The Old Smithy, Easterton

Reference: GAL001

It is difficult to place The Old Smithy at Easterton with 100% accuracy, but it seems highly likely that it was in fact The Forge and Cottage on Easterton Hill near Earl Stoke in Wiltshire.

In 1826 William Cobbett when visiting Earl Stoke described it by saying:
Every house is white and the front of every one is covered with some sort or other of clematis, or with rose-trees, or jasmines.

Perhaps life wasn’t quite this idyllic behind the scenes but it certainly sounds almost perfect.

In 1891 the Census shows a John Sumner, Blacksmith, living on the edge of the village and inhabiting the forge and cottage with his son Sidney, daughter-in- law Harriette and three grandchildren, Eda, Percy and John.

Since writing this article we have recieved the following information from John Sumner...

Picture GAL001 is of my Gt.Gt.Grandfather in Earl Stoke. His daughter-in-law should be Harriet and granddaughter should be Ada.

Over 3 generations there were 12 Sumners who were Blacksmiths / Shoeing Smiths / Farriers.

Included in the 1st generation was John Sumner born 1825 of Worton, later of Earl Stoke. In 1861 he was living in Earl Stoke with his wife Ann and children James, Francis and Charles. He was 34 years old and described as a Shoeing and Blacksmith.

In 1871 he was living in Earl Stoke with his wife Ann and 6 sons - James, Francis, Charles, Herbert, Sidney and Cecil. He was 44 years old and a Blacksmith.

In 1881 he was living in Earl Stoke with his wife Ann and sons Sidney and Cecil. He was 54 years old and a Blacksmith.

In 1891 he was living at 'Forge & Cottage', Earl Stoke. He was a Blacksmith, aged 64 and a widower. He was living with son Sidney and his wife Harriett, and grandchildren Ada, Percy and John.

For more information regarding the Sumner family visit the Sumners of Wiltshire web site which is maintained by John Sumner.

Market Place, Faversham

Reference: GAL002

Faversham is a delightful small market town midway between Canterbury and Sittingbourne, Kent. Right in the heart of the Garden of England and surrounded, in the main, by orchards it still retains much of its medieval charm. The Market Place is right in the middle of the town and boasts an ancient covered market which is still used today. A short walk around the town takes you to the Parish Church with its fabulous pierced stone spire and fascinating headstones, some carved with skull and crossbones; the famous Shepherd Neame Brewery in Court Street and Faversham Creek, once famous for its oyster trade.

The Bus, West Lavington

Reference: GAL003

This image of West Lavington, Wiltshire, dating from August 1913, reflects a quieter, calmer way of life. It shows the local bus with its driver against a background of a thatched cottage with what appear to be knapped flint walls. We can only imagine who its regular passengers were and where it plied its trade, perhaps going from the village to both Salisbury and Devizes. Or maybe it simply ferried passengers to and from the local railway station.

The village of West Lavington is on the Devizes to Salisbury road and in 1861 the whole parish, which included Littleton Panell to the north and West Lavington to the south, numbered 1589 inhabitants.

The village of West Lavington itself, with Bulkington Brook flowing through it, is clustered around the church and former manor house. In the 1860s the village was surrounded by market gardens, their produce going to Salisbury and Bath to supply the burgeoning number of wealthy households living in the towns. By 1913 the village’s population had been decreasing for some time as families drifted away from agricultural labour to better paid jobs in the towns. However, West Lavington’s bus was still in service and its image commercially reproduced for us to enjoy almost a century later.

The Servants

Reference: GAL004

The Servants is an unusual photograph taken before the First World War. Although not unique, it wasn’t the norm to have an expensive posed photograph taken of your household staff. The house behind them is certainly quite new and of some substance so perhaps this photograph added to the status of the owner.

The servants in the picture served at a house called Clovelly in Chertsey, Surrey. Obviously Clovelly was owned by someone of standing, as there are seven staff shown in the photograph.

They are, from left to right, the Gardener with his hand lawnmower, perhaps a Ransome Ripper; the Cook holding her mixing bowl and wooden spoon; the servant responsible for house maintenance carrying a large tin of oak varnish and a brush; a housemaid with her dusting brush; a parlour maid carrying a tray of glasses and , last but not least, a handyman with his bag of tools which includes a saw and various screwdrivers.

Chertsey is a market town on the bank of the River Thames, 22 miles from London, the surrounding countryside produced produce for the capital. Because it was near to London with a good railway connection, yet still in the country, it was much favoured by the new prosperous middle and upper middle classes who built their new villas and mansions throughout the county.

Ready For The Off

Reference: GAL005

This picture postcard is something of a mystery. It is unused and has no explanation as to where the photograph was taken or why.

It seems almost certain that the photograph was taken in a town, as there is a clear pavement and curb to the side of the road, and the building on the left seems somewhat grand for a village setting. On the opposite side of the street there appears to be a shop.

There are thirty males in the picture ranging from young boys through to older men and what appear to be two women, but they are merely peering out from the building on the left. There are ten men packed together on the top of the coach, plus the driver and his assistant holding the head of one of the two horses. Quite a crush.

Where was the photograph taken? Who were the men on the coach? Where were they going? Why was the occasion deemed so significant that a photograph was taken and a picture postcard produced from it? Perhaps we’ll never know. If you have the answer we’d love to hear from you.

Church and Company's Shop

Reference: GAL006

This photograph of Church and Company’s staff was taken on 23rd June, 1902 and is a window onto the world of the working man before the First World War. We have no way of knowing where Church & Co., Decorators, was situated or why they decided to have this picture of the staff taken. Sometimes photographs similar to this were distributed for publicity purposes in order to raise the profile of the company, but very few have survived.

The six staff of Church and Co., dressed in their working clothes and carrying the tools of their trade, are caught in time, ready for action.

The first man on the left, holding the handlebars of his bicycle, is by far the best dressed so perhaps is responsible for providing estimates and liasing with clients. Next comes the first workman, he has paint or plaster spattered trousers and shoes and is wearing a workman’s apron. Leaning against the ladder, the third man wears a white overall and carries a putty knife, so perhaps is responsible for small building works and glazing. The fourth workman, standing between the two sides of the ladder, is the only man not wearing a cap, instead wearing a bowler hat. He wears a white workman’s jacket and work apron and carries a can of oak varnish. Oak varnish was much used in graining doors and panelling, and graining was one of the arsenal of skills a painter had to learn, along with marbling and the application of gold leaf for gilding. The fifth man, with his arm against the ladder, is a little more difficult to place. Perhaps he works in the office, certainly he isn’t wearing workmen’s clothing. The last man wears a workman’s apron, carries a can and seems to have a brush in his pocket, perhaps ready to start painting or gilding.

The men in the picture look out at us from another age, proficient in a trade that within fifty years would be slowly eroded by the advent of products that the amateur would find easy to use.