mentioned. 'The Mormon and His Wives'.
Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase Galmington, Taunton c 1905 I have lived in Galmington for some 40 years though now we think of the area as Comeytrowe. This image shows “The Galmington Inn” before its Art Deco conversion and series of name changes. Now “ The Shepherd’s Rest “ though it must be a long time since shepherds loitered here. Between the pub and “ The Manor “ we see the end of “ The Rank “, mostly agricultural workers dwellings, only part of one wall remains.
Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase Steam Launch and Lime Kilns at Firepool I thought we would look at something topical this time. We are all probably fed up with seeing this big derelict site over the last ten years but it does have a little bit of history.
Memories of Taunton - With Nick Chipchase Old Town Bridge and Breweries c 1890, Taunton.jpg The original town bridge was rebuilt in 1834 and during that time a stone bottle was found bearing this note. “This centre arch was erected at the expense of The Taunton and Bridgwater Canal Company and the first stone was laid on Thursday the 29th May in the year of our Lord 1834 “. The stone bridge had a narrow section which impeded traffic to the newer developments in North Town and around the railway station.
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