Plymouth local history

The Georgia Boys

2012-01-23T04:48:00.000-08:00

I wonder how many people remember the Georgia Boys who used to tour the pubs and clubs of Plymouth in the 1970s?

A friend has just started learning the guitar and it reminded me of when I was a boy and I took guitar lessons with Pete Martin who was one half of the Georgia Boys. The duo were regularly on Westward Television and Pete, being Canadian, did all the voice-overs on local tv adverts and also on Plymouth Sound when they required an American- sounding accent. Pete looked totally the part as a country singer, from his country and western shirts, his slicked backed black hair and his Canadian drawl. Outside his house in Peverell, he had a huge Cadillac which was covered with adverts for the Georgia Boy's many gigs. Pete taught me all the basic chords for the guitar and would sing country tunes for me. I was amazed when I managed to change from an 'A' to an 'E' chord but, even then, it seemed like I would never get the hang of it!

The last time I saw the Georgia Boys was in 1975 when Westward Television had an open day and they were making a guest appearance, that evening, on Westward Diary.

Unfortunately, I have no photos of Pete or the Georgia Boys but here's one of me from the time, complete with my £12 guitar from Woolworth's!

I love our crazy wallpaper! The photo must have been taken in about 1974.

Oh, and by the way, I never did get the hang of playing it!

Speedway programmes from the past

2012-01-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

Kevin Glynn recently kindly sent me three Speedway programmes from the 1930s. They make fascinating reading.
The first programme is from the 'Central Park Road Races' which took place on the Bank Holiday (August 1st) of 1938.
The adverts make interesting reading and include long-forgotten businesses such as Oswald Neilson's grocery shop in Ebrington Street, Pike's Motor Cycles of Union Street and the Three Towns Dairy who sent cream by post and had cafes at Union Street, Westwell Street, Tavistock Road and Mutley Plain. There are also adverts for recognisable businesses such as Ford which were sold by Reeds Ltd in Cobourg Street. A new Ford Eight was £120, a Ford Ten was £145 and a Ford V-8 was £280. Vospers is mentioned in the programme but, back then, the name wasn't associated with car dealerships. They were, at the time, radio dealers and had premises in Russell Street. It's strange to think how much would change in the forthcoming years with the outbreak of war and many of these premises were probably obliterated in the blitz of 1941.
The second programme dates from Sunday May 13th, 1953 and features the 'Dartmoor Scramble' and the prize was the 200 Guinea 'Patchquick' Trophy. The race took place between Hayford and Buckfastleigh. There's an advert for Pike's on the back of the programme so they must have made it through the war although their premises are now at Alphington Street. They're billed as, 'the Leading Motor Cycle Dealers in the West of England.'
The third programme comes from September 1956 and features the 'Clearbrook Scramble'. An advert appears for Pike's again, this time at Millbay Road. They now have much competition and there are also adverts for many other motor cycle dealers.
It's amazing that these programmes are over 50 years old (one is 74 years old) and cover the year before the war until a time when Plymouth was still being rebuilt. They're certainly an incredible record of a hugely popular sport.

Jousting on the Hoe

2012-01-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

I was interested to see Roy Westlake's photo of jousting on the Hoe in this week's 'Looking Back' column in the Herald.
The article requested that anybody with information about the event and date to get in touch.

I was there on the day and took many photos and borrowed my dad's cine camera (I was 16 at the time) and made a short film which is on YouTube and is shown below.

The year was 1978 and, as you can see, the lighthouse was still painted white. I think that the show lasted all day and was either in May or June. It started off with the jousting event and then there was a break before the characters from Planet of the Apes did a show, much to the delight of the kids. I filmed that too and the movie is here:

There were lots of other events going on during the day and there were celebrities there as well. The only one that I can remember though is Carolyn Jones, who played Sharon Metcalfe in Crossroads from December 1977.
Both the jousters and the apes used the old Hoe Theatre as their dressing room. They all posed for many photos but unfortunately, I've lost them over the years (I certainly wished I'd kept them!).

Shown here are a couple of screen captures of the Apes' performance.

I've been contacted by Planet of the Apes enthusiasts in the past and apparently this is the only surviving film of the many live shows that took place all over the world in the 1970s.

It's interesting to watch the movies almost 34 years later, not just for the events but also for the fashions of the day!

Tamerton Foliot in the 1960s

2012-01-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

This photo of Tamerton Foliot, probably taken in the early 1960s, really reminds me of my childhood. When I was a kid, we'd wander everywhere and one of the places we'd end up would be the small village of Tamerton Foliot. A friend in my street seemed to know the whole area although we'd both just moved in at the same time in 1968. We'd take the road past Ernesettle Woods and up through Milford Lane in Whitleigh heading towards the village. In those days, there was no housing estates such as Badgers Wood or Holly Park and much of the area was farmland. It wasn't unusual to wake up in the morning to discover a cow asleep in your garden. It's hard to imagine now!
Following the narrow lane down towards the village, there appeared to be only one house, 'Casa Silva' which had a big 'Private' sign on its driveway. We never dared to venture up there. On the left were just open fields where Holly Park stands today and the farmer's milk churns, full of milk, would be placed beside the roadway, waiting to be picked up. Today, the road is quite busy but back then, I never remember a car passing us.
Once in the village, we would always head to the corner shop (now gone) where we'd buy sweets and bubble gum cards with our pocket money which was made up of large pre-decimal pennies and threepenny bits. We'd always get a gobstopper and suck it on the way back, taking it out every so often to see if it had changed colour!
It's probably not the sort of thing kids get up to nowadays but back then it seemed like a big adventure. Once we were back home, we were soon out again, climbing trees, building dens or shooing cows out of our gardens.
Things have certainly changed over the years!

The Stoke Gibbet

2011-12-17T05:37:00.000-08:00

Driving or walking by Stoke Damerel Church in Paradise Road today, it's hard to imagine the grisly practices that were once not only carried out in the graveyard but also at the nearby 'Deadlake'. The Deadlake was the name given to the upper part of Stonehouse Creek which has long since been reclaimed. If you ever get a cold shiver, especially at night, when passing by this way, then the following tale might be the reason why.

The tale of the Stoke gibbet is a dark and macabre one. It is a true story that tells of the murder of a dockyard clerk on the night of July 21st, 1787. Philip Smith was brutally bludgeoned to death near to Stoke Church. His murderer, a John Richards, together with an accomplice, William Smith, were both soon apprehended. Richards was a dock worker who had earlier been suspected of killing a Fore Street sentinel. At first, there were no clues to who had committed the crime but Richards soon boasted of the crime and was, shortly afterwards, arrested. However, there was little evidence against him and he was soon released. A hat found beside the body was identified as belonging to Richards' accomplice, William Smith. Hearing of this, Smith fled to Dartmouth but was soon caught and admitted to his role in the murder and implicated Richards. Both men were tried for murder at Heavitree. They were found guilty, condemned to death and executed in 1788.

The judge in the case, Judge Buller, declared that their bodies wouldn't by given to surgeons for dissection, which was usually the case, but were to be 'suspended between Heaven and Earth as they were fit for neither.'
The corpses were brought from Exeter to Stoke and displayed near the scene of the crime. This gruesome practice was common at the time.
The bodies were hoisted in wire cages and chains on a gibbet erected on the muddy Deadlake beach just below Stoke Church. Smith's body stayed there for seven years before the gibbet collapsed and Richards' body stayed there slightly longer.
People avoided the spot and it was said to be 'the terror of some and the disgust of many'. Nettleton's 'Stranger's Guide to Plymouth' says that the gibbet stood in place upwards of 38 years near the Mill-bridge until it was blown down in the gale of 1827.
In 1788, a bestseller called, 'The Genuine Account of the Trial of Richards and Smith' sold 25,000 copies. Some were sold around the base of the gibbet.

Long after the gibbet disappeared, people shunned the area after dark which, during the 1830s, left the area quiet enough for grave robbers to carry out their grim practices in the secluded Stoke churchyard.

Today, it's hard to imagine that all this once went on and the area has changed considerably over the years although the church still stands. Walking through the church grounds today, many of the older gravestones have been laid flat and form a pathway. One of the headstones once marked the grave of Cornelius Tripe who was the Mayor of Devonport between 1838-1839.

Thankfully, the days of the gibbet have long since disappeared as have names like 'Cornelius' and Tripe' which seem to belong to a past time when the world seemed a lot more grim!

Eric Webb

2011-11-20T07:55:00.000-08:00

When I was writing my first book on Plymouth, for Tempus in 2003, I sent a letter to the Evening Herald asking if anyone had old photos of the city. One of the people who kindly wrote back was Eric Webb. From the moment we first met up, it was obvious that we were going to be very good friends. Eric was very well-spoken and reminded me of someone who had just stepped out of a 1940s Ealing film! He had a great sense of humour and fun of someone 70 years younger! Eric was 88 when I met him and was living in a warden controlled flat at Southway. The warden was lovely and Eric told me that she had once been on tour with Tommy Cooper. Eric had lost his wife, Barbara (Babs), the year previously and he missed her greatly. One of the photos that he lent me showed Babs with her workmates from E Dingle's working on a farm during the war. They had all given up their two week holiday to help the war effort in 1939. She was 18 at the time.

Later, Barbara joined the WAAF (the Womans' Auxiliary Air Force) and Eric worked for army intelligence in London. They first met on a train but it was another year before they saw each other again and married. Their honeymoon was spent in Richmond, Surrey in a basement with strangers, sheltering from heavy enemy bombing. They were happily married for 58 years.

One story that I remember Eric telling me was of one of his earliest memories from when he was a boy. During the First World War, there were Zeppelin raids over Britain and Eric remembered hiding under the bed with his mother. Eric had a candle so that they could see but the mattress was made of horse hair and slowly started smouldering! They both survived unscathed though!

Eric had lots of wonderful memories which he said that he was putting in his autobiography. He'd bought a computer and had learnt to use it and stored stories, poems and limericks and used it to make his own Christmas cards of which he sent out hundreds every year. He seemed to have kept evey friend that he'd ever made and people would phone him up often who he'd known from school or from his army days. I remember he said that his commanding officer had phoned him up on his birthday and said, 'How's Little Eric? (Eric was only about 5 ft 2"). He'd write us long letters, often comical and jovial and phone us regularly to see how we were getting on. We often went out together and the last photo shown here was taken at Cotehele. He said it looked like he was a ferry cruise owner touting for business!

Although Eric was in his 80s when we first met him, strangely, I always saw him as the young man in the first photo shown on this page.

Eric seemed to be liked by eveyone he met. We had some great times and he shared some great memories with us. We'd often go around to his flat and I remember his favourite tv programmes were Emmerdale and Heartbeat. I think that he yearned for England as it was in the 1960s! His favourite film, which he watched time and time again, was Jungle Book.

Eric died in August this year aged 95 and we miss him greatly. He was certainly a wonderful bloke. I never did get to read his autobiography!

New circles at Churchtown Farm

2011-11-19T03:46:00.000-08:00

This year has revealed more circles in the grass at Churchtown Farm, near Saltash, in the field close to Wearde Road. Many are perfect circles with, what appears to be, openings at the front. It has been suggested that these could form part of a Bronze Age settlement. There have been traces of Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements found around Saltash and implements such as skin-scrapers and arrow heads have been found in fields on the outskirts of the town. However, although there definitely seems to be some sort of structure underneath the grass, it could point to something more recent. The most obvious answer would be that maybe old farmbuildings or cow sheds once stood there.

There seems to be very few old photos that show Churchtown Farm in the early part of the 20th century. They might also be structures left when the railway and the two viaducts over Forder were originally built (the route of the older viaduct can still be seen and stinging nettles grow where its supports once were). The other explanation is that they could show where wartime buildings once stood. Barrage balloons were flown over Point Field and the circles in that field could show structures left by the army.

I wonder if anyone knows the answer? Perhaps it's all down to visits from aliens!!

New books available this month

2011-11-10T05:16:00.000-08:00

I have two new books out this month, both are published by Amberley and both feature the River Tamar. The first is 'River Tamar Through Time' which includes many old and new photos of the river. Within its pages are pictures of Plymouth, Gunnislake, Calstock, Cotehele, Saltash, Devonport etc. Many of the older photos haven't been seen in print before.

The second book features a year on the Tamar.
I'm lucky living right beside the river and I've spent the last year photographing all aspects of it as it changes throughout the seasons. Included are photos of the regattas, the wildlife, the people and the many villages and places beside the river.
The book features full colour throughout.

I hope that both books will prove enjoyable to anyone who loves the River Tamar much as I do. If you live beside the Tamar, you might even spot someone within the pages that you know!

Both books are available at all bookshops throughout the region including Waterstones and WH Smiths and can also be bought online at stores such as Amazon, Foyles, Blackwells etc.
Larger Tesco stores also stock many of my books so pick one up next time you're getting your shopping!

Cornwall Street in 1960

2011-11-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a rare photo showing Cornwall Street in 1960. At first glance, it looks much the same as it does today. Ivor Dewdney's shop can be seen on the right and is still in the same place today and just as popular. Does anyone remember the cat that used to sit in the window? He probably wouldn't be allowed in there today!
It's hard to make out any of the names of the other shops in the photo but most, if not all, will have changed ownership over the years. Of course. Woolworth's further up the street is also now long gone. The memorable shop I remember in Cornwall Street but at the other end, was the Magnet where we'd go for our dinner every Saturday before returning home by 4pm to watch the wrestling on World of Sport.
Surprisingly, even though the road wasn't pedestrianised then, there's very little traffic travelling up and down the road. The parked cars look very old-fashioned, I can recognise a Triumph Herald, compared to today's cars as does the way people dressed at the time.
It's odd to think that this photo was taken 51 years ago. In some ways, nothing seems to have changed but in other ways, everything seems to have changed!

Lopwell Dam

2011-10-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here's an old photo of Lopwell taken in 1936. It features members of the rowing club of St George's Methodist Church.
The photo is interesting because so much has changed in the background. The house still stands, although slightly altered and, of course, today, Lopwell Dam is positioned where the rowers are on their boat. Until the 1980s, it was possible to walk by the house, watch the salmon in the leap and feed the swans by the riverside. Today, however, the area is fenced off and gated.

The second photo was taken on Good Friday in 1957 and shows a couple of boys from St Budeaux on a trip to Lopwell with their teacher. The view remains much the same today. It's interesting seeing the early colour used in this photo and it looks like it might have been hand-tinted.

The final photo shows the house and the area as it is today. I'm not sure when the walkway across the river was put in although the stones used look very old. Nowadays, the water pumping station, which was used in BBC TV's 'The Vet' several years ago, is now a popular cafe.

Photos from Plymouth's Past

2011-10-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some lovely photos kindly lent to me by Gary Fawbert. The photos were taken by Gary's late grandfather who was a keen photographer and developed most of his own films. All photos seem to have been taken in about 1937.
The first photo shows a rare shot of the Gaumont Theatre in Union Street. The Gaumomt Palace was opened in 1931 and, much later, became the New Odeon. The building, although empty, still stands today. Showing at the Gaumont at the time the photo was taken was 'Melody For Two' and 'Jungle Princess'. There are several pushbikes and a child can be seen passing the cinema pushing a doll's pram. The Union Street arch can be seen in the background together with a strange contraption attached to a motor bike.

The second photo shows the bandstand on Plymouth Hoe. The bandstand was very popular but was dismantled in the Second World War so that its metal could be used to help the war effort. The photo shows many people, some with prams, gathered to watch the next concert. The third photo shows a ship passing by Mount Batten. The RAF station would have still been there at the time and one of its officers would have been TE Shaw (Lawrence of Arabia).

They're a great set of photos and I hope to include more in a future blog.

The Odeon, New George Street

2011-10-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a lovely old postcard showing Plymouth and the newly-built New George Street. On the left is the Odeon which, along with the Western Morning News building, was one of the few buildings to survive the heavy bombing during the Second World War. The Odeon was later demolished and replaced with the Littlewoods building which, in later years, became TJ Hughes and, today, now stands empty.
To the left of the Odeon is Nuttalls which was a well-known shop in Plymouth for many years after.
It all looks very new and clean and although there are many pedestrians, it looks very empty. It's certainly changed over the years!

Tamar Bridge 50th Anniversary Fireworks

2011-10-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

Many people would have missed the fireworks on the Tamar Bridge last night when it celebrated its 50th anniversary. More people seem to have known about it on the Saltash side than people in Plymouth. The display started at 8pm with fireworks being fired from a boat on the Tamar before the main fireworks were set off on the bridge. Luckily, I could watch it from my house and it was definately one of the best firework displays I've ever seen.
Looking on YouTube, many people seemed to have filmed it so, if you missed it, here it is again!

This film was uploaded by Tony Hackley and there are many more videos of the fireworks on the site.

Plymouth Monopoly

2011-10-18T01:52:00.000-07:00

The new Plymouth Monopoly is launched today and features many historical sites around Plymouth.
I took a lot of the photos that are featured on the lid and board and there's a few shots of where I live, Saltash Passage (it even has it's own square!). There's also photos of Smeaton's Tower, Plymouth Argyle, The Merchant's House, the Duke of Cornwall Hotel, the Barbican, Saltram, the Citadel etc.
It's certainly a very colourful board and I'm sure lots of people will buy it for Christmas. For people with sharp eyes, my little Westie appears on the lid somewhere. See if you can spot her (no, she's not one of the counters!).
Other photos on the lid and board were taken by Ken Taylor and James Wells. Many of Ken's photos are on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/yadrad.

Palace Theatre Programme from 1951

2011-10-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

Kevin Glynn recently kindly sent me a very interesting old programme from the Palace Theatre. Kevin runs his own business, 'Glynn Services' which deals with house clearances and waste removals.

The programme dates from September 1951 and the main show that week came from the Combined Amateur Dramatic Societies of Plymouth who performed a production of 'If I Were King'. The programme contains all the signatures of everyone who took part in the production but all are now long forgotten.

The following week's shows are advertised and include 'three world famous musicals' which were 'Chu Chin Chow', 'Lilac Domino' and 'Merrie England'. The photo shows Oscar Asche in Chu Chin Chow who was actually Australian and not Chinese as he might appear!

The programme also features many interesting local adverts which included one for the Greyhound Inn at Millbay which was advertised as the 'Little House with the Big Reputation', one for Pamela N. Le Grice (dressmaking at its very best) and one for George's Laundry whose slogan was 'For Good Work'. There's also an advert for a trade that definately seems a thing of the past, 'The Doll's Hospital'. They specialised in wigs, eyes and restringing and were located at Ebrington Street. Other adverts include a very 1950s style one for Plymouth Breweries. On the back is an advert for the Radio Times in the days when there was only one channel but you could still find something more interesting to watch than you can nowadays!

It's a great little programme and I'm very appreciative to Kevin for sending it to me.

The Saltash Ferry Festival

2011-10-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

It's almost 50 years since the ferry between Saltash Passage and Saltash ceased. To celebrate this, ferry trips will run again for one day only on Sunday 23rd October 2011. The landlord of the Ferry House Inn has been preparing the old waiting room on the Saltash Passage side with old photos and memorabilia to celebrate the event. On the Saltash side, members of the Ashtorre Rock Centre have been collecting photos, memorabilia and memories. There will be food stalls and a circus skills workshop on Waterside Green and the ferry will run throughout the day running from the slipway at Saltash following its original route across to Saltash Passage before docking at the pontoon at the Tamar River Sailing Club.

Other events during the day will include a car and bike rally, circus events, musical entertainment a film show and a 'Spectacular Musical Finale'.

At Saltash Passage, there will be music and entertainment, a photographic exhibition and a prize awarded for the best dressed 50's or 60's outfit. Bernie Stewart (Mood Swings) will be playing at 20:30 at the Ferry House Inn.

Sounds like a great day. See it while you can. I'm sure that many of us won't be around for the next celebration in 50 years time!

New books

2011-09-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

I have four new history books out this month which I hope you will find interesting. The first is, 'Images of Plymouth : Stonehouse' (Driftwood Coast Publishing) which features a history of Stonehouse together with many old photos from the early 1900s. I've tried to include as much as I can within its pages and some of the things covered include prehistory, the Romans, Stonehouse Bridge, Transport, Union Street, the Palace Theatre, Durnford Street etc. It also features people with a connection to the area like Vice Admiral Hardy, Robert Falcon Scott, Harry Houdini, Charles Darwin and even Benny Hill.

Talking of Harry Houdini, my second book features his appearances around the UK in the early 1900s and is called 'Houdini : the British Tours' (Driftwood Coast Publishing). It features the recorded appearances of Houdini in Britain between 1900 and 1920 and tells of his amazing stunts, his leaps in chains from bridges, his challenges, his imitators and his rivals etc. It features many photos together with newspaper reports of the day which help to bring the stories of Houdini's many tours of Britain alive. Regular readers of this blog will know that Houdini appeared in Plymouth and there's an interesting section about this within the book.

The third book is, 'Plymouth at War Through Time' (Amberley Publishing). You may have read some of my other Through Time books. This one features old photos from the Second World War together with colour photos of the same area today. I love the look of these books and think that the idea works really well.

The fourth book is 'A 1970s Childhood' (History Press) which tells what it was like growing up in the 1970s. It features the fashions, the music, the tv, sweets, the strikes, school and much more.

All books are available from Waterstones, Smiths and all the normal outlets and also online at Amazon, Tesco, Foyles etc.

I hope that you'll enjoy them very much. There are also more books to come from Amberley but I'll write about them later.

The Tamar Bridge

2011-09-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Like me, the Tamar Bridge is 50 this year. It's also 50 years since the ferry stopped crossing between Saltash Passage in Plymouth to Saltash in Cornwall.

While researching material for the Blue Sound project, I came across some very interesting newspaper cuttings from 1959 and 1960 which showed the bridge as it was being built. I've never seen any of these photos anywhere else so I thought that I would post them on here. The first shows a drilling platform being rigged on the St Budeaux side in readiness for trial borings.

The second photo is dated 30th November,1959 and shows one of the main pillars being constructed. The Royal Albert Bridge can be seen in the background. This photo has been taken on the Plymouth side. The next photo is from February 1960 and shows the main towers being erected, again on the Plymouth side.

The next photo shows more construction work which is followed by a picture of workers with a sign apologising for the inconvenience caused by the works. The houses of Saltash Passage can be seen in the background.

The final photo comes from 11th October 1960 and shows the bridge well under way. Two men can be seen walking the temporary, precarious bridge between the two main pillars.

(Please click on the photos to see them larger).

More Houdini

2011-09-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

I've written about Houdini's appearance at the Palace Theatre in Union Street several times before but, as I've been compiling my book about Houdini's tours of Britain, I've discovered other pictures and newspaper articles about his appearance in Plymouth. I think the following article, taken from a newspaper of the day, captures what it was like to be at his show:

HOUDINI AT PLYMOUTH.

AN INEXPLICABLE TRICK.

Harry Houdini, expert prison breaker and handcuff manipulator, who has been mystifying the Plymouth public at the Palace Theatre of Varieties this week, gave a marvellous exhibition of his wonderful powers last evening. The test arose from a challenge issued by five mechanics and joiners of the Devonport Dockyard that they could make a box from which Houdini could not escape. The 'handcuff king' accepted the challenge, which was decided at the second house at the Palace yesterday. The challenge excited great interest and every seat was booked and the building packed to overflowing. Many hundreds were unable to gain admission. The mechanics filed onto the stage with the box, which was of inch thick wood, and fastened together with 2½ inch wire nails. As it has been exhibited at the Palace for some days, the challengers, to preclude any suggestion of it having been tampered with, went around every edge and inserted handfuls of fresh nails. Houdini, who was received with tremendous applause, soon stepped into the box, and was, after it was seen by the audience that he was really inside, securely nailed in. Previously, ventilation holes were drilled in two of the sides. A strong rope was then passed around the box with half hitches, and was itself then nailed to the wood. The performer was then heard to ask if everything was all right, and, on being assured that that was the case, the curtain was placed around the box. The latter had also been thoroughly examined by the Dockyardmen and a committee of the audience, who were on the stage. Houdini was also searched, but no tools were found on him.
During the interval of waiting, the orchestra played several well known songs, which the audience sang to pass away the time. After twelve minutes, the band suddenly stopped and the 'house' was in uproar. Houdini had appeared, perspiring profusely, while during his confinement he had also discarded his dress coat. Cheer upon cheer greeted the performer and everyone, the challengers, committee and audience, admitted themselves to be thoroughly at a loss how to explain the trick. The box was in exactly the same condition as when Houdini was nailed in. There was no sign of an opening anywhere. The nails, rope and cover were also as securely fastened as they were previously. The box, during the test, was at the request of the challengers, placed on a carpet and not on the stage flooring. The Dockyardmen accepted their defeat and each heartily congratulated Houdini on his success. The box was subsequently inspected by the audience.
At the first house, a gentleman offered Houdini £10 if he could escape from the strait jacket after being fastened in it by a number of sailors. The challenge was accepted but Houdini got free in a little over seven minutes. The ten pounds will today br handed over to the Mayor with the suggestion that £5 shall be sent to the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund and £5 to a local charity.
THE DIVE FROM STONEHOUSE BRIDGE.
Rain did not deter an immense crowd from assembling at Stonehouse Bridge last evening to witness Houdini, 'the handcuff king', doubly manacled, dive from that structure. Punctually at six o'clock, the intrepid American appeared on the bridge, nude accept for a pair of white knickers. He seemed anxious to make the plunge but for a few seconds, he was prevented by the presence of boats below. Mr. Field, the manager of the Palace and Houdini's men, who were also in boats, shouted to the occupants of the obstructing craft and they tardily cleared the course.
Houdini was speedily shackled by his chief assistant. An arm-iron was placed around the upper part of his arms and fastened at his back, after which his hands were secured with handcuffs. Without betraying the slightest sign of trepidation, fettered and hampered as he was by 18lbs. weight of iron and his hands bound behind his back, he stood for a few seconds in an upright posture, drew several deep inhalations until his lungs were visibly distended and then hurled his body forward into space. In falling, he gave a backward kick in order to balance his body. His head cleaved the placid waters and Houdini disappeared from view.
Then followed a period of suspense and to alter slightly Macaulay's 'Horatius' :-
'The spectators in dumb surprise,
With parting lips and straining eyes.
Stood gazing where he sank.'
Houdini's head reappeared above the surface in the space of forty-five seconds amid the plaudits of the multitude. He had succeeded in releasing himself from his fetters and at once swam ashore, jumped into the cab in which he had driven out and assumed his clothes on the way back to the New Palace Theatre.

This story and many more are featured in my book, 'Houdini : The British Tours' which will be available from 30th September 2011. It's on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Houdini-British-Tours-Derek-Tait/dp/0956078176/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314910812&sr=8-1

Victoria Road, St Budeaux

2011-08-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a very rare and interesting photo showing Victoria Road in St Budeaux (please click on the photo to see a larger version).
At first glance, it might not seem obvious where this photo was taken. However, it becomes clear when you realise that the patch of ground on the left would later become the location of the State Cinema.
The Masonic Hall, on the corner of Kathleaven Street, is situated half way up, on the right.
At the top of the photo is Normandy Way (then named Vicarage Road) which led eventually down to Saltash Passage.
Much has changed over the years.The road appears much narrower and is devoid of any traffic. It looks a very different scene today with constant roadworks and a steady stream of cars, buses and lorries.

John F Kennedy at Millbay Docks?

2011-08-13T05:03:00.000-07:00

On the Plymouth council website, it says that John F Kennedy once disembarked at Millbay Docks in Plymouth. I've never seen this mentioned anywhere else and I'm sure that if a historical figure as important as John F Kennedy had visited Plymouth, it would be mentioned elsewhere. Also, I have never seen any photos of JFK at Plymouth. The site doesn't say when the incident was meant to have happened and I wonder if it's an error? Does anyone know of any information regarding his visit to Plymouth?
Kennedy made his first trip to England in September 1935 when he travelled with his parents and his sister, Kathleen. He also sailed to France in July 1937 and in June 1938, he travelled to London with his father and his brother, Joe. His father was Roosevelt's U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James, at the American embassy in London. In August of the same year, the family stayed in a villa near Cannes. Later, in 1939, Kennedy toured Europe, the Soviet Union, the Balkans, and the Middle East before travelling to Czechoslovakia and Germany before returning to London on the 1st September , 1939 which was the day Germany invaded Poland. On 3rd September of the same year, the family attended speeches at the House of Commons which endorsed the United Kingdom's declaration of war on Germany. Kennedy was sent as his father's representative to help with arrangements for American survivors of the SS Athenia, before flying back to the U.S. from Foynes, Ireland to Port Washington, New York on his first transatlantic flight.
I intend to investigate his trip to Plymouth further so check for later blog posts to see what I discover. Perhaps, while on one of the trips mentioned, he landed at Millbay. The council's web page can be found here:
http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/millbay_docks_25-32.pdf
Other celebrities mentioned on the site that diembarked at Milbay include General Allenby, Charlie Chaplin, Maurice Chevalier, Winston Churchill,
Clemenceau, Bebe Daniels, Marlene Dietrich,Walt Disney, Douglas Fairbanks, Helen Keller, Pierre Laval,Vivian Leigh, Lloyd George, Ben Lyon, Anna Pavlova, General Pershing, Mary Pickford, Cecil Rhodes, Bernard Shaw, General Smuts and HG Wells.
I hope to write about some of these visitors in later posts.

Arthur Conan Doyle (Plymouth Shopper article)

2011-08-06T03:40:00.000-07:00

I realise that many people won't get to read my articles in the Plymouth Shopper, Saltash's Cramleigh magazine and the Plymstock and Wembury Marketplace magazine so I thought that I would start posting them here.
Here's the most recent which is about Arthur Conan Doyle's visits to Plymouth.

Please click on the image to make it larger.

Patsy Scantlebury

2011-07-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

Recently, the film 'The Way We Live' was shown outside at the Lido in Plymouth. It tells the tale of Alice Copperwheat and her family whose house is destroyed in the Blitz and who are then billeted to Horrabridge before becoming the owners of a brand new pre-fab. There are various scenes of the city as it was in 1945. The film also tells of the plans to rebuild Plymouth.

Patsy Scantlebury, who lived in St Budeaux, was chosen for the role after being seen on Plymouth Hoe jitterbugging with an American sailor. At the time, she was just 17. She had previously worked in a post office. The cuttings on this page come from various newspapers and magazines of the day. Patsy went on to sign a seven year contract with the J Arthur Rank Organization and appeared as an air hostess in the film 'Blind Goddess' as Patsy Drake (her stage name). The cuttings show various publicity shots and also cover the wedding of Patsy's sister, Sheila.

Coincidently, on the same day that the film was shown at the Lido, Patsy's cousin wrote to me. She told me that Patsy's parents had both lived at Normandy Way in St Budeaux and Patsy herself now lives in British Columbia, Canada.

Glenn Miller

2011-07-22T03:28:00.000-07:00

On 28th August, 1944, Major Glenn Miller and his American Band of Allied Expeditionary Force appeared at tthe Odeon Cinema in Frankfort Street, Plymouth. It was reported that Bing Crosby would also be appearing and large queues started forming at 9 pm in readiness for the concert at 10.15 pm. Crosby was unable to attend because of other commitments but Glenn Miller appeared and played to a packed house of military and naval personnel (civilians weren't permitted). The police and military police controlled the crowds outside. Miller and his 52 piece orchestra played all the music that he had become famous for. Sergeant Johnny Desmond was the lead vocalist and the Crew Chiefs also appeared on stage. Previous to his appearance, Miller had been given a tour of the city.

The top photo shows Miller meeting Sam Donohue. This photo wasn't taken in Plymouth although these two did meet up in the city. Sam led the Artie Shaw Naval Band based at the Vicarage Road USN Camp. Sam and several of the band members were in films and backed Frank Sinatra post war. The dance hall was next door to the Cornwall's Gate Inn.
Miller had arrived earlier by plane at Harrowbeer. He gave two other concerts, one at Shapter's Field in Cattedown (where there was a US base) and the other at the US Navy Field Hospital at Manadon.

On December 15, 1944, while flying to Paris from England to give a concert, Glenn Miller's plane, a single-engined UC-64 Norseman, disappeared over the English Channel. No trace of the plane, the crew or Glenn Miller were ever found.

The Odeon was also used by Field-Marshall Montgomery who briefed officers prior to the D-Day landings.
The cinema survived the war and remained in the newly built New George Street until it was demolished in 1963 so that the Littlewoods store could be built. Today, Littlewoods has been replaced by TJ Hughes. It's interesting when walking by the building to think that the likes of Glenn Miller and Field Marshall Montgomery once passed this way.

Jack Cohen's Joke Shop

2011-07-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

The town of today is a totally different one to the one in which I grew up in, in the 1970s. It's amazing that shops like Woolworth's, Littlewoods and the Co-op at the bottom of town are gone forever.
It seems sad seeing Jack Cohen's Joke Shop lying empty at the bottom of Frankfort Gate. On Saturday's, we would catch the bus into town, taking with us our old records to exchange for new ones in the market, our old books and comics to exchange in Bonus Books and, after we'd been to the cinema to see the latest blockbuster, we'd always pop into Jack Cohen's before returning home. Jack was a lovely bloke and always very friendly to kids. The popular jokes of the day included inky soap, itching powder, whoopee cushions and stink bombs. My friend, Nicky Rich, would buy them all and then try them out on the teachers at school when we went back on Monday. Teachers were a different breed back then and it never went down very well so he often got the cane or detention!
My mum once took me in the shop because they had Action Men in the window. They turned out not to be Action Men but cheap Chinese copies. I had one anyway and Jack said to me, 'Don't forget to feed him!'
The funny thing is, that real Action Men were kept but the cheap copies were thrown away and now they're very collectable.
The last time I saw Jack was in the late 1980s, still running the shop. It seemed to have lost some of its appeal. I suppose times had moved on. Even so, the shop was taken over by a new owner and traded for many years after.
It seems a shame seeing it today, empty, knowing that it will probably just be knocked down and be gone forever.
The photo shows the shop in the 1960s with King Street Arch in the foreground.

Entertainment in Plymouth in 1909

2011-07-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

I have been writing a book about Houdini's tours of Britain in the early 1900s and Lorna Basham from the Plymouth Library kindly sent me some cuttings from 1909 which include reports of Houdini's visit to Plymouth.
The illustration shows a drawing made by a member of the audience during Houdini's appearance on stage at the Palace Theatre in Union Street.
An advert for the show was featured in the Western Morning News and read:

PALACE, PLYMOUTH

TWICE NIGHTLY 7 and 9

MONDAY, AUGUST 16TH, 1909, AND DURING THE WEEK

Performances commence 10 minutes earlier on Saturday only.

HOUDINI

The Original Handcuff King and Jail Breaker.

BILLY YOUNG. JACKLEY TRIO.

MAY MAIDMENT. STUART AND MORGAN.

TWO MOR BOYS. THE PALISCOPE.

BILLY WILLIAMS

The Man in the Velvet Suit.

Houdini is remembered for jumping in chains from Stonehouse Bridge and his escape from a wooden box constructed by workers from the nearby dockyard. All is revealed in my upcoming book together with many other stories of his shows, challenges and escapes around the country.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in nearby Devonport, 'Sexton Blake' was been performed at the Theatre Metropole in Devonport. The Theatre Royal in Plymouth was performing 'the musical success', Sergeant Brue.

Elsewhere, The Hippodrome in Devonport announced:

TONIGHT

First appearance in Devonport of the celebrated MISS WHITTAKER (a personality) supported by MR F. WILBUR HILL, presenting a singing and instrumental novelty. Also featured OHINKO, the wonderful young juggler.
Names, unlike Houdini, now all long forgotten.

At the Pier Pavilion for Regatta Week were 'Leslie's Popular Comedy Cadets'.

Meanwhile, Leonard Teel's Pom-Poms appeared at the bandstand on the Hoe.

Also appearing in the town were, 'Bostock and Wombwell's Travelling Zoo' whose advert read:

VALUE

ONE WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT

THE MOST COMPLETE ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION

Apart from music hall entertainment, there were also many local auctions.Two names live on today in the auction world; Shobrook's and Rendell's. Their lots for auction consisted mainly of old furniture and bric-a-brac.

The town was alive with both indoor and outdoor entertainment. Imagine seeing Houdini jump off Stonehouse Bridge and then taking a stroll along the Pier before seeing 'Bostock and Wombwell's Travelling Zoo' and all for less than one shilling!

Memories of Lawrence of Arabia

2011-06-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

Ray Attwood kindly contacted me about papers that he'd found which had belonged to his father, Frederick Henry Attwood, who died in 1992.
His father had recorded his meetings with TE Lawrence. The story makes very interesting reading and I thought that I would share it here. I believe that it has never been published before.
The notes read:
'This I leave to the readers to judge for themselves, all I can do is to state the facts as I saw them at the time and which after 60 years plus is still clear in my mind.
The weather was fine, sunshine, wind south west force 5, the event was the Turnchapel Sailing Club weekly meeting of the 14 Dinghy.
The course was down the Cattewater past Mount Batten Pier out into Plymouth Sound. Around a mark buoy off the pier, then back up the Cattewater to the finishing line, which was a line ashore from the foredeck of the cable-ship C.S. Mackay Bennet (a vessel of world interest, having picked up 275 bodies from the S.S. Titanic) and on which I was raised.
Having been given permission by my father to sail his 14 footer, only under guidance of a very experienced yachtsman, Harry Higgins. I was laying along side West Lakes Quay, Turnchapel when Ted Sallows, a nephew of Harry's, came to tell me that Harry, who was a shipwright, would not be available that evening, having to work overtime. Somewhat disappointed at receiving such information and in complete contradiction to my father's orders, that I was under no circumstances to sail her without the second-hand being an experienced yachtsman. I looked up on the quay where a few locals etc were gathered and enquired if anyone would care to take a chance and sail with me.
It must be remembered that the dinghy was a Morgan Giles 14' international and was a flighty hand-full for even a experienced helmsman.
Life-jackets were not used in the early 30's and in fact if one had been available I would have considered it to be unmanly to have used one.
My enquiry for a second-hand to take the fore-sheet, was answered by an airman who having caught my glance raised his arm slightly and said "I will", as he walked down the steps I pulled alongside, he stepped in saying "Good evening" took the fore-sheet and away we went to the starting line.
Between the time of his coming aboard and the start, I had time to look at him and although only a teenager, I had, having been raised on the C.S Mackay Bennett, come through a childhood where part of my education in the ways the world had been influenced by tough seaman from Novia Scotia - Newfoundland, l and a fair number of Outer Hybridises Scotsman, who had found their way to Halifax, Novia Scotia many years before and while not big headed, I have a fair idea of how to assess a fellow human being.
He appeared to be about 40-45 years of age, 5ft 3" - 5ft 5" tall, slight build and the little I could see of it, sandy coloured hair, yet there was an air of confidence about him, I was somewhat awed by him, for which having been with him only some 10 minutes or so I was somewhat at loss to understand.
None of my Blue-nose friends would have said that I was easily overawed, and certainly not my school head master Mr Rogers (father of Paul Rogers the Shackespearn actor), who, when I visited him at Newton Abbot while on leave from the army in 1940, told my fiancee that in all his years of teaching he had never come across anyone whose ideas were so fixed and could not be influenced and expressed the wish
that she had more luck in doing so, than he had had.
The one thing about my newly acquired shipmate was his eyes, at times they appeared to be startlingly blue and at others gray, steady, clear and confident. Having got off to a good start, by first of all sailing in toward Mount Batten Air Force station on a starboard tack, we came about on to a port tack, beat up toward Sutton Harbour entrance, hoping that by coming about on a starboard tack and with tide ebbing we could make Mount Batten Pier, we were however to fail to maintain way, because, while level on the Cattewater side of the Plymouth Citadel the wind dropped completely and we could only drift out into the Sound and toward our furtherest mark-buoy.
No words had been exchanged between us until I said that I did not like taking advantage of a tow back by the motor boat who was collecting all the other entrants and were being towed back to the committee boat (C.C Mackay Bennett).
My shipmate simply stated that I was skipper, so accordingly I told the steward in the motor-boat to inform the timekeepers that I intended to continue the race and being now the only competitor, would claim maximum points and first place on completion.
The race which started at 6.65 pm and normally took 2.5 - 3 hours, to complete the course twice, on this occasion, with the aid of a late light breeze, finished at 11.50pm.
A finish which was not at all popular with the time-keepers.
No beer at the Borindon Arms that night and I had to face my father's anger having disobeyed his order by sailing without an experienced instructor.
During this time my shipmate had been stowing away the sails
etc, and knowing that Harry Higgins, would for the rest of the
sailing season be working overtime, I asked the airman whether he would like to continue every Wednesday evening throughout the summer. As he stepped out of the boat he replied "Delighted, 6pm next Wednesday, good morning".
His good morning reply made me appreciate his grand sense of humour.
Apart from the first greeting and his acceptance to continue the race and his departing words, he had been silent for a whole 5.5 hours and yet I had no feeling that either he or I were the slightest bit bothered and we did not even know each others names.
The following Wednesday at 6pm he again stepped into the boat said "Good-evening", took over the fore-sheet and with a spanking south west force 4 wind we were away again to the starting line.
Coming out into the Sound, the wind had increased to force 5
and I was somewhat apprehensive, as no matter how close I brought her head up into the wind we were shipping water, should I come up head to wind and take in a reef?
At this stage I said to my shipmate "have you done any sailing"?
"A little, with this type", thinking his little was more than my little experience, it was with great relief that I brought up head to wind and we changed places, I to the fore-sheet, he to the tiller and mainsheet.
Having been raised at sea, I had seen some very good Skippers on both small and medium sized vessels, my shipmate was First-Class. By the time we crossed the finishing line I knew that I had been given a first class lesson on how to sail a small craft.
At the conclusion of the race I realised with a degree of guilt that we did not have a name for each other and having made known my name he replied "Shaw, aircraftsman, see you next Wednesday 6pm, good night".
Thus one can see our conversation on our second meeting was indeed limited, but at no time did I feel anything but confident and at ease in his presence.
Later that night when sitting down to supper, my father who had obtained his ticket in sail, inquired as to why I had disobeyed his instructions once again by sailing in a Force 4/5, accepted the part when I was not skipper and required to know who the Airman was and where he had obtained such expertise as a sailing master and expressed a wish to be introduced to him the following Wednesday.
At this stage my mother suggested that if on the following Wednesday, should it be convenient to Mr Shaw, to invite him to supper.
When we next, I passed on the supper invitation, but he stated that for an unknown period of time his duties would be such that he would be involved in late night operations, but that should it interfere with our arrangements at any time, he would let me know in time for me to obtain another crew member.
On the following Friday morning post, my mother received a letter from Mr Shaw thanking her for a supper invitation and that he would be pleased to accept as soon as duties permitted.
The sailing dates continued for a further 6 weeks, when an invitation to Sunday lunch was accepted, mother duly provided the roast beef etc, as usual with anyone who sat down at our table. He ended up uncomfortably full.
Following the meal, and when showing him my two recently purchased second-hand motor cycles, i.e 1924 belt driven horizontal twin Douglas, and Rudge Malti 600 cc single cylinder belt driven, Mr Shaw stated that he had a Solo motor cycle and invited me to a trip as a pillion passenger. This duly took place, but what a surprise, the Solo was a Brough Suprior, the journey was to Staddon Heights over the fairways of the United Services Golf Club out to the large wall that overlooks Plymouth Sound and Breakwater, into Saddiscombe, Brixton, Plymstock, Hove and back to Turnchapel.
The following Wednesdays included Mother's coffee and sandwiches as though we were going sailing for a week instead of 3-4 hours. She had expressed the view that Mr Shaw did not look as though he was well fed at Mount Batten Station.
Our conversation at all times was very limited, both feeling that the need for conversation was second to the job of dinghy sailing and winning.
At no time did my family think that Mr Shaw was other than an Aircraftman stationed at Mount Batten. Doubt was raised however when having spent a Sunday afternoon on Plymouth Hoe band-stand with my mother, listening to a Scottish Pipe Bank. As we were returning to the car, we looked up to the balcony of Lady Astor's house and there was Mr Shaw among the guests.
I made no mention of having seen him there when we met for the next race meeting, at the completion he stated that he would be unable to carry out any further sailing as he was leaving Mount Batten and he would like to say goodbye to my parents so the remainder of the evening was passed, my mother again doing the honours with the food and completing the ironing of some shirts she had washed and repaired , the property of Mr Shaw.
For a week following his farewell nothing unusual occurred, but one morning mother, who felt that she had to help any one in distress was approached by a very distraught wife of Sgt Carpenter who stated that her husband had been placed under close arrest and could mother obtain information from the Station C.O.
This was followed by national and local press reports of how R.A.F personnel were confined to barracks and some were under arrest for misappropriation of monies and the theft of petrol.
At this time it was made known that our Mr Shaw was in fact Lawrence of Arbia and had supposedly been investigating the alleged deficiencies at Mount Batten.
The reported death of Lawrence in the national press came as a surprise and to our family it was felt that for a man who was so quiet, gentle and unassuming it was indeed a tragedy.
The report stated while travelling at 70 mph he had hit a boy riding a butchers bicycle, the boy had been unhurt, but that Lawrence had been killed.
Following this report, for some obscure reason, a emergency meeting of the sailing club was called. Chaired by Mr Dort Pascho General Manager, Norrington Chemical Works Cattedown, it was decided that as Lawrence had sailed with the club, it would be a mark of respect to send a floral token.
Accordingly Mr Pascho did so, and attended the funeral in Dorset. It was thought by other members of the club, that to make a personal appearance seeing that apart from members of my family and Mr Pascho no other members had spoken to our Mr Shaw, it was somewhat surprising.
The visit was duly carried out, but on his return, Mr Pascho, when seen by my father, seemed perturbed and said that he could not reconcile himself with the press reports regard the circumstances of the death of Lawrence.
He stated that after the funeral he had actually taken photographs of the brough Suprior and that in his opinion a motor cycle traveling at the reported speed of 70 mph or even that of stationary motor cycle falling over, the damage would be greater than that shown on the photographs. Damage would surely have been, either handle-bars, wing, footrest etc. He had taken photographs from both front and rear offside centre view of tank engine etc. It was seen that apart from a slight dent on the top of the rear wing, no damage had occurred. Also that the whole service, which was attended by very notable personalities, seemed to be lacking in sincerity, some mourners wearing cloths not normally worn at funerals, ie, sports trousers and jacket and almost unkown, women mourners entering the church and not wearing hats or even a scarf.
My father having seen the photographs discussed some with Mr Pascho, suggested that in view of what such photographs conveyed, and the conflict they could cause it would be prudent to keep a low profile.
This proved to be sound advice, as Mr Pascho was to discover within a short period of time, while in his office he was visited by two men in civilian cloths, who identified themselves as Wing Commander Lloyd and the other, whose name he could not remember, but who stated he was from the Foreign office and that he had information to the effect that Mr Pascho had in his possession photographs taken of a motor cycle owned by Mr Shaw and the photographs, the negatives plus anything relating to this matter be handed over to him immediately and that he was to discuss this meeting with no one in future.
Furthermore. they wanted the names of any other persons who had seen the photographs and with whom he had discussed it. The result of which my father was visited by the same two men, he was also told that as a matter of national security he was not to discuss this matter with anyone.
My father recorded details of the interview immediately afterwards. This report together with the letter received from Lawrence to my parents, was given to me on the death of my father, both the report and letter was destroyed by fire at my home in Sussex on the 1st June 1950.
The reader is now left to decide whether Lawrence of Arabia was killed in a motor cycle accident, if so, why was it found necessary to send Wing Commander Lloyd and Foreign office official to visit Mr Pascho and my father or did he continue to carry out the outstanding work for which his country has so disgracefully ignored him.'

Television

2011-06-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

In the 1960s and early 1970s, if you were lucky enough to have a television it would have been black and white and there were only three channels to watch - BBC 1, BBC2 and Westward. In Plymouth, most tellies were rented from either Rumbelows, DER or Granada. There were no remote controls and tvs had a dial to tune them in. That meant if you were a kid, your parents were always asking you to get up and turn the channel over or turn the sound up or down. Remote controls were something you only heard of in American tv programmes. Because we had a black and white telly, mum used to take us to the cinema more and we'd see the latest Walt Disney or James Bond films. We'd always go to the local cinema in St Budeaux, 'The State' (it is now!), or travel into town to the ABC, the Drake or the Odeon in Union Street. One year, I remember, my gran visited us from her home in Seaham Harbour and took me to see 'Carry On Henry' at the ABC. She was embarrassed though because Barbara Windsor appeared in it with no clothes on. It seems tame nowadays. I suppose I was about 7 at the time.
We loved the tv then with shows like Randall and Hopkirk, Department S, The Champions, Land of the Giants, The Monkees etc.
I remember a family in the street getting the first colour tv in the early 1970s and all the kids were invited in to see it.
'What did you think of it?' asked my mum when I returned home.
'Rubbish!' I replied. 'Everyone's orange!'
The family who owned the telly didn't realise that you could adjust the colour and just left it at the highest setting!
Eventually, we rented our own colour tv and stopped going to the cinema. A colour tv seemed amazing back then and it was great to watch programmes like Kojak, Columbo, Hawaii Five-0, Kung Fu etc in full colour.
Nowadays, everyone has a colour tv and it's hard to imagine that people all had small black and white sets with legs that looked like they could walk towards you.
My old 20 inch tube telly has just gone kaputt so I decided to buy a new fangled 33 inch flat screen one. Wow!
Now, if only there was something on to watch...

Robert Falcon Scott's birthplace

2011-05-24T02:36:00.000-07:00

I ventured up to Outland Road to find the location of Robert Falcon Scott's birthplace. Scott was born at Outlands House, the family home, in the Parish of Stoke Damerel, in 1868. He was a distant descendant of Sir Walter Scott and he was the father of the naturalist, Peter Scott. Outlands has now long gone and St Bartholomew's Church stands in its place. Within the church is a piece of wood bearing Scott's name. In 1908, Scott had carved his name on a tree at Outlands, from where the wood was taken.

A plaque marks the spot where Outlands once stood, beside Scott Road, which reads: 'Scott of the Antarctic. On this site formerly stood Outlands, birthplace of Robert Falcon Scott. Born 6th June 1868. Scott died on his return from the South Pole which he reached on 17th January 1912.'
The plaque is quite tucked away and would be hard to find if you didn't know where it was. Being on a very busy road, it's passed hundreds of times a day without being noticed.

Scott was a British Naval Officer and explorer who led two expeditions to Antarctica. The first, the Discovery Expedition lasted three years and began in 1901. His second expedition, the Terra Nova Expedition, which commenced in 1910, is more well known and was the expedition where, unfortunately, he lost his life. Scott led a team of five men in a race to reach the South Pole. When he arrived on the 17th January 1912, he discovered that he had been beaten to the position by the Norwegian, Roald Amundsen and his team. Scott and his team, which included Edward Wilson, H R Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans, made their way back but died of a combination of the cold, hunger and exhaustion.
Scott was 43 when he died and his body, and that of his comrades, remain at the camp where he was found. A wooden cross was erected on top of a high cairn of snow which covered the camp.
A memorial stands to Scott at Mount Wise in Devonport.

Shopping in the 1960s

2011-05-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday, we would head off into the town to get our weekly shopping. It seemed a very busy place back then with the pavements jammed with people. It was a time before superstores so everyone headed in to get all the food etc that they needed for the week. There was no pedestrianisation and the streets would be packed. Parking was always a job but we always seemed to either end up parked on the bomb site where Sainsbury's now stands or the bomb site where Toys R Us stands near Frankfort Gate. A man would wait at the entrance and issue us with a ticket (there were no machines back then). Dad would park up our Vauxhall Viva and we'd head off into town. We'd visit all the bigger shops but my favourite was Woolworth's. My memory might be playing tricks on me but many of the items seemed to be 6/6 including that painting of Kynance Cove that seemed to be on everyone's walls in the 1960s (now only found in charity shops and in doctor's surgeries!). We would always end up at the Magnet Restaurant (as did everyone) for dinner. It was always quite busy and we'd go in and get a table for four. As far as I can remember, there was soup (usually oxtail), a roast and ice cream for afters. I'm sure there were other things on the menu but that's what I always had! The Magnet was very popular and I would always see kids from school with their parents there. My best friend's mum worked there at the time. BHS later opened a restaurant with a conveyor belt, which all the kids were fascinated by, so the Magnet lost some of its custom for a while. Back then, modern technology like conveyor belts were something only seen on programmes like Star Trek! Later, in the 70s, Plymouth got it's first fast food burger bar, a Wimpey! Dad would take me there to get a cheeseburger, which was 26p. You'd sit down and, if you were lucky, your cheeseburger would arrive about 40 minutes later. I loved them!
Anyway, after we left the Magnet, we'd do a bit more shopping, usually visiting shops like Spooners, Yeos, BHS, the Co-op, the Green Shield Stamp shop and Costers. If you were in any shop after 4.30pm, especially Woolworth's, a bell would go off to tell you that the shop would soon be closing.
Of course, by that time, the town was mainly deserted as everyone had left early to make sure that they were home in time for 4pm to watch the wrestling on tv! Les Kellett and Jackie Pallo seemed to be everyone's favourites!
Back at school on Monday morning, there was always a kid who would say, 'I saw you at the Magnet Restaurant on Saturday with your mum!'
Seems like a different world, although, I suppose, it was a very long time ago!

The Silver Jubilee of 1977

2011-04-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

I've never been much of a royalist but watching the wedding of William and Kate recently made me proud to be British. It reminded me of an England that I thought had long been forgotten. It also reminded me of the Silver Jubilee of 1977. The royal family were extremely popular at the time and thousands of people turned out to see the Queen and Prince Phillip when they visited Plymouth. Being a kid, I headed off into town on the bus to take some photos. I remember as I got off the bus, the driver said to me, 'You off to see the Queen then?' which was funny because he hadn't said it to anyone else! The whole route of the Queen's journey was packed with people. I found a spot down by The Walrus in Notte Street and waited with many other people for the Queen's car to drive by. My photos never were going to be very good, I just had an old pocket Kodak 126 camera and some Magicubes (remember them?). Anyway, the Queen was driven by and Prince Philip waved and I took a photo. The crowd then headed up towards the Hoe and I followed them. There was a ceremony on the promenade and I manage to get a few more photos although from a long way away. Later, I got back home, told my parents about it all and then sent off my film to be developed. Three weeks later, I got the photos back. There was a good one of Prince Philip's hand and another of a figure, dressed in blue, well in the distance. I thought it was probably the Queen but it could have just as easily been a lamp post.
In those days, at the end of programming on Westward Television, 'God Save the Queen' was always played before the station shut down for the night. The film of the Queen visiting Plymouth was shown in this slot for many years afterwards.
It's funny that I'd gone out of my way to see the Queen and had got nowhere near her. Years later, in 1988, I was crossing the road down by the Theatre Royal and we were all told to wait a minute. The Queen was driven right by me, she looked at me, and waved. I was inches away from her. Another time, I was driving by HMS Drake and I saw some kids from the local nursery waving flags. As I drove, I looked to my right and there again was the Queen being driven by me, slowly, in the opposite direction. As our cars passed, we both turned and looked at each other and she waved again! If our windows had been open, we could have shook hands. On both occasions, I hadn't even realised that she was visiting the city. Perhaps she was stalking me.
Anyway, my photo of Prince Philip's hand and the lamp post went in the bin many years ago and the photo that illustrates this piece was kindly lent to me by Gillian Long.
It seemed a great year - lots of flag waving, street parties and daily news about the royals. I thought that the England I remembered in the 1970s as a kid had gone forever but, then again, perhaps not!

Plymouth Zoo

2011-04-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

I loved visiting Plymouth Zoo when I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s. I think it was a shilling to get in at the time. We'd buy big bags of popcorn, which were very sweet, and feed it to all of the animals. I'm sure that it couldn't have been very good for them! My favourites were the chimpanzees but there were a whole range of exotic wildlife including polar bears, giraffes, camels, seals, other types of bears, a hippo and an elephant. When we first visited in 1968, a pelican folowed us all around the zoo until we left. It was like he was showing us around!
A few years ago, I collected together as many photos of the zoo as possible and put them on a website at
http://www.derektait.co.uk/zoo.htm
Recently, I read a letter in the Herald written by Vina Shaddick who worked at the zoo in 1965. She was writing down her memories and wondered if she appeared in the background of anybody's photos. I wrote to Vina and told her about my website and amazingly, she found herself on the site! She's pictured here leading the pony and cart ride.
Vina wrote:
'That's me with the pony and cart on your website! It was a delight to see this and other photos of the animals that I looked after so long ago.
In case you are interested, the name of the baby Indian elephant (who died 1965) was Tammy, the pony in the photo with me was Mandy, I knew the girl holding the donkeys but have forgotten her name, and one of the donkeys was called Jenny. The Bengal tiger, retired from Chipperfields Circus, was Bengy. One of the Russian brown bears, Honey, was also from the circus and was brought in to be mated by the zoo's male bears.
I was filmed with my friend Adele by Pathe, looking over the fence at the tortoise, and thanks to your site was able to see the footage for the first time. My son bought it for me for Mother's Day, so I now have it on a DVD.'
I've very fond memories of our visits to Plymouth Zoo and there's more about it on my blog at
http://plymouthlocalhistory.blogspot.com/2009/03/plymouth-zoo.html
I'm sure that Vina would be very interested to hear from other people who may have photos of the zoo and she can be contacted at
elcairn@btinternet.com

More about the prehistoric caverns at Stonehouse

2011-04-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

Further to my earlier posting about prehistoric caverns at Stonehouse, I heard from Ernie Stanton who told me about a publication that he'd discovered called the 'South Devon Monthly Museum'. Within its pages is an article that was published in 1796 and includes a letter to the then Lord Edgcumbe concerning the caverns. It makes very interesting reading and I've reproduced it below. It's a long-winded account of the caverns, and you might not get to the end, but it's interesting to think that all this possibly exists under Stonehouse today. From the measurements given, it would probably be possible to work out the exact position of the caverns today.

For more information about the caverns, please read my previous posting at

http://plymouthlocalhistory.blogspot.com/2010/05/prehistoric-caverns-at-stonehouse.html

Here's the complete article as it appears within the publication:

The following account of an extraordinary cave discovered at Stonehouse
is extracted from the 'Weekly Entertainer', for July I6th, 1796.

AN ACCOUNT OF A SUBTERRANEAN CAVERN AT STONEHOUSE, NEAR PLYMOUTH.

By the late ingenious Dr. Geach,

To the Right Hon. Lord Edgecumbe.

Plymouth-Dock, March 1st., 1776.

My Lord,
I have the honour of communicating to your lordship an account, which I took on the spot, of a subterranean cavern, lately discovered in your Lordship's demesnes at Stonehouse. The place, at a considerable extent round, as your Lordship well knows, belonged formerly to the monks : part of the wall that inclosed their garden is still to be seen. The cavern was accidentally discovered by some miners in blowing up a contiguous rock of marble. The aperture, disclosed by the explosion, was about four feet in diameter, and looked not unlike a hole bored with an auger. It was covered with a broad flat stone cemented with lime and sand ; and twelve feet above it, the ground seemed to have been made with rubbish brought thither, for what purpose I know not, unless it were for that of concealment. Here indeed, but here only, we saw some appearance of art, and vestige of masonry. The hill itself, at the northern side of which this vault was found, consists, for the most part, of lime-stone, or rather marble. From the mouth of this cave (through which we descended by a ladder) to the first base, or landing place, is twenty-six feet. At this base is an opening, bearing N. W. by W. to which we have given the name of Tent Cave. It resembles a tent at its base, and in its circumference, and stretches upwards, somewhat pyramidically, to an invisible point. It is, as far as we can measure, about ten feet high, seven broad, twenty-two long : though there is an opening, which, on account of its narrowness we could not well examine, and in all probability it has a dangerous flexure. In each side of this Tent Cave is a cleft; the right runs horizontally inwards ten feet, the left measures six by four. The sides of the cave are everywhere deeply and uncouthly indented, and here and there strengthened with ribs, naturally formed, which, placed at a due distance from each other, give some ideas of fluted pillars in old churches.
In a direct line from this cave to the opposite point is a road thirty feet long. The descent is steep and rugged, either from stones thrown into it from above, since the discovery, or from frailments that have fallen off at different times, from different places below. This road is very strongly but rudely arched over, and many holes on both sides are to be seen ; but being very narrow, do not admit of remote inspection or critical scrutiny.
Having scrambled down this deep descent, we arrive at a natural arch of Gothic-like structure, which is four feet from side to side, and six feet high. Here some petrefactions are seen depending. On the right of this arch is an opening like a funnel, into which a slender person might creep ; on the left is another correspondent funnel, the course of which is oblique, and the end unknown.
Beyond this Gothic pile is a large space, to which the arch is an entrance. This space, or inner room (for so we have termed it) is eleven feet long, ten broad twenty-five high. Its sides have many large excavations, and here two columns, which seem to be a mass of petrefactions, project considerably. On the surfaces of those pillars below, are seen some fantastic protuberances, and on the hanging roofs above, some crystal drops that have been petrified in their progress. Between those columns is a chasm capable of containing three or four men.
Returning from this room, we perceive on the left hand side, an avenue thirty feet long naturally floored with clay, and vaulted with stone. It bears S. S. W. and before we have crept through it, we see a passage of difficult access and dangerous investigation. It runs forward twenty-five feet, and opens over the vault thirty feet high near the largest well. Opposite to this passage are two caverns, both on the right hand. The first bears N. W. by W. and running forwards in a strait line about twenty feet, forms a curve that verges somewhat to the N. E. Here we walk and creep in a winding course from cell to cell, till we are stopped by a well of water, the breadth and depth of which are as yet not fully known. This winding cavern is three feet wide, in some parts five feet high, in some eight. Returning to the avenue we find adjoining to this cavern, but separated by a large and massy partition of stone, the second cavern running west ; and by descending over some small piles of lime-stone, or rather broken rocks, the bottom here being shelvy slate, or more properly a combination of slate and lime-stone, we discovered another well of water. This is the largest; the depth of it is, in one place, twenty-three feet, the width uncertain. Opposite to this well, on the left hand, by mounting over a small ridge of rocks, covered with wet and slippery clay, we enter a vault eight feet broad, eighteen long, thirty high. Here, towards the S. E., a road, not easy of ascent, runs upwards seventy-two feet towards the surface of the earth, and so near to it, that the sound of the voice, or of a mallet within, might be distinctly heard without, in consequence of which a very large opening has been made into it. At the bottom of this vault, in a place not readily observed, is another well of water, the depth of which, on account of its situation, cannot be well fathomed, nor the breadth of it ascertained.
While the miners were exploring those gloomy and grotesque regions, they were alarmed at a murmuring sound, that seemed to come from the hollows of the cave, and one of them, who chanced to be near the largest well with a candle in his hand, saw at that instant the water rise about half a foot.
This phenomenon then could not be explained ; but now we think that the several wells are nearly on a level, and that the waters shape their course towards the sea, and mix with it in Mill Bay, at the distance of four hundred and twelve feet. It is not certain whether those wells, though they lie below the extremity of the lime-stone, have a mutual communication or not : but it is highly probable, as the bottom of the largest well is clay, and its sides are shelvy slate, that there are sprinos, and it is certain that this shelvy vein of slate, nearly of the same kind and colour with some seen at Mount Edgecumbe on the opposite shore, is continued even to the sea, where two openings at low water have been found, through which it is probable the water of the great well discharges itself. When the tide rises, it is presumed that the pressure of the sea without retards the course of the water within, and this may account for the rise and fall so manifest at different times of sounding : and the same circumstance is observed also in a well near the old French prison, in the environs of Plymouth.
Each cavern has its arch, each arch is strong, and in general curious. The way to the largest well is, in one part, roofed with solid and smooth stone, not unlike the arch of an oven. No one seemed to be affected by the damps till he came hither, and then the candles grew dim, and one of the investigators, as well as myself, felt unusual and uneasy sensations.
However, since an opening has been made near the arch of the great well, and the air has had a much freer access, no such sympoms have been perceived. It is very likely that the hill itself is hollow ; some of the caverns have reciprocal communications, but the clefts are often too narrow for accurate inspection or minute enquiry. The water here and there is still dripping, and incrustations, usual in such grottos, coat the surface of the walls in some places. There are some whimsical likenesses, which the pen need not describe nor the pencil dehneate. Mr. Cookworthy, of Plymouth, a very ingenious man, and an excellent chemist, has been so obliging as to analyze the water of the three wells, and has found by many experiments, that it is very soft, and fit for every purpose. I therefore beg leave to congratulate your lordship on the discovery of this water, which, though there was no want before, cannot fail to be a valuable acquisition to your town of Stonehouse ; a place very delightful, and superior to most for the beauty of its prospects, and the elegance of its situation, and what is still better, for the goodness of the air, as the longevity of the inhabitants sufficiently evinces.
I have the honour to be, my Lord,
Your Lordship's most obedient,
and obliged humble servant,
FRANCIS GEACH.

Westward Television - Where are they now?

2011-04-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

In 1974, Westward Television had an open day and, as a kid, I got to meet many of the presenters and got their autographs.

After writing about Keith Fordyce recently, I began to wonder whatever happened to all of the presenters from Westward Television. I know that Roger Shaw is still around because I saw him not too long ago parked in Lambhay Hill car park! But what about the others? Many, unfortunately, have passed away including Kenneth MacLeod (died on 31 January, 2003, aged 76), John Doyle (died 2001), Stuart Hutchison, Ian Stirling (died 30 June 2005) and Jon Miller (died Helston, Cornwall 30 July 2008).

The other presenters that I can recall were Angela Rippon (still presenting shows for the BBC), Judi Spiers (now on Radio Devon), Jeniffer Clulow (appeared in the Cointreau adverts until 1988), Lawrie Quayle (I think emigrated to New Zealand), Graham Danton (on Radio Devon until 2009), Topline Broadhurst (still giving gardening tips on the Heritage Gardening website), Ted Tuckerman (has his own website at www. tedtuckerman.com), Del Cooper (unknown), Clive Gunnell (unknown) and David Young who left TSW due to illness. Of course, Gus Honeybun is still around and living on Dartmoor somewhere!

If anyone remembers any other presenters or knows of their whereabouts nowadays, please let me know.

New columns

2011-04-13T14:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who regularly follows my local history blog. From April, I have a regular monthly column featured in the Plymouth Shopper newspaper, which is delivered to thousands of homes, which I hope many people will enjoy reading. I hope to include many new and interesting stories concerning the history of Plymouth and its surrounding areas. This month's edition contains an article about the Blitz.

Also, from April, I'll have a regular column in the Plymstock and Wembury Marketplace magazine. Articles will appear quarterly and the first one features rare photos and information showing HMS Cambridge at Wembury Point when it was a holiday camp back in the 1930s. I hope that people will enjoy the articles and will pick up a copy of the magazine or newspaper locally if it's not delivered to their homes.

My blog postings also continue weekly on the Devon Life site and also feature intermittently in the Herald. People ask me why they're not featured in the Herald more regularly. Who knows? Ask the Herald!

Anyway, I hope that a lot of people will find them very informative and I hope to include many interesting stories as well as many seldom-seen photos. I hope you'll all look out for, and enjoy, the articles in these publications.

Keith Fordyce

2011-04-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

I was very sorry to hear that Keith Fordyce had died on 15th March, just a couple of weeks ago, aged 82. He was well known as the frontman to the pop show, 'Ready, Steady, Go!' in the early 1960s and also interviewed the Beatles when they appeared at the ABC in Plymouth.

Perhaps, though, he will be best remembered in the region as the host of Westward Television's game show, 'Treasure Hunt' in the 1960s and 1970s. The show was very popular and contestants had to answer various questions and then press a button and the amount that they won would flash up. If the 'key' symbol showed up, Keith would announce, 'It's the Golden Key!' which seemed to become, locally, his catchphrase and he probably had people shouting it out to him in the street! I can't remember what the top prize was but it was probably a few hundred pounds.

We'd all watched the show as a family. I think that it was on at 7pm. It went on for quite a while but when TSW took over the station, Keith was replaced by David Rogers and Jethro. It never seemed to have the same appeal after that and it seemed to struggle for sensible contestants. The audience seemed to be made up of OAPs who sat watching complete with overcoats, hats and handbags. I'm sure that many contestants were dragged from the audience minutes before the show started. I remember one old bloke was asked which actor played Lawrence of Arabia. After thinking about it, he gave his answer as 'Laurence of Olivier'! He was convinced he was right. Eventually, he won two gilted candlesticks and the female hostess plonked one in front of him. He looked disgruntled and shouted, as she walked away, 'No, two, dear!' I'm sure that the show couldn't have been recorded because it was awful. Eventually, it disappeared from our screens.

We had all enjoyed the show when Westward and Keith hosted it and perhaps TSW should never have resurrected it.

Keith went on to open an aircraft museum at Torbay.

It seems like only yesterday that we were all watching Westward Television and it seems very sad that many of the presenters have now passed away.

There's more about Keith's career at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/8422224/Keith-Fordyce.html

St Budeaux Station

2011-03-31T14:05:00.000-07:00

Driving along Wolseley Road today, it's hard to tell that there's a railway stop at St Budeaux. There are still two platforms but the lines are nowadays very run down and the area is very much of a no-go zone at night times.

It wasn't always like this though. St Budeaux once had a very busy and bustling station. It was used regularly by dockyard workers who even had their own shelters to keep them dry when it rained. The access down the station platform was from where the traffic lights, and the crossing leading to the Co-op, are now towards St Budeaux Square.

The station suffered severe damage during the bombing raids of the Second World War but still continued to be used.

The first photo of the station shows Fred Cole with one of Ware and Co's prized Shire horses. The shops of St Budeaux Square (Yeoman Terrace) can be seen in the background and the railway building can be seen behind Fred. His little dog is looking on as his photo is being taken.

The second photo shows a wartime shot where people are queued up for the Queen's Messenger's van which provided hot food and drinks for people affected by the bombing. There are also many defence workers in the picture. On the station hoarding is a poster advertising the latest film, 'Strike Up the Band' which starred Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. There is also a poster advertising 'Light Up and Smile' which was a show that was put on at the New Palace Theatre in April 1941.

The third photo, taken in the 1950s, shows the Baptist's Lifeboys standing in the same position but taken in the direction of the houses over the bridge, towards the section of Wolseley Road leading down towards Saltash Passage. What a happy bunch they all look! There are adverts for Goodbody's bread and Weekend chocolates behind them.

All this has been cleared away now. The buildings have long gone as has the access to the platform. In its place is a brick wall and a very busy road. It's possible to see, even today, where the wall has been bricked up and where the entrance once was.

St Budeaux must have seemed like a very different area back then with narrower roads, a lot less traffic but a far more busier railway station.

Porky the Pig, Churchtown Farm, Saltash

2011-03-26T11:53:00.001-07:00

I was talking to someone the other day whose family owned Wearde Farm, which was where the sunflower field is now at Churchtown Farm. In the past, people have told me lots of stories about days gone by but, a week or two later, unfortunately, I've totally forgotten them! So, nowadays, as soon as I get a chance, I try to write them down. I hope to write a book of people's recollections of the area called, 'Memories of Saltash' sometime in the near future.
My favourite story that he told me was about Porky the Pig and here's the tale as best as I can remember it:
When I was about 9, my family gave me the runt of the litter to look after. I fed him and looked after him. I loved that pig! On many days, I would take 'Porky' on a lead and walk him around by Wearde Quay and along the shore. One day, he ran in the old farm shed and his trotter went into the trigger of a shotgun causing it to fire. No-one was hurt but dad gave him a good telling off for that. Porky got steadily bigger and bigger and eventually was the same size as the other pigs in the litter. Of course, I was naive and one day, dad said he was taking him to market. I wanted to keep him and begged with dad but he said that he had to go because we needed the money to eat. I remember Porky in the pen with the other pigs, looking up at me. The man in the pen was poking him with a stick and saying. 'He's no good, he's all tame!'. Of course, he was eventually sold and the inevitable happened. I cried for months over that pig!

Patrick MacNee

2011-03-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

In 1987, I was asked along to watch Patrick MacNee film 'Where There's a Will' for TSW at St Modwin which is near the Marsh Mills Industrial Estate. I hadn't realised that filming was so tedious and slow and far from glamourous. It seemed to take all day just to shoot a couple of scenes. I'd watched Patrick in The Avengers since I was a small boy so I looked forward to meeting him. I can't say that we had much of a conversation but he posed for photos. The smiles disappeared as soon as the photos were taken!

There were other well-known names at the shoot including Christopher Benjamin, Amanda Burton and Chris Jury (from Lovejoy). By far the nicest and politest actor on set was TSW's own Ian Stirling who was a great bloke.

Filming took place all over the region and many scenes were shot at Tavistock.

The show was directed by Baz Taylor who had also directed shows for Lovejoy. I think that it was hoped that 'Where There's a Will' would have the same appeal as Lovejoy.

As with most programmes made by Westward and TSW, it wasn't very good. TSW didn't have the clout (or money) of the larger regional tv stations.

I think that there were plans for it to become a series and for it to be sold all over the world. TSW showed it once and once only and it was awful! It was never shown again and the planned series was soon forgotten about!

Even so, I had a great summer watching it all being filmed. Many of the actors who appeared in it have gone on to do greater things but some seem to have disappeared altogether.

If you want to see other photos from the shoot, there's more on my webpages at www.derektait.co.uk/macnee.html

Charlie Chaplin

2011-03-10T03:32:00.000-08:00

In February 1931, Charlie Chaplin disembarked from the Mauretania in Plymouth and , at some point, was the guest of Nancy Astor at the Astor's residence at Elliot Terrace on the Hoe. The photo shows some of the other guests who were there at the same time including Amy Johnson and George Bernard Shaw.

The Times Newspaper covered the story and reported on the 20th February 1931:

Mr Charles Chaplin arrived in this country yesterday for the London opening at The Dominion Theatre of City Lights. The Mauretania, with which he had come from New York, dropped anchor in Plymouth Sound, just as day was breaking. A few hours later, Mr Chaplin was welcomed ashore by a swarm of admirers.

It went on to report:
For another hour, the observation-car, which the Great Western Railway Company had placed at the comedian's disposal on the boat-train to Paddington, was surrounded by hero worshippers and during that time nobody with the courage to thrust their head into the carriage was sent away empty handed.

Some people asked him for autographs while others just wanted to pass the time of day. He was said to be full of joy and polite to all that he met but as the carriage moved away and the cheers from his fans died away, his mood changed completely as his optimism turned to talk of economics. He was cheered up by the arrival of a tin of Devonshire Cream.
The train arrived at Paddington later that day and people turned out in their thousands to see him. He climbed onto the roof of the car that met him and waved enthusiastically to the crowd. He was given a police escort to the Carlton Hotel and he announced that he would be on holiday for the next 4 months and may even travel to Europe.
There's no mention in the newspaper report when Chaplin stayed with Nancy Astor but he was in the city again on the night of 16th November, 1931 when he wandered onto the stage of the Palace Theatre in Union Street to much applause.

A Childhood in the 1970s

2011-02-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

The photo on the left shows me on my Spacehopper in our back garden in 1971 when I was about 10 years old. I was recently approached by The History Press to write a book entitled 'A Childhood in the 1970s'. So much happened in that decade and I'm finding it very enjoyable putting it all together. The chapters include things like the music, pastimes, toys, school etc.

Remember when kids all played conkers and marbles or built their own dens and go-karts? We always seemed to be out and about and up to something back then. There's so much to write about, the crazy fashions (I remember a girl at school falling off her platforms and breaking her ankle), glam rock (remember when the Bay City Rollers came to Plymouth?), the endless strikes and power cuts, the television (there were only three channels), decimalisation, Chopper bikes and all the wonderful toys you got back then like Rocket Racers, Action Man, Clackers, Slinkys and all the board games like Haunted House, Buckaroo (later copied with Jaws), Ker-plunk!, Subbuteo, Cluedo, Operation, Battleship, The Fastest Gun, Rebound, Escape From Colditz. Connect 4 and Haunted House.

It all seems such a long time ago but is still fresh in my mind. I've lots of photos to include in the book but I'm still looking for more. If anyone has any, and doesn't mind them being in the book, I'd love to include them. Please send them to me at derek.tait@virgin.net

Union Street

2011-01-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

I wonder what the two old men who are pictured in this photo were talking about? The picture was taken in Union Street in the early 1900s and the old railway arch can be seen in the background.
The shop on the left is the 'New Penny Bazaar' and the sign on their window reads, ' Look around and see the goods - you will not be pressed to buy!'. Two ladies, one holding a small child, are looking in the window. It would be lovely to be able to see what all the items for sale were. Cheaper than today's 'pound shop', everything appears to cost just 1d. I suppose a penny went a lot further in those days!
Marks and Spencers started up their 'Penny Bazaar' over 125 years ago and to celebrate this, offered many items for sale last year at just 1p.
The older shops used to keep everything behind the counter and once a customer had asked to look at an item, they then felt obliged to buy it.
The Penny Bazaar's sign tried to make people feel more comfortable about just browsing.
The shop beside the bazaar advertises, 'Cricket, Football and Tennis Wear'. At one time, there were shops like these up and down Union Street. The tramway would have ran along the road to the right of the photo together with horses and carts, hand carts and bicycles.
Much has changed over the years and a lot of the quaint, interesting shops have now disappeared either due to bombing in the Second World War or modernisation in the years after. Even in the 1970s, I remember many second hand shops along Union Street but these have been cleared away to leave wide open spaces or newer run-of-the mill buildings with little or no character.
It's certainly changed a great deal even in my lifetime and, to me, seems to have lost a lot of the charm that it once had.

Spooners

2011-01-13T07:38:00.000-08:00

Many people will remember the Spooners store on Royal Parade.
The older photo shows Spooners as it was before it was totally destroyed by enemy bombing in 1941. Spooners was established in 1857. Spooners was founded by Joseph James Spooner and their original ornate building stretched from Bedford Street around the corner to Old Town Street. Spooners advertised themselves as house furnishers, drapers, milliners and cabinet makers.
Before the war, Spooner's Corner, as it was known then, was a very popular meeting place. Like many other shops in the town, they had their own orchestra playing in their restaurant. The shop featured its own fashion department taking up a whole floor
and it even had its own theatre to perform fashion parades. In 1902, Spooners was nearly totally destroyed by a fire when a shop assistant accidently set fire to a display commerating the coronation of King Edward VII.
After the war, both Spooner's and Yeo's moved to adjacent buildings on Royal Parade.
The new store was officially opened by Lady Astor on the 10th May, 1956 although it had been trading since October 1954.
Both Yeo's and Spooner's were later taken over by Debenham's and the buildings still look much the same today as they did over 50 years ago.

The Pier at Plymouth Hoe

2011-01-10T09:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a lovely photo of the old pier at Plymouth Hoe. Waiting in front of the entrance is a horse-drawn tram with adverts on the side for Spooner and Co. A man wearing a boater sits on the top deck and appears to be holding a long whip. Two other people also sit nearby including a wonan completely dressed in black. The clock shows the time as 12.30pm and a sign just under the clock says, 'Concerts every afternoon and evening'. There are some interesting adverts on the pier itself including ones for 'Pickford and Co' and another for 'Giant Remedy Box's Pills'. Another sign is for 'Sunlight Soap' and there are many tin signs which, unfortunately, I'm unable to read. Above the main entance are the names, 'Ferrari and Pizzotti'. The duo opened the Grand Swiss Cafe and Restaurant at 167 Union Street in 1884.

Apart from a few pedestrians, there seems little activity in the photo and all of West Hoe looks deserted.

It's hard to imagine today that this wonderful grand pier once stood where it did. It would be lovely if it was still there today.

Christmas Cheer 1955

2010-12-19T05:42:00.001-08:00

I was reading the 1955 edition of the magazine 'Christmas Cheer'. Inside, were several adverts, the cheeriest being the one for E Dingle which advertised itself as the ideal place for Christmas shopping for everything 'from toys to televisions'.
Dingles was in the same place then as it is today on Royal Parade although their store would have been relatively new with the rebuilding of the City Centre after the Second World War.
The second advert shows the ideal present to buy your wife in 1955 - a washing machine! Well, that's what the South West Electricity Board thought! I wonder how many wives who got a washing machine for Christmas eventually filed for divorce? I don't think it would go down too well today as a present for Christmas! Things have certainly changed.
The third advert shows a set of Christmas lights from Osram which then cost £1 a box. What's funny is that, almost 60 years later, you can still get them for the same price!
The last advert shows 'the ideal Christmas gift' - a National Savings Gift Token which could be bought in multiples of 15 shillings (now 75p).
What fun it must have been on Christmas morning with mum unwrapping her new washing machine and the kids excitedly receiving their National Savings Gift Tokens. I wonder what dad got?
There were no other Christmas adverts in the magazine but plenty of adverts for long forgotten companies such as Hatchards the book shop, Pophams, Charles Harding, the Magnet Restaurant , Beechwoods and Rediffusion.
Also featured in the magazine were several quizzes. The Literary Quiz had a prize of a £10 book token, the Hilda Haddon Sporting Quiz had a first prize of a fireside chair and the Spot the Inn competition had a first prize of 3 bottles of Sherry, a bottle of Dimple Whisky, a bottle of Port and one dozen bottles of Golden Diamond. You would've needed to have been a very serious drinker to have been able to recognise all twelve of the pub interiors.
The magazine also featured ghost stories, stories from the past and a joke featuring Santa and his reindeer covered in destination stickers. For one shilling, in a time when there were no Xboxes or Playstations, it seemed the ideal gift for dad!

Newlands at Saltash Passage

2010-12-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of 'Newlands' which was built by W E Elliot in 1860 after he reclaimed 120 acres of mud flats on the River Tamar. At the beginning of the 1900s, the building was bought by the trustees of the Mount Edgcumbe training ship and used as a cottage hospital and sick bay. It was eventually purchased by the Ministry of Defence and marked the entrance of their Ernesettle depot until it was demolished in 1922.

A couple of days ago, I thought that I would take a walk down to the 'top secret' armaments depot at Saltash Passage (it's so secret that it's signposted 'armaments depot'!) to see if anything remained of Newlands. At first glance, it appeared that nothing was left so I just enjoyed the walk and took some photos in the Autumn light. As I walked further along the road however, I noticed several passing areas and the final one, unusually for a passing area, had a fireplace in it! I think that this must be all that remains of Newlands and probably today goes largely unnoticed. It's interesting to think of all the activity that must have taken place here when the Training Ship Mount Edgcumbe was moored close by. Nowadays, it's deadly quiet. I'm sure many people must work at the armaments depot but you certainly never see any of them and apart from the odd barge going up and down the river, it would be easy to imagine that the area has been abandoned.

New books from Amberley Publishing

2010-11-25T11:18:00.000-08:00

This month, I have two new books coming out, both from Amberley Publishing. The first, which is out today, is called 'Saltash Through Time' and features 92 old photos together with 92 colour newer photos.
The book features Fore Street, Waterside, Sand Quay, Port View, the Tamar and Royal Albert bridges as well as a look at nearby villages including St Stephens, Forder and Antony Passage. The photos show the many changes that have taken place in the area over the last 100 years or so.
Some areas have seen major differences with many new buildings replacing ones destroyed in the Second World War or during more modern improvements. Some areas have hardly changed at all.
The second book is 'The Rame Peninsula Through Time'. Rame is one of my favourite places and I especially enjoy visiting the Mount Edgcumbe Estate. Within the book are many photos of old and new Mount Edgcumbe as well as pictures of Cawsand, Kingsand, Fort Picklecombe, Whitsands, Rame Head, Maker and Port Wrinkle. This book should be out sometime next week.
More details can be found about both books by clicking on the links on the right hand side of this blog. I hope that you will find them both enjoyable and interesting.

The Exhibition Fields at Pennycomequick

2010-11-12T11:06:00.001-08:00

Many people will have read my blog posting about Buffalo Bill and his appearance at the Exhibition Fields in 1904 with his Wild West Show. Many other events took place there over the years but perhaps many of you will be wondering where the Exhibition Fields actually were.
The picture shown here is the only one I've found showing an event taking place at the fields which were located at Pennycomequick. Tents can be seen in the background (click on the photo to make it larger) but it's not known what the event was. So that you can get your bearings, on the right of the picture is Alma Road and the now long gone Toll House would have stood far right and still existed when this photo was taken. The Exhibition Fields now form the far end of Central Park and the brow of the hill seen in the picture was once known as the 'Great Hill'. It's amazing to think of all of the events that would have gone on there over the years and it makes you wonder what lies under the soil just waiting to be found. I hope to write more about the Exhibition Fields in a later post.

Coach trip at Saltash Passage in the early 1900s

2010-11-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

This lovely old photo was taken in Saltash Passage in the early 1900s. The area is instantly recognisable today and the buildings in the background remain the same. On the left is the old ferry waiting rooms and behind the horses is the Ferry House Inn. It's interesting to see the old cobbles and tramlines now long buried under modern tarmac.

It's obviously a very wet day and the people in the photo don't look too happy, maybe because of this. I recognise the people near the horse as being members of the Donne family and their descendants still live in the Passage today. I wonder how many other local families appear in this picture.

I've no information about the photo so it's impossible to know what the

event or trip was or where it was going. The poor horses are all skin and bone and it's easy to count their ribs. The obviously didn't get fed as well as they should have. Perhaps this photo was taken during wartime.

There's a banner on the side of the coach and the man at the top is carrying a large flag but I haven't been able to read much on it. One of the words on the banner looks like 'play'.

This is certainly a very interesting photo and one that I'd never seen before until I was kindly sent it by Saltash historian, Bruce Hunt.

The Police Box at St Budeaux

2010-11-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

Long before Doctor Who made his first appearance on tv in 1963, there were Police telephone boxes scattered all over Britain. They were once commonplace and everyone recognised them. Many kids watching Doctor Who today will wonder what a Police box was. Many people of my age and older will remember the box that stood on Outlands Road for many years. It disappeared a long time ago and was about 50 years old then. It was regularly opened when Plymouth Argyle was playing. The above photo shows a Police box that once stood in St Budeaux Square. I wonder how many older residents can still remember it? At one time, it was an essential link for policeman on the beat. If the amber light on top flashed, it meant that there was an emergency call to answer. Policemen with prisoners would lock them inside until reinforcements showed up. Lost children and animals would also end up in the box. There was apparently another box at Saltash Passage although I've never seen any photos of it. The phone inside would have been a Bakelite type one with an old fashioned dial. Police in the 1960s and 1970s would have laughed at how old fashioned this all was when walkie talkies became commonplace but it seems even further back in time from today when everyone is linked by a mobile phone or the internet. Gone are the days of bobbies on bicycles cycling to the nearest Police box to report a crime. The world's moved on but I think that I might prefer things back then!

West Park in the 1960s and 1970s

2010-11-08T04:52:00.000-08:00

These two photos show West Park as it was in the 1970s. On the left of the first photo can be seen the Mobil Garage with its huge circular roof covers. I remember this building well as I used to face it every week day while waiting for the bus to go to school. On the right, can be seen Crystal Batteries and a Co-op lorry can be seen approaching the traffic lights. There are quite a few shops that I can recall from the 1960s and 70s. The newsagents was Easterbrooks (where my mum worked) and next door was the Off-Licence. Easterbrooks later became Cooper's News, NSS and today is ABC Butchers. One of my favourite shops as a kid, back in the 1960s, was Edward's the toy shop which was where Crystal Batteries appears in the photo shown. Across the road was the Co-op (it's the library today), a small chemist and the petrol station. Behind was Goodbody's and another supermarket, The Supreme (it's a carpet shop today). Also in Coombe Park Lane was the popular post office which unfortunately went the way of all other post offices up and down the country. Across from the Supreme was the fish and chip shop (it's still there) and upstairs there was a barber who would shear your hair just before you were due back at school after the holidays! Opposite Easterbrooks, across the road, was Liptons, Dewhursts Butchers, another butchers, the Make and Mend shop (it's still there) and a Mace shop which became a house a long time ago. There have been many shop chnges over the years and there was a shop for a while that just sold wool. Knitting once seemed a lot more poular pastime.
In the second photo, many of the shops I've mentioned can be seen. It looks like the wool shop has become 'Him and Her'. Peter Goords can be seen on the left by the carpark and the old red phonebox can be seen outside the newsagents. I think the Supreme became some sort of music shop for a while.
In some ways, it looks like it hasn't changed much over the years but in other ways it's changed greatly. West Park is now overflowing with fast food outlets, the supermarkets have closed, the old newsagent has disappeared and McColls has taken over the premises where Liptons used to be. The red phone boxes have long gone as has the post office (although it's now a sorting office) in Coombe Park Lane. I can't remember when Edwards closed down but it's certainly a very long time ago since I bought toys in there! Of course, the area is a lot busier today with constant traffic, a lot more scruffy and run down and doesn't seem to be the place I remember when I was a boy. Perhaps I've just got older!

Strange circles at Churchtown Farm

2010-11-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

I wonder if anyone else has noticed the strange grass circles at Churchtown Farm near Saltash? I've been visiting there for many years but have only noticed these circles appearing in the grass this year. I read in the newspaper, because of weather conditions, that Roman ruins had become visible in grassed areas around the country and their pattern could be seen from the air. I think these circles reveal something that is under the fields but I'm not sure what. Above is a photo that I took just this week. I'm sure that if I could have got higher, the circles would be a lot clearer and easier to see.
During the Second World War, barrage balloons were moored at Point Field at Churchtown Farm and I wondered if the circles could be due to their foundations. However, the circles, some perfect, seem to be all over the many fields there. Back in the 1800s, Forder and Churchtown Farm were linked by a wooden viaduct which was eventually replaced by the stone viaduct that is there today. It could be that these circles show parts of this building work underneath. It would be interesting if the circles were showing something older that has yet to be discovered. My guess would be that they're probably something to do with the barrage balloon site but as there seems to be little written history or photos of Churchtown Farm during the war, it's hard to discover if this is the case.

King Billy's Statue at Mutton Cove

2010-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

The statue that stands beside the dockyard at Mutton Cove, known as King Billy, is of William IV who reigned between 1830 and 1837. The statue was originally a figurehead on the 120 gun warship, 'Royal William'. The ship was converted to steam in 1859 and the figurehead was replaced with a smaller one. The original figurehead was then placed at the southern end of the dockyard where it has remained a landmark for many years after. The replacement figurehead cost the Admiralty £35. It no longer exists because the ship it was on, later renamed Clarence, was destroyed by fire in 1899 while it was a training ship moored on the Mersey.
In the 1990s, the figurehead at Mutton Cove was deteriorating fast so it was decided to make a fibreglass copy which now stands in place of the original.
The original wooden figurehead has now been restored and stands along with other preserved figureheads at Black Yarn Stores at Devonport Dockyard.

Hoskins of Atherton Place

2010-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a lovely old photo of Hoskin's newsagent and general store at Atherton Place. From the newspaper hoardings, Plymouth Albion have been successful, the Polar expedition is in peril and there is 'an unbeatable forecast for all the big pools'. Those were the days when winning the Pools was equivilent to winning the lottery. There are adverts for Clubs Cigarettes, another for Woodbines and there's a boot and shoe repair service offered. An advert in the window advertises the Tivoli which is showing 'After Dark' and 'Humility'. The magazines on show include 'Wife and Home', 'Practical Wireless', 'Picture Show', 'World Radio', and 'Radio Times'. There seems to be a collection of postcards on display in the centre of the window.

Terry, who wrote to me earlier about the Saltash Passage mine, tells me:

'This photo features William Henry Hoskin and his wife, Laura Wright Hoskin (nee Reed). The shop was at No 2 Atherton Place which is halfway up Charlotte Street, between St Leo's Place and Warren Street. It's still there but isn't a shop anymore. The shop window has gone and has been turned into a bay window.'

Terry included a photo of the shop as it appears today and I've featured it here.

Terry continues:

'Mr and Mrs Hoskin were my grandparents and I was born in the room behind the shop and lived there for a short while. Next door was a post office when I was young. My gran used to give me sixpence on a Saturday and then whisk me next door to buy a savings stamp for my post office savings book. I only had it in my hands for 90 seconds! Sixpence was a lot then - those were the days!'

Things have certainly changed over the years.

Plymouth Guide 1961

2010-10-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

Here's another ebay 99p bargain! This Plymouth guide dates from 1961 so that makes it as old as me!

Included within its pages are adverts for the Hoe Cafe, Moss Bros, Janet Joyce, Capps Jewellers, Wightman's Camera Shop and Pophams - now all long gone. If you were hungry back then, there was a Wimpy Bar at 94 Cornwall Street, the Magnet Restaurant at 34, the Tudor Restaurant at Ebrington Street and Goodbodys on the Royal Parade. Entertainment was either at the Hoe Summer Theatre or at one of the many cinemas which included the ABC, the Drake, the Gaumont, the Odeon, The Plaza, the State, the Belgrave or the Palladium. Regular Saturday dances were held at the Guildhall, the Duke of Cornwall and the Continental Hotel.

Hedley Claxton hosted 'Gaytime' at the Hoe Summer Theatre which included talent contests, concert party competitions, military bands, choirs and 'sparkling entertainment'.

If you needed to hire a car, Rowland Trim could provide you with the latest Morris Oxford, Morris Minor, Ford Anglia or Ford Popular. The main garages seem to have been Esso but I think this was before the popular 'Put a Tiger in Your Tank' campaign.

There were many cafes including the Hoe Cafe, Humphreys Cafe at West Hoe and Chequers Cafeteria and Restaurant at Bretonside.

For clothes, there was J Modes, 'in a style you like' and Richfurs of Royal Parade. Well known shops included Dingles, British Home Stores and the Co-op at Derry's Cross. Of course, there was also Ivor Dewdney's in Cornwall Street selling 'superior quality pasties and pies'.

There were pleasure boats to Kingsand, Cawsand and Bovisand. Other river trips went to Salcombe, Looe, Fowey, Dodman Point, Calstock, Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo.

The Hoe was packed at the time with many deckchairs, swimming and beauty pageants at the Lido, cafes, boat trips, entertaiment, sailing and fishing.

It all sounds great apart from the fur coat shop on Royal Parade (they were mainly Nylon anyway!). Certainly much seems to have changed over the years.

Nude bathing in the Tamar

2010-09-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

The Tamar is full of yachts, boats and jet skiers but it's very rare nowadays to see anyone swimming there. If someone was spotted in the waters today, the police boat would probably be called out, together with the lifeboat rescue team.

A hundred years ago, things were very different. The Tamar was a very popular place to swim especially down by Saltash Passage which, at the time, even had a bit of a beach.
The photo shown here was taken beside the Royal Albert Bridge and shows children in Victorian times paddling and enjoying a dip in the waters there. It's hard to imagine a similar occurrence today especially with the river's muddy banks which are littered with sharp rocks and various broken bottles. In the background is the training ship for wayward boys, the T S Mount Edgcumbe.
Marshall Ware remembered:
Most of us could swim across the Tamar before we were 16 and we received life-saving training from the Devonport Swimming Club. In those days, boys were allowed to bathe in the nude although I wasn't because my father was a local councillor for the St Budeaux Station Ward so I wasn't allowed to take part in the local activities without a bathing costume. When the women arrived on the scene to bathe, the boys were turned out lock, stock and barrel, often in a state of undress, from the eight bathing cubicles.
It's strange how times change and if this photo didn't exist, it would be hard to believe that children ever once swam in the waters beneath the Royal Albert Bridge.

Treasure beneath your feet

2010-09-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

When I was a boy and we'd moved back to Plymouth from Singapore in the 1960s, my dad found two items in our new home while digging in the garden. One was a coin and the other was a military badge. The coin was encrusted with years of dirt but, after a lot of cleaning, I could see two heads on it which turned out to belong to William and Mary who reigned together in the late 1600s. The coin was a halfpenny and had amazingly lain in the ground for 300 years. The cap badge that was also found belonged to the Manchester Regiment but I've never been able to accurately date it. I always supposed that it was dropped by a soldier stationed at the nearby Knowle Battery. Nothing else was found and in the late 1970s, two crazes took off. One was skate boarding and the other was metal detecting. I would have probably been a lot cooler getting a skateboard but instead I went to Dixons and bought a metal detector (this was after unsucessfully trying to build my own!). I think they were £19.99 which seemed a fortune at the time. I'm sure that other coins must have remained buried in the garden but I never found any of them. Searches of the area only revealed coins from the early 1900s while people told me that they had discovered coins hundreds of years old and even found Roman coins nearby. After finding endless junk, the hobby eventually became very boring and the metal detector lay in a cupboard for many months. I remember two things that I found with the metal detector that I would have rather not come across. One was an incendiary bomb and the other was an animal trap that I very nearly put my arm in (it was covered in leaves). One year later and I had a box of pre-decimal coins, bullet shells, a few miltary buttons and other things that I didn't have a clue what they were. Eventually, I gave it all to my nephew.

I don't know what happened to the metal dectector but it disappeared sometime in the early 1980s.

A few years ago, I bought another metal detector off Ebay. Amazingly, it's lay in the cellar ever since! There are reports nearly every week of amazing finds, some of them quite local, and there's always that temptation to dig it out and to go exploring. I doubt I ever will though!

Haunted Plymouth

2010-08-23T06:24:00.001-07:00

I was kindly given a copy of 'Haunted Plymouth' by its author, Kevin Hynes. The book makes fascinating reading and tells tales of mysterious ghosts and apparitions in and around Plymouth.
From hauntings in Saltash Passage and Wyndham Square to strange activity at the Gin Distillery and the Reel Cinema.
During the Second World War, there were many reports of people seeing dead relatives and neighbours and even today their spirits appear to be present in many locations within the city.
We all seem to have had odd experiences that can't be explained including hearing strange noises and bumps in the night to seeing fleeting shadows and lights. Some of the ghosts in the book are more apparent than others with legs being seen disappearing up stairs and ghostly visitors in full period clothing. Our grandparents always seemed to have a story about someone who had seen a ghost or knew of someone who lived in an old creepy house full of strange noises or occurrences. I've experienced it myself but were those strange noises behind the walls a previous long-dead owner or just a few scurrying mice?
Is it real or just in our imaginations? Check out Kevin's excellent book and decide for yourself!
Haunted Plymouth by Kevin Hynes is published by The History Press and is available at all bookstores. If you want to meet Kevin, he will be signing copies at Waterstones on Saturday 4th September 2010 between 11am and 1pm at the New George Street branch and between 2pm and 4pm at the Drake Circus branch.
Kevin also takes people on regular ghost walks starting on the Barbican. There's more information at http://www.hauntedplymouth.com/

Anti-social neighbours

2010-08-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

It seems that everyone you know either has, or knows of someone who has, an anti-social neighbour. Anti-social behaviour might involve harassment, bullying, blocking rights of way, threatening elderly or disabled people or other childish activity. Unfortunately, this seems to be a sign of the times and with councils all too willing to overlook or aid people causing the anti-social behaviour, the problem just escalates.
I was reading Marshall Ware's lovely book, 'St Budeaux - Yesterday's Village'. In it, he says:
I have seen St Budeaux grow from an almost self-contained village where most of the chapel people voted Liberal and church people voted Tory, to an urban community. We had limited transport, so everyone had to walk and so recognised each other. Our favourite MP, Leslie Hore- Belisha took a great interest in local people and their organisations.
I knew Marshall well and remember him telling me how everyone got on, said 'hello' and 'good morning' to each other and passed the time of day. There were no disputes about land, no road rage and certainly no ASBOs. Throughout the Second World War, people banded together, helped their neighbours and did their best for each other. And they had Hitler to put up with!
It seems like a completely different world to today's world and I'm sure there are many older people who yearn for those bygone days of trams, tea gardens, regattas and a friendly community.
Unfortunately, those days are now long gone and it seems that Hitler is alive and well and living in a neigbourhood near you!

Romans at Rame

2010-07-28T10:44:00.001-07:00

Following on from a previous posting on Roman occupation in the area, I was interested to read in the paper on 24th July about a gold Roman artifact that was found in a field at Rame. Maker means 'old ruin' and this has always been taken to mean that a Roman villa or other building once stood in the area at an unknown location. If this is the case, then there will be many other Roman artifacts still unfound remaining in the area.
The article referred to metal detectorist, Craig Budding, who was digging in a field on the Rame Peninsula. The item found was a gold pestle which may have hung around the owner's neck as a sign of fertility. It is thought to date somewhere between the first and fourth century.
Anna Tyacke, the Royal Cornwall Museum Finds Liason Officer, suggested, 'The pestle could have been used with a mortar to grind cosmetics which would have been smeared on the body as an aid to fertility.'
It's a very interesting item and there must be many more such items like this to be found. If you're taking a walk around the Rame Peninsula, especially if you're crossing any ploughed fields, then keep your eyes open. You never know what you might find!

Plymouth Through Time

2010-07-27T02:01:00.001-07:00

My latest book, from Amberley Publishing, is out this week. Called 'Plymouth Through Time', it features then and now photos of Plymouth from the turn of the 1900s. All the new photos in the book are in colour and some of the places covered include Milehouse, Turnchapel, the Hoe, St Budeaux, Saltash Passage, the City Centre, the Barbican and much more.
It's available in all the usual places such as Waterstones, WH Smiths and online but will also be available in Morrisons and other supermarkets. It's one of a series and later titles will include, 'The Rame Peninsula Through Time', Saltash Through Time' and 'A Year on the Tamar'.

In Search of Romans

2010-07-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

I was very interested to read about the hoard of Roman coins found in Somerset which was in the news earlier this week. A similar hoard was found in Plymouth in 1894. A crock of Roman coins was discovered at Compton Giffard containing a thousand coins all dating from before AD 280. The British Museum suggested that it could have been part of a Roman pay chest for a legion stationed in the area. Romans are also believed to have once inhabited Stonehouse. The area carried the name Stonehouse even in Saxon times and it is believed that it was named after a ruin in the area that only the Romans could have built. Unfortunately, this ruin is now long gone.
In 1882, a Roman crematorium was discovered at Newport Street just below Stonehouse Bridge. It contained small tombs, about four feet by two feet, containing human bones and ashes. Unfortunately, it has all long since been destroyed. Evidence also suggests the existence of Romans inhabiting the area in the street name at St Budeaux, 'Roman Way'. Roman Way was originally called 'Old Wall's Lane' which suggests an ancient occupation. A Roman signal station was believed to have once stood on the hill there and soapwort, which was used by the Romans for medicine, has been found growing nearby. Soapwort is usually only found in this country on the site of an old settlement.
Other evidence also points to the existence of Romans in the area. A galley was said to have been found at Newnham and Roman coins and pottery have been found at Mount Batten. In 1888, a large hoard of Roman coins were found at Stamford in Plymstock. Also a bronze figure of Mercury was found at Hooe. There have been no reports of further hoards being found in Plymouth but I've no doubt that they probably exist.
The Ridgeway at Plympton has long been believed to be part of a Roman road. It is recorded in 1281 as Ryggeseweystrete and the strete part of its name suggests a Roman link. Records also exist of the discovery of early camps near Crownhill although these may have been British.
I have heard of Roman coins being discovered in the Plym and at Whitleigh, Torr and Millbay but these are few and far between. I'd be very interested to hear of any other finds in and around the city.

Adverts from the War Years

2010-07-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

I recently wrote about Goulds in Ebrington Street and there's a photo of it in my new book, from Amberley Publishing, 'Plymouth Through Time'.

I discovered a copy of the Western Evening Herald from 21st March 1941 and in it is an interesting advert for Goulds which can be seen above. On sale are rubber boots for ARP Wardens priced at 12/11, Gas mask holders for 5½d, Regulation sandbags for the same price, Army Blankets for 10/6 and also Rifle Slings, Kitbags and Ammunition Pouches for 5½d. All things that would have come in very handy at the time when Plymouth was just about to go through its worst period. Goulds was at Treville Street which once joined Old Town Street but was later devastated by the Blitz.

Another interesting advert in the paper was for Costers. Rather than thinking about the War, they were concentrating on the new Spring fashions which included a snazzy checked sports jacket for men and an even more snazzy checked suit and cap for boys. I've never seen any children in photos from the 1940s dressed like this. The cost for the whole outfit was 17/11, a lot of money then especially if you bought it and then your son felt too ridiculous to wear it! In comparison, the man on the right looks more like men dressed in the 1940s. Perhaps the checked suits were aimed at the posher market. Costers were located at Frankfort Street, another victim of the Blitz.

Ploughed Fields

2010-06-22T06:01:00.001-07:00

I've written before about town dung and how it was brought up the River Tamar and spread on the nearby fields. Recently, while walking at Churchtown Farm at Saltash, I noticed that one of the fields had been ploughed so I decided to have a quick walk over it to see what I could find. The photo shows some of the items that I came across. The first thing I found was an Edward VII farthing which dates from the early 1900s. I also found a piece of clay pipe. This probably dates from the same period although I've found bits of clay pipe from the 1600s at Empacombe on the Mount Edgcumbe Estate.

I also found an old glass bottle top and a glass marble. The glass marble comes from an old Codd Bottle and children in Victorian times would break the neck of the bottles to get at the marble. Playing marbles was once a very popular pastime, even when I was a boy. The muddy banks beside the river at Churchtown Farm are littered with similar broken bottles. I'm not sure what the other item in the photo is although it's made of copper. All these items were found on the surface and it makes you wonder, if you had a metal detector, what else there is to find. I also found loads of old pottery and an old Bovril bottle which I left on the post for someone else to have. When I went back the next day, it had gone.

The shores of Antony Passage are littered with old bottles and even the remains of Victorian shoes. It was once a popular pastime amongst bottlers to search for finds on the banks there but the locals nowadays aren't as welcoming as they once were!

This is probably just junk to most people but to me it's interesting to find a piece of the past.

Alexander Graham Bell

2010-06-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

Amazingly, the first telephone installation in the UK was in Plymouth at Tor Grove in Weston Peverel, now known as Pennycross.
Alexander Graham Bell was visiting the town in 1877 to lecture about the invention of the telephone when he stayed at the residence of Robert Bayly. Bayly was elected to the first Devon City Council and was also a Justice of the Peace. His father founded the Marine Biological Association.
While staying with Bayly, Bell installed the telephone line which connected the house and the gardener's cottage. It remained in use for many years before the apparatus was presented to the Plymouth Museum.
Alexander Graham Bell was born in 1847. Both his mother and wife were deaf which interested him in experimenting with hearing devices which eventually led on to his invention of the telephone. The patent was applied for in 1876. Although he is most famous for this invention, he felt that it intruded on his more important scientific research and refused to have a telephone in his study.
In 1888, he became one of the founding members of the National Geographic society.
Bell died in 1922. During his funeral, it was reported that, 'every phone on the continent of North America was silenced in honor of the man who had given to mankind the means for direct communication at a distance.'

Stanley Gibbons

2010-05-31T09:56:00.001-07:00

Perhaps stamp collecting isn't the hobby that it once was. When I was a boy in the 1960s, every kid that I knew collected stamps. Times change and perhaps the name of Stanley Gibbons isn't as well known to younger people as it would have once been.
Edward Stanley Gibbons was born in Plymouth on the 21st June, 1840, coincidently in the same year that Britain issued the Penny Black. His father, William, owned a chemist shop in Treville Street. Stanley had an interest in stamps from when he was a boy and joined his father's business after the death of his eldest brother.His father encouraged his stamp collecting hobby and a stamp desk was set up within the chemist's shop.
Between 1861 and 1871, Stanley Gibbons built up his own stamp business which proved to be very popular. On the death of his father in 1867, he took over the chemist shop but found himself heavily involved in the business of buying and selling stamps which took most of his time and eventually, the chemist shop was sold.
After he married, in 1872, he relocated his business to London where he employed women to seperate sheets of stamps in the evening. He was reported to the local authorities by neighbours who were suspicious of all of the young women who attended his address and surprisingly, this was investigated although they found nothing untoward.
By the time Gibbon's first wife died in 1887, the business was a great success. He later married his housemaid, Margaret Casey in 1890 before selling his stamp business to Charles Phillips for £25,000. Soon after, he retired. Gibbons married for a third time after the death of his second wife in 1901. He travelled extensively all over the world for pleasure and to purchase stamps. Gibbons third wife died in 1905 and he married for a fourth time but this wife died in 1908 and he married, amazingly, for a fifth time in 1909. They are believed to have seperated before his death because he makes no mention of her in his will and leaves his entire estate 'to a dear friend, Mabel Hedgecoe'.
Gibbons died on the 17th February 1913. His string of wives, most of whom died relatively young, has given rumour to some wrong doing on his part but this has never been proved.
Stanley Gibbons is nowadays seen as a successful business and perhaps the person behind it is somewhat forgotten. However, almost one hundred years after his death, his name is, and will probably always be, forever linked with the immense, worldwide hobby of stamp collecting.

Prehistoric caverns at Stonehouse

2010-05-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

I recently came across a cutting from the Evening Herald from the 9th November, 1960. It carries a report about prehistoric caverns at Stonehouse and reads:

'Stonehouse's prehistoric limestone caverns, discovered in the 18th century and since lost to modern knowledge have, it is believed, been rediscovered by builders excavating foundations for a new warehouse in George Street. Directing a pneumatic drill into limestone boulders, a workman found the rock giving way to expose a 10ft shaft with two long fissures squeezing from it. Remains of prehistoric rhinoceroses, horses, oxen, deer and other animals were once found in the caverns but were destroyed when the Athenaeum was blitzed in the last war.'

I haven't been able to find any follow up to this article but isn't it amazing that this all probably exists beneath the streets of Stonehouse and it's such a shame that the remains found in the 1700s were destroyed in the war. The story of Cattedown Man is well known and his remains were discovered in limestone caves in the Cattedown area of the city in 1887. With him were the bones of 15 early humans together with the remains of woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth, deer and lion dating from the ice age. The remains are approximately 140,000 years old and are the oldest remains discovered in the British Isles.

Prehistoric remains have been found in Ernesettle Woods, at Mutley and Keyham as well as Stonehouse.

It's amazing what is beneath our feet but also incredible that very little of this history ever seems to be mentioned. I certainly haven't read anything at all about the Stonehouse Caverns in the last 40 years.

The location of the Cattedown caverns is meant to be a secret, for fear of fossil hunters etc, but it's well known that they are located beneath the fuel depot there. It would be incredible to be able to visit them and it seems a shame that the area is off limits to local residents.

The Kloof, Saltash Passage

2010-05-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

The Kloof can be found near the end of Wolseley Road at Saltash Passage. There has been a right of way through the Kloof for hundreds of years and it was originally used by parishioners travelling to the church at Higher St Budeaux. The house was built by James Ware (shown) in 1914. James Ware owned and ran Ware's coal and coke business from Ware's Quay which, today, would be opposite the Ferry House Inn. The quay was built in 1898 by James Tripp using stone from Little Ash Quarry. It was taken over by James Ware and renamed and used by him until 1922.
The Kloof was built just before the First World War and may not have been built at all, if built at a later date, due to the lack of materials that were available as a direct result of the War. In later years, the fields by the Kloof were rented out for a variety of uses. These included stabling horses, a local business growing fruit and vegetables and an enterprise growing daffodils in the Spring. A variety of animals were kept there for commercial use also, including pigs, sheep and chickens. The fruit and vegetable business was run by Frederick Johns who delivered to the St Budeaux area with his horse and cart. In the Second World War, the US army used the field to house their troops and vehicles.

Many older residents will remember Marshall Ware who lived at the Kloof for most of his life. He had a passion for local history and wrote two books about St Budeaux. He also had a passion for wildlife and I remember that he told me that he would climb into trees to photograph the eggs of birds but would never take them to collect. I also remember him telling me how he remembered his father planting the many trees that now surround the field at the Kloof. Marshall seemed to know the name of every plant, flower and bird in the area and, at the time, would happily tell me all about them. I recall that Marshall hoped that future generations would be able to enjoy not only the field but also the right of way through the land. I hope that he gets his wish but I fear that one day, it may all be built on, so enjoy it while you can!

Plymouth : Tales From The Past

2010-05-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

I know that there are many people who would rather sit down and flick through the pages of a book than read content from the internet on a computer screen. Many people aren't connected to the internet and for this reason, I've compiled all my favourite stories of Plymouth's past in a new book which will be available from bookshops and online over the next couple of weeks. There are tales of famous people connected with Plymouth including Charles Darwin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Scott of the Antarctic, Cora Pearl, Lillie Langtry, Nancy Astor and many more. There are also stories of Christmases during the War years, trams, entertainment, the Civil War, Romans, pubs, buildings, executions, carnivals, comedians and much more.

More recent history includes articles about Plymouth Zoo, Westward Television, Benny Hill and The Beatles visit to the ABC.

I hope that the new book will be of great interest to the many people who enjoy reading about the history of Plymouth and who also enjoy the many quirky stories that originate from its past.

'Plymouth Tales From The Past' (ISBN 9780956078148) will be available from the end of May from all good bookshops and costs £9.99.

Putty Philpotts

2010-05-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

This photo shows Putty Philpotts who, at one time, was quite a well-known figure in the city. He led the Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport Carnival, shown here in 1926, which raised money for the Royal Albert Hospital (later Devonport Hospital). He was known as a giant of a man although this referred to his generosity as well as his weight. He was ex-Navy and also an ex-publican and, at twenty stones, was once the heaviest man in the services. After leaving the Navy, he ran the Brunswick Hotel in Stonehouse and would entertain people by playing the banjo beside the log fire there. Stars from the Palace Theatre would come to watch and would join in with his many songs including, 'South of the Border down Stonehouse Bridge Way' which he adapted from the more well-known, 'South of the Border'.
During the Second World War, The Brunswick Hotel was destroyed by a land mine and Putty then became the landlord of a pub in Devonport which, by coincidence, was bombed on his very first night there. He ended his days as the landlord of the No-Place Inn at Eldad Hill.
In between running various pubs, Putty also appeared in concerts performing his many songs which included, 'Figgy Pudding'.
Thr Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport Carnival lasted all week and Putty was often the Carnival king. Regular events included fancy dress competitions, parades and
stalls.
When he died, the pall bearers had to be 'fortified at the local bar' before carrying out their bulky task!

Devonport tram

2010-04-28T11:55:00.000-07:00

At first glance, it's hard to place where this lovely pre-war tram is passing in Plymouth. There are several clues though. By enlarging the photo, a street sign can be seen beside the front of the tram which says 'Chapel Street'. Also, in the background, can be seen the

word 'piano' and I can recognise this as the shop belonging to Hocking's Pianos which stood beside the Forum Cinema (now the Mecca Bingo Hall). The Forum, which was at the end of Chapel Street in Fore Street, stands just to the left of Hocking's and Fore Street with its wonderfully ornate buildings continued until it met the dockyard gates. The Second World War not only devastated Fore Street but also Chapel Street and none of the buildings shown in this photo still stand. The Forum is still there, of course, but the rest of Fore Street including the Devonport Market were incorporated into the dockyard and have been unseen by civilians for many years. Recently, the area enclosed in the dockyard has been refurbished and building work still continues.

For comparison, I took a photo today of the area as it looks now. Just for good measure, I made sure I got a picture of the tram's future replacement! The Forum can be seen in the far background on the left and an Esso garage stands where all those lovely buildings used to stand.

Walking further down, I thought that I could see tramlines in a pothole in the road. A similar thing was reported in Saltash Passage recently.
On the way home, I decided to photograph the gates at HMS Drake for a 'then and now' project I'm putting together. I was surprised that because I'd taken a photo of the gate, I was then questioned by the police, complete with machine guns, for half an hour! I pointed out that a photo of the HMS Drake gates could be found easily on Google Earth and my pictures came out terrible anyway! They were very nice about it all though and said these were 'sensitive times' but, if you're thinking about photographing any Naval, or any other military establishments, think twice! I think we parted on good terms and I still haven't got a decent photo of the gate!

The War Effort

2010-04-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

All over Plymouth, there are the signs of missing railings and other ornate metal work. During the Second World War, as part of the War effort, houses were stripped of their railings and other metal was collected by the Ministry of Salvage to be melted down and used for munitions . Over 1.5 million tonnes were collected and the whole operation boosted morale and brought people together. Any metal that could be taken was quickly removed including the bandstand on the Hoe. On the walls of many old houses in Plymouth, you can still see where the railings were hacksawed away. Even the Mount Edgcumbe Estate removed its railings to help the campaign. On the 12th January 1942, work started in the Mutley area to remove all unnecessary railings although some of the more ornate railings survived the exercise. However, many were removed and were never replaced.
The Women Voluntary Service were responsible for organising salvage drives which not only included the removal of railings but also the collection of aluminium pots and pans, jelly moulds, kettles, paper and rubber and even artificial limbs.
Children were banded together to collect as much salvage as possible including small items such as bottle tops. Regular salvage drives were organised to help the war effort. Tin, rubber, iron, steel, paper, cooking fat and even silk stockings were all collected. A popular poster during the war read, ‘Salvage saves Shipping’.
Saturday Scrap collections were organised and children would knock at doors asking for any spare metal. This included gates, saucepans, empty tins and anything that could be spared. Some councils awarded certificates to recognise the work done by the children.
However, while people happily banded together to help the war effort and collected a great deal of scrap metal to provide extra guns, tanks and planes for the troops, the truth was somewhat different. Little or none of the metal collected was ever melted down and used for the war effort and most was just dumped soon after.

King Street

2010-04-18T12:46:00.001-07:00

King Street ran from Cambridge Street to Stoke Road and Manor Street.
There doesn't appear to be many photos of the King Street arch in existance but this is the best one I've found. This photo dates from the early 1960s and shows the arch which was just after 144 King Street, which can just be seen on the left of the photo. Number 144 housed Cole's grocery shop.
Perhaps one of the most remembered shops in King Street was Ivor Dewdney's pasty shop which was at number 2 and opened in the 1930s.
The photo shows interesting adverts for both Ovaltine and the Co-op.
In the early part of the last century, hawkers and entertainers gathered underneath the arch. One was a Mr Pratt who, with his monkey, Bruce, entertained passersby with his organ grinding. Bruce wore a red hat and jacket and was well known to the people living in the area. Mr Pratt, his wife and his monkey all lived in one tiny room in the street. Small audiences would gather to watch Bruce and would feed him chipped potatoes which were sold in the evening by Italians living in the area. By day, they would sell ice cream around the town from their small handcarts.
Another well known figure was a blind Cornish miner who sold boot and shoe laces which were draped from his left arm while, with his right hand, he would hold out a tin cup to collect money.
Many beer houses sprung up in the area during the 1850s including the Thistle Rose and Shamrock, the Hen and Chicken and the Botanic Garden which was near Flora Street Nursery. In the shadow of the railway embankment stood the Robert Burns, the Broad Gauge and the Tandem Inn.
As a barrel organ played, bruised fruit was sold at knock down prices and women gathered to attend late night auctions selling cheap cuts of meat. Chestnut sellers would also ply their trade from a warm fire and a man on stilts would tap on windows to announce forthcoming events such as the fair or the circus. Rabbit formed a staple part of people's diet and a rabbit catcher with four or five rabbits hanging from his arm would sell and skin the creatures on the spot.
It all seems a world away from the King Street of today. Torn apart in the Second World war, the area has seen a lot of changes and rebuilding. When the arch was pulled down in the 1970s, a major part of the street disappeared and the hawkers and entertainers from nearly 100 years previous, were soon forgotten.

Plymouth Hoe in the 1930s

2010-04-10T04:22:00.001-07:00

I love this old photo of the Hoe from the 1930s. The picture is taken in the Hoe Lodge Gardens and two girls, one with an umbrella, admire the flowers. It must be Spring because there are tulips and primroses in bloom nearby.
At first glance, the scene doesn't appear to have changed much over the years but, looking to the right of the lighthouse, can be seen the old bandstand which was dismantled during the Second World War to be used for scrap to help the war effort. The lighthouse itself is painted in red and white, as it is today, but between then and now it has been painted in various colours including green and white (the colours of not only Devon but also Plymouth Argyle).
Much remains the same, although the fashions have changed greatly over the years. The only transport that can be seen is a man pushing a bicycle.
The layout of the gardens themselves have changed though. The pool on the right of the picture has long gone and the garden, for some time, has been the home to the Prejoma Clock which was erected in 1965 in memory of Preston John Ball's parents. It told the right time in 1965 and then came to a standstill for many years. It was working for a brief period in about 2007 but has since stopped again. Nowadays, the gardens are very well kept and colourful. At the moment, they contain an ornate totem pole which has been erected to celebrate 200 years since the birth of Charles Darwin. In 1831, the 22 year old Charles Darwin set sail on the Beagle from Plymouth.
Nearby to the gardens is the popular Valentis Cafe and bar.
It's amazing that 70 years have passed since this photo was taken and so little, in this picture anyway, has changed.

Plymouth in the 1950s and 1960s

2010-03-31T09:16:00.001-07:00

These few photos show Plymouth city centre during the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The first picture shows a very busy town centre. Many people will remember the streets crowded like this, before the area was pedestrianised. On the left can be seen the Dolcis shoe shop at 37 New George Street which adjoined Dingles. Further down can be seen the old Western Morning News building which today houses Waterstones. The fashions have certainly changed over the years. A lone sailor can be seen in the foreground in the days when wearing their uniform was compulsary. The now old fashioned cars parked on the left, all look very much the same model and there certainly wasn't the choice there is nowadays. Most came in either black, grey or green. This was to become a far more busy scene in the 1970s and 1980s when every parking meter had a car beside it and in-town parking was almost impossible at busy times.
The second photo, from the same period, shows British Home Stores in Cornwall Street. The buildings haven't changed that much in the 50 or so years since but the cars and fashions have changed greatly. The streets all look much more narrow with the many vehicles parked there.
The third photo shows Frankfort Gate and, at first glance, it looks like not much has changed over the years.

Many of the shops have changed ownership many times but the market can still be seen clearly in the background. Earlier shops in the area included the popular stamp shop (probably a dying hobby now), Bonus Books, the Camera Exchange and, further around on the main road, Jack Cohen's Joke Shop. The red phone box has long gone and a huge green pedestrian walkway has been built in the centre of this scene. It all looks very tidy when this photo was originally taken and quite empty. However, anyone visiting these three areas nowadays would probably notice quite a bit of difference.

More about the Silver Mine of Saltash Passage

2010-03-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

I've had a lot of people write to me recently about the underground mine at Saltash Passage and it all makes very interesting reading. With the work recently being carried out at the bottom of Little Ash Gardens to repair subsidence, together with past damage to the houses on the left-hand side of Little Ash Gardens, it's easy to follow the route of the final leg of the mine.
I had a very interesting letter from Terry (whose surname I unfortunately don't know) and I hope that he doesn't mind me reproducing it here as it sheds some light on the tunnel and the route it took.
Terry writes:
'I was very interested to read, 'The Silver Mine in Saltash Passage' on your blog. I lived in St Budeaux some 40 years ago, near Kinterbury Creek. We all called it 'Mud Cott' though I don't know why.
What I now know as the silver mine, we called 'Smugglers Cave'. I used to go in often and I was one of the children they sealed it up to keep out!
In the mid 60s, you could go in and just inside was a large boulder which you had to go around. After you got passed it, you were in a large chamber. There was a bench/bed carved out of rock. There was one main tunnel and the beginning of another but that was only a few feet in. The main one headed towards the main road. It must have been quite level because there was an inch or two of water along the bottom. As you went through, there were a few bends and at the end, it just got smaller and stopped. It didn't go in a very long way as I remember, under Little Ash Gardens at the most, so I would be very surprised if it went as far as Vicarage Gardens. I have for years wondered what it was. I assumed it was for the Home Guard to watch the river and bridge during the War. Maybe they did use it.
I still visit Plymouth and last year, I went to have a look. You can't see it now, there is a boat house or something in front.
Also, when I lived there, if you went along the beach on the opposite side to the mine side, where the cast iron pipes go into the river, there was a large sheet of twisted metal with rivet holes and rivets in. We used to try and move it when we were crabbing but it was stuck solid in the mud. It's not there now, perhaps it was taken away for scrap, and I wondered if it was part of the ammunition barge blown up in the War?
I enjoyed Terry's informative letter very much and I wish that I had his address but hopefully, he'll write again. I would also be very interested to hear from anyone else with tales of the area. They certainly make very interesting reading.

Tarmacadam

2010-03-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

Driving around Plymouth today, you can't help but notice all the potholes everywhere. In many places, the old cobbled roads underneath the tarmac are being revealed. Saltash Passage is one particular place where the cobbles are appearing and it's easy to imagine what the area must have once looked like when trams travelled towards the ferry taking passengers over to Saltash.
Many people will think that tarmac is a relatively new thing but amazingly, tarred roads date back to the 8th century and appeared in Baghdad at the time.
Tarmac as we know it today has been around since 1903. Patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901, some of the streets of Plymouth were tarmaced in the early 1900s including roads in Stonehouse which were paid for by the then Earl of Mount Edgcumbe.
Previously, Macadam road surfaces were used from 1820 and invented by Scotsman, John Loudon MacAdam. He called the process, macadamisation.
McAdam's road surfaces were ideal for horses and carriages but were dusty and eroded when it rained. Once motor transport was introduced, the roads couldn't cope and a new formula containing tar was used.
Hooley's patent involved mechanically mixing tar and aggregate and this was prepared before it was put on the road surface and compressed using a steam roller.
Today, cobbled streets and lovely paved footpaths are regularly tarmaced over much to the annoyance of people who prefer the streets as they are, a reminder of times gone by. It's amazing to think that this whole process isn't a new one and has been going on in Plymouth for well over 100 years.

The photo shows Bedford Street on the day that the circus came to town. No cobbled streets there, just a dusty old macadam road.

Goulds in Ebrington Street

2010-03-09T04:44:00.001-08:00

Here's a lovely old photo showing where Goulds Surplus Store stands today.

Frederick Gould founded the shop in the early 1900s and they had outlets in various parts of Plymouth before moving into their present building in 1955. Many older residents will remember that the building once housed the Cinedrome, a cinema that was bombed during the Second World War. It's unique facade still remains and Plymouth City Council are eager to retain the older parts of the street, including the old shopfronts.

This photo features the number 24 tram on its route from Prince Rock to the Theatre Royal by Derry's Clock. With the constant heavy traffic nowadays, it's hard to imagine that trams ever travelled that way today and were the main form of transport. It's a very quiet scene and the tram driver seems to have stopped to pose for the camera. The only person on board is the conductor who is right at the back.

There are many interesting adverts on the walls of the buildings including ones for Pophams, G P Skinner, H Matthews' Restaurant, Four Castles Tea and a production at the local theatre. I wonder how many of these names are remembered by the people of Plymouth today? Popham's survived to well after the war but, today, in now long gone.

I haven't been along Ebrington Street for a long time but this photo makes me want to go there and see just how much has changed over the years.

Plymouth's Volcano

2010-02-28T11:05:00.000-08:00

With all the catastrophies around the world at the moment, it might surprise many people in Plymouth that they live so close to an extinct volcano. Looking around the city, it is probably, nowadays, almost impossible to guess where it is. Many people would probably look inwards towards the land in their search for it but you're more likely to guess its location by looking out towards the sea. From the Hoe, looking out towards the Sound, is a giant plug that seals off the vent of this once active volcano.
Have you guessed it yet? Yes, the plug I'm talking about is now Drake's Island.
The shores of Kingsand are made up of a purple volcanic rock called Rhyolite. A close inspection of the rock shows that some of it contains thousands of gas bubbles from the volcano's last eruption.
Rhyolite is a rock formed by the solidification of molten magma. For all of you concerned about an imminent eruption, don't worry. The last eruption took place a very long time ago. The Rhyolite dates from the Permian Period (299 - 251 million years ago)which represents a geologic period which included the diversification of early amniotes into the predocessors of mammals, turtles, lepidosaurs and archosaurs. It is the last period of the Paleozoic Era and included the largest mass extinction known to science. Ninety percent of all marine species became extinct, as did seventy percent of all land organisms.

Skull and Crossbones at Eggbuckland Cemetery

2010-02-25T04:30:00.000-08:00

Anyone visiting the cemetery at St Edwards Church at Eggbuckland, and many other cemeteries around the country, might think that they've discovered the graves of pirates when they see the markings of the skull and crossbones on ancient headstones.
In Leixlip Church in County Kildare, the same skull and crossbones can be found and it is said that many members of the military are buried there from the time of the crusades. A stone at the southeast corner of the church bears a connection to the Knights Templar Crusaders with a worn symbol of the skull and crossbones.
However, the skull and crossbones in Eggbuckland cemetery neither mark the graves of members of the Knights Templar or pirates. Some people have suggested that the graves are the victims of plague, poisoning or that the people buried there were Catholics. The truth is, maybe, not so romantic. In the 1600s and 1700s, attitudes to death were very different to what they were in the 1800s and later.
The motifs were put there just as a reminder to the living of what happened to the body after death. People were judged on the lives they led and not hope of forgiveness in the afterlife.

Old film of Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show

2010-02-22T13:24:00.000-08:00

I've written before about Buffalo Bill's visit to Plymouth on 3rd June, 1904 and I've heard tales of people's great-grandfathers seeing the show. It seems amazing that people who are alive today have this direct link to the Wild West through their recent ancestors but, even with listening to the tales that survive, it's hard to imagine what the show was really like all that time ago. There seems to be few photos and no movie footage of the event in Plymouth. It must have seemed incredible in a time when there was no television, and little film performances, for people to see events recreated that they'd only read about in newspapers and comics. Seeing Buffalo Bill and Willie Sitting Bull, the son of Sitting Bull must have seemed amazing at the time. The event took place at the Exhibition Fields at Pennycomequick and the show would have included a re-enactment of the defeat of General Custer at Little Big Horn, complete with a cast of many Red Indians. Children and adults would have been fascinated.

Here is the only film I can find of the show and although it was probably shot in the US, it will give you an idea what the show must have been like when Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show came to Plymouth all those many years ago.

Elephants in Bedford Street

2010-02-13T13:42:00.001-08:00

Here's a lovely photo taken in Bedford Street in the early 1900s. The circus was in town and and its many elephants were paraded through the streets of Plymouth. The circus would have been a huge attraction back then and would be the only chance that people would have to see such wild animals so close up. A group of boys have gathered on the left of the picture and one of them is feeding one of the elephants. On the right, is a man on a chariot and on the left is what appears to be the ringmaster, complete with straw boater and whip. In the far background, is an ornately decorated float being driven by many finely dressed horses. On top of the float, almost twelve feet up, are characters from the forthcoming show complete in their elaborate costumes.
A parade through the streets like this would have assured that many people knew the circus was in town and would guarantee that children would pester their parents to take them to the show. In an age with no televisions or cinema, the only contact children would have had with animals such as tigers and elephants would be through books and comics. Being taken to the circus would have been an exciting and fascinating experience for them. Imagine the talk in the playground the next day. The same children might have also been to shows to see Houdini or Buffalo Bill who also appeared in Plymouth around about the same time.
It's an amazing animate scene and the once grand Globe Hotel can be seen in the background. Unfortunately, it's all now long gone. Bedford Street was destroyed in the Blitz of 1941 and a parade of elephants through the streets of Plymouth today would probably be frowned upon.

The Way We Live

2010-02-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting film, called 'The Way We Live', which was shot in Plymouth in 1945. It stars Patsy Scantlebury as Alice Copperwheat whose family's house is destroyed in the Blitz and they're billeted at Horrabridge before moving into a newly built pre-fab.
The film starts with a writer, played by Peter Willes, travelling to Plymouth to see what the new plans for the rebuilding of the city involve. There is interesting footage showing Plymouth devasted - only a few buildings remained complete in the city centre after the heavy bombing. Seeing it as moving footage somehow makes it all more real and it almost appears more recent than just looking at photographs. There are clips of the Hoe which includes dancing on the Promenade and also film of Efford, the Barbican, the railway station and many other areas around the city.

The film was financed by J Arthur Rank and was directed by Jill Craigie, who later became Mrs Michael Foot. A young Michael Foot appears in later parts of the film together with Sir Patrick Abercrombie, the architect of the new city, Winston Churchill, Lady Astor and James Paton Watson, the city engineer. Rank's accountant tried to halt the production of the film half way through because he felt that it wasn't commercial enough for general release. The film went ahead after Craigie appealed to Rank and trial runs were hosted at cinemas that were usually hostile to documentary films. The audience of one East End cinema booed it but after it was championed by a notable film critic, the film was released nationwide. Amazingly, it broke all box office records in Plymouth and one audience member said that it, 'revived the interest of the man in the street in what was to be done to erase the scar which lies across the city.'
Watching the film today, it's hard to imagine that people were ever so posh. It's interesting to watch though to see how the city has changed over the last 65 years and I can see how people then would have been very impressed with the new city centre after the devastation of the old one.
Peter Willes, who played the writer in the film, went on to appear in bit parts in future movies before becoming a executive producer on many tv productions throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Many of the other actors in the film though were never heard of again.
Patsy Scantlebury, who lived in St Budeaux, was chosen for the role after being seen on Plymouth Hoe jitterbugging with an American sailor. At the time, she was just 17. She had previously worked in a post office. Patsy signed a seven year contract with Rank and played an air hostess in 'Blind Goddess' as Patsy Drake. There doesn't seem to be much information about her after this but today, she would be about 82.

Wembury Point Holiday Camp, 1930s

2010-01-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

Many people who go for a walk at Wembury Point will know that the area once incorporated HMS Cambridge but perhaps they won't know what the area was used for in the 1930s. There are clues to be found on the foreshore including the remains of an old swimming pool.

Before the Second World War, the area was the location of a busy and very popular holiday camp. The Southern Railway Handbook of 1936 carried an advert for the camp at Wembury Point. It was described as, 'a smaller type camp with that family holiday atmosphere.' The camp boasted that it featured a licensed club, excellent food and cooking and comfortable bedrooms. Pastimes included cricket, tennis, dancing and table tennis. The advert also stated that the camp was, 'on 100 acres by the sea with its own riding stables, safe bathing and good fishing.' There was accomodation for 150 and the cost to stay started at 35 shillings a week.

It all seemed to come to an end at the beginning of the war. In 1940, a Gunnery Range was established at Wembury and the whole area was later acquired by the Navy in 1950.
The holiday camp and all the fun that was once had there, seems to be long forgotten but here are a few rare photos that show what the area was once like. These are the only pictures that I've ever seen of the camp in use although I'm sure there must be many more tucked away somewhere. Older residents of Plymouth may remember visiting the camp when they were small or will have photos of their parents having fun there.

The photos featured here show an advert for the camp, people roller skating on the roof of the main building, a group photo taken in 1938, exercising on the grass and the bar which doubled as a games room complete with table tennis tables. How times change!

Tamerton Foliot

2010-01-26T12:36:00.000-08:00

The history of Tamerton Foliot dates back hundreds of years and I hope to feature more about it later in this blog.
There doesn't seem to be many photos of Tamerton Foliot on the internet so I thought that I would feature some here.
The first photo features the once very busy railway station. At one time, it was very popular and looks very well kept in this picture, complete with tidied lawn and Pampas Grass. The station master and his wife along with a porter can be seen in this photo which dates from the early 1900s.The station has been disused for many years now but the station house and platform can still be found near the beginning of the nature reserve. Nowadays, it's been turned into a family dwelling.
The next photo is from the 1880s and shows Fore Street. The chapel is on the right. There is a lot of activity in the photo and many people seem to have come out to pose for the photographer. Wandering through Tamerton Foliot today, it still has the feel of a village that hasn't changed for hundreds of years although the scene has certainly changed since this picture was taken.
The next photo was taken at the bottom of the village and features Tamar House in the middle which was once a coaching inn. To the left, is Island House. Some of these buildings have now gone though it's quite easy to work out from where this was taken.
The man with the cart is the local roadsweeper, Jack Maker. This photo was taken in the 1920s. He kept the streets clean at Maristow, Bickleigh and Tamerton where he lived with his wife, a Miss Baker, who was the cook at the local vicarage.
Finally, the football team shown is the Tamerton AFC Cup Winners. This photo is from the 1948/49 season. Included in this photo are R Smith, H Bryant, J Pedrick, W Reeves, G Copp, C Tutton, A Morgan, E Glasson, W Bryant, N Richards, R Rendle, H Hunt, A Cutler, A Short and M Mabin. The little boy is the team's mascot, Kenneth Glasson.
I hope to feature more old photos and some of the history of the area at a later date.

The Obelisk at Mount Edgcumbe

2010-01-23T09:39:00.000-08:00

There is a story that the Obelisk was erected to celebrate the life of the Countess of Mount Edgcumbe's pet pig, Cupid. However, other sources say that the Obelisk was erected, in its current position, by Timothy Brett in 1770 in honour of his friend, George, the 3rd Baron of Edgcumbe. Brett was a former Commissioner of the Navy.
The Obelisk was originally sited where the Folly now stands. The 50 ft monument has been used as a navigational point by various shipping in the Sound over the years.
Cupid the pig was said to have been buried in a gold casket beneath the obelisk when he died in 1768. In the book, 'Animals Graves and Memorials' by Jan Toms (Shire Publications 2006), it says that when the obelisk was moved to its present position, in 1770, nothing was found. However, the date of 1770 may be misleading as the obelisk appears in its present position on shipping maps as early as 1768.
As this was the year that Cupid died, it might be reasonable to assume that he is buried beneath the obelisk in its present position.
It is known that Fern Dell once contained an urn that commemorated Cupid but this has since disappeared. However, it is also recorded that Cupid was buried at Fern Dell and this was noted by George III and Queen Charlotte.
The dates prove confusing. For instance, the Folly was said to be erected on the spot where the Obelisk originally stood. However, the folly was erected in 1747 so how could Cupid have died and been buried beneath the obelisk, in its original position, in 1768? Research shows that the obelisk in its original position had already collapsed when the work to build the folly got underway.
Cupid led a charmed life eating at the dinner table of the Edgcumbes and even accompanying the Countess, Emma Gilbert, on trips to London. The Edgcumbes love of their pets can be seen at Fern Dell where many of them are buried. When a later Countess of Mount Edgcumbe, Caroline Georgia, died in 1909, she requested that a fountain be erected near the shore at Cremyll which bore the inscription, 'For the Doggies'.
In ' A Complete Parochial History of the County', published in 1870, it states, 'In the Cypress Grove is a monument to the memory of Timothy Brett Esq, one of the commissioners of the Navy, who, about the year 1770 erected the obelisk on the knoll near Cremyll as a memorial for his regard of his friend, George, the 3rd Baron of Edgcumbe.'
At the time, George was still alive and serving in the Royal Navy. During 1770, he was promoted to Vice Admiral and was appointed Vice Treasurer of Ireland.
Today, the obelisk is almost hidden away on a hill behind the Mount Edgcumbe Arms. There is no plaque on the monument to say who it is dedicated to and it's probably seen better days. It's hard to imagine now that it once stood where the folly stands.
To add to the confusion, the date, '1st July,1867', has been carved into the base of the obelisk. Beside the date is the name, 'R F Crowther'.
This mystery has, however, since been solved. Richard Crowther was in training during the 1860s on the boy's training ship, 'HMS Impregnable' which was moored off Cremyll. One day, Richard wandered towards the obelisk from the training ship armed with a hammer and chisel and left the inscription and date. He was born in 1853 so would have been 14 years old in 1867 when he left his mark.
Cupid's remains may or may not be buried beneath the Obelisk but please don't go looking for them!

There is more information about the history of the Mount Edgcumbe estate in my book, Mount Edgcumbe (ISBN 9780956078117 published by Driftwood Coast 2009).

Plymouth Hoe in the snow

2010-01-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

With the recent snow downfalls, I thought that I would include a few photos of a snowy Plymouth Hoe.
The first photo shows the tree-lined walkway up to the Hoe. At one time, sheep were regularly grazed on the banks of the Hoe. Here, they're being tended to by their owners as they desperately search for grass to eat.
The second photo shows a Victorian snow scene. Smeaton's Tower can be seen in the background and much of the Hoe looks like it does today. The memorial on the bottom right has now long gone though.
The third photo shows a Victorian lady making her way up from the Pier. The clock appears to read 7.50am. The tramlines can clearly be seen on the road and a horse and cart are approaching the Pier entrance. In the background can be seen the snow covered roofs at West Hoe. Elliot Terrace can also be seen on the right and a group of men have gathered above the Belvedere. Again, not much has changed in this scene.
The forth photo dates from a later time and shows a man pulling his son on a sledge. In the background, three men are having a snowball fight.
It all looks lovely to see and it makes for some great photos though I bet many of the people in these photos were glad to see the back of it. There would have been no central heating, cold weather payments or electricity
in Victorian times and the cold weather probably meant misery to many.

More photos from the St Budeaux Carnival, 1919

2010-01-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

Here's two more photos of the St Budeaux Carnival from the Western Weekly Mercury of Saturday, 9th August, 1919.
Please click on the pictures to see them larger.
The first photo shows the group of officials who organised the carnival, which took place on the previous Monday. The picture shows two policemen, the ferryman, local businessmen and men and women from the community. There is also a schoolboy in the front row. Lots of fancy hats were worn by the women.
In the second picture, local people are dressed up for a procession through the town which, the paper states, caused roars of laughter from the crowds that had gathered to see them. Amongst the group are several clowns, minstrels, pixies, farmers, a policeman, a brick layer, a cavalier, a labourer and a banjo player.
It looks like it was quite an event. I wish I had more photos from newspapers of the years after this carnival but it seems that most have long since been thrown away.
There would have been a happier outlook to the Carnival of 1919 as the First World War would have recently ended though there would also have been much sadness at the loss of so many young men from the area.
The carnival of this year was also known as the Peace Carnival.

The Great Blizzard of March 1891

2010-01-07T11:39:00.000-08:00

With the heavy downfall of snow recently and with the whole country coming to a standstill, I thought that it would be good to write about one of the most remembered blizzards which devastated the area over 100 years ago.
The Great Blizzard of March 1891 affected many parts of the country particularly the South West. The strong gales and heavy snowfall hit Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Herefordshire and Kent. London was also hit by the strong winds and snowfalls.
The devastation left behind included uprooted trees and many fences and roofs were blown away also. The storms were so ferocious that much of Cornwall and Devon was cut off from the rest of Britain for four days between 9th and 13th March, 1891. In this time, over 200 people were killed as well as 6,000 animals.
At a time when there were no cars, no electricity, no televisions, few telephones and no wireless, the heavy downfall meant that you really were cut off from the rest of the country.
The Times, in March 1891 stated that 'no such storm had visited the West of England within remembrance.'
Temperatures dropped below zero and snow drifted in places up to 15 feet high. A train heading from Yelverton towards Princetown was trapped by a large snowdrift and remained in place overnight. It's 3 crew and 6 passengers huddled in a carriage and were finally rescued by a local farmer tending to his sheep. The line remained shut for several weeks afterwards.
The photo shows a Victorian snowball fight on Plymouth Hoe. A boy hides behind the snowman to give the appearance that he too is throwing a snowball! I hope to include more photos of snowstorms from the past hundred years on this blog over the next week.

German Prisoners of War, St Budeaux

2010-01-05T04:42:00.000-08:00

This rare photo, featured in a local newspaper during the early 1940s, shows captured German airmen helping to build pre-fabricated homes for the people of Plymouth.
In the background can be seen the church at Higher St Budeaux. Many people will remember the pre-fabs that stood in the area long after the war had finished. They were only built to last for ten years but most lasted much longer. Some can still be found at the nearby Ernesettle Lane.
There seems to be little mentioned about captured German prisoners of war within Plymouth and it seems ironic that the airmen were put to work building houses for the homeless when they would have caused the problem in the first place. They were known locally as 'Herrenvolk' which is a translation of 'The Master Race', which was probably applied to them sarcastically rather than with any respect. I can't find any reports of of how they were treated, although they were probably treated well, but local people would have despised them as many would have lost their friends, neighbours and families in the heavy German bombing particularly in 1941. Even so, local children would have been fascinated by them and probably pretended to machine-gun them every day on their way to school!
Higher St Budeaux still has a village feel about it in this picture with very few buildings and plenty of open land. On the left can be seen the St Budeaux Foundation School which was demolished when the new road and roundabout were put in place, in the early 1980s, which led to the Parkway. Also in the picture is Higher St Budeaux Church and the nearby Inn, remembered fondly as 'The Blue Monkey.'
A lot has changed over the years and it's strange to think that many of the roads and paths that are still in place were originally laid by German airmen.

The St Budeaux Carnival, 1919

2010-01-02T04:15:00.000-08:00

Here's the front page of the Western Morning Mercury from Saturday, 9th August, 1919. I think this is probably the only copy of this that survives. I've had to scan it in two sections because it wouldn't fit on my scanner. As with all the photos on my blog, if you click on them, you can see them full size.

The front page carries the story of the St Budeaux Carnival and I feature parts of it in my book, 'Memories of St Budeaux'.
The caption underneath read:
'The Peace Carnival held at Lower St Budeaux on Monday was a splendid success and gave great enjoyment to thousands. Our photograph is that of some of those who took part in the day's proceedings and were attired in fancy dress.'
Also on the front page was a story, carrying the headline, 'St Budeaux Sports'. It read:
'In the field attached to the Naval Camp at St Budeaux, the lower St Budeaux Peace Sports, which were interrupted on Monday by the bad weather, were continued on Wednesday evening.
The success which attended the celebrations on Bank Holiday Monday, marked the proceedings again yesterday, and taking into consideration the spontaneity of the whole affair, great credit is due to the organisers. Everything had been greatly facilitated by the kindly co-operation of Commander Armitage and the officers and ratings of the Naval Camp. P O Stout, as chairman of the Sports Committee, put in a great deal of hard work.
At the close, Commander Armitage distributed the prizes and a vote of thanks was passed by the committee to him and his understudies for all they had done for St Budeaux. Comander Armitage, in returning thanks, led cheers for the committee, who had 'done all the work'. After the sports, an al fresco entertainment was given by the 'Dons' Concert Party. Messrs Staddon Hancock (sports secretary), and Hare acted as starters. P O Stout (chairman of the Sports Committee) was clerk of the course.'
The article then gives the names of people who won various events.
These included the 100 yards, the egg and spoon race, catch-the-cockerel, the sack race, the obstacle race, field racing, the blindfold race, the wheelbarrow race, the potato race, thread-the-needle race, the skipping race, the girl's three-legged race, the veterans' race, the 100 yards ladies over 40 race and the committee race. The article also mentioned that in the tug-of-war for boys, the Weston Mill district beat the Saltash Passage district.

I have other cuttings from this era of St Budeaux together with similar photos which I hope to feature here soon.

The 1970s

2009-12-30T09:26:00.000-08:00

The 1970s doesn't seem that long ago to me but it's amazing that 1970 is almost 40 years ago now. It was a time of crazy fashions - flared trousers, platform shoes, kipper ties and long hair. Being a teenager back then, there's a few events in Plymouth that I remember from that decade.

Doctor Who is very popular nowadays and I'm sure if David Tennant was to appear in a store in the city centre, there would be a huge queue of kids (and probably adults) waiting to see him. Back in 1975, Tom Baker was Doctor Who and I remember that he appeared at Debenhams to promote a new book called 'The Doctor Who Monster Book'. He was arriving at about 9am and I remember getting up early to go and see him. The store had a Tardis set up and a table for him to sign copies of his book. I remember all the kids cheering when he came up the escalator to the third floor, dressed as Doctor Who complete with scarf, and I was also surprised how tall he was. He was very friendly and lovely to all the kids and happily signed autographs and posed for photos. I took several photos on that day but the one that appears here is the only one I still have.

Another event I remember in Plymouth in the 1970s took place on the Hoe in 1977 and involved knights jousting. This was very popular and was followed by a display featuring characters from Planet of the Apes. This attracted a large crowd , mainly kids, who

had enjoyed the popular tv series that ran until the late 1970s. I remember the apes going back to the Hoe Theatre to take off their make up and they posed for pictures for me. Unfortunately, like the Hoe Theatre, the pictures have long since disappeared. These two short movies show the two events. Film of the Planet of the Apes characters appearing anywhere in the UK in the 1970s is quite rare. The event also included celebrities of the day but the only one I can remember is Carolyn Jones from Crossroads. 'Who?', I hear you say!
My third film features the Shire Horse Centre in about 1977. The centre is now long gone and there doesn't seem to be much film of it around. To be honest, I never did find it very interesting watching horses trot up and down but I know a lot of people have enjoyed watching this movie on YouTube so I thought that I would feature it here.There are many other events that I remember from the 1970s. I regularly went to the Radio One roadshow on the Hoe and I remember that one year it featured Dave Lee Travis and on a different occassion, Tony Blackburn. The Multi Coloured Swap Shop, with Keith Chegwin, also made an appearance on the Hoe as well as other events, many of which I've long since forgotten.

Perhaps being a kid in the 1970s has made this period in Plymouth seem more interesting to me than it was but I hope other people will also enjoy reading and watching a few of my memories here!

Christmas during the air raids

2009-12-23T13:00:00.000-08:00

In the 1955 copy of 'Christmas Cheer', Pat Twyford writes about Plymouth and the Christmases during the Second World War. Some people may have read Pat's diary that he kept during the war which was called 'It Came to Our Door'. Henry Patrick Twyford was born in 1892 and joined the Western Morning News in 1910 as a junior reporter. He fought in the First World War but was invalided out in 1918 after being wounded and gassed in the trenches. He rejoined the Western Morning News and specialised in articles about football and agriculture. He became the newspaper's war correspondent during the Second World War. He was also a special constable and a member of the Seven O'Clock Regulars, who regularly swam off the Hoe.

He was very interested in local history and compled his book, 'It Came to our Door' in the years shortly after the war. He died in 1964.

His article in the Christmas Cheer magazine of 1955 mentions each year during the bombing of Plymouth. It begins,

'The approach of the 1939 Christmas was heralded with the distant rumble of war guns. Hearts were heavy. The war clouds hung dark and menacing. Would it all be over by Christmas? We hoped and we prayed but how fearful we were. Yet, even in our most anxious moments, we little realised how grim would be the Christmases of the next few years, what ordeals and sorrows we would have to endure before we could again capture the real spirit of Peace on Earth, goodwill towards men.'

When Christmas 1940 came, people tried to keep their spirits up but times were difficult, with shortages of nearly everything that went to make a good Christmas. The celebrations and presents had to be planned far in advance as people did their best to get what they could. The Christmas bells remained silent and brightly lit shops and jostling crowds became just a memory. There were no Christmas trees with brightly coloured lights and tinsel and all the streets were dark and dreary with homes darkened by heavily blacked out curtains. Something that grew out of this was that people learned to live closer and draw strength from one another and also to share what little they had.

No-one could have predicted the destruction that came the following year. Christmas in 1941 followed a trail of destruction which destroyed much of Plymouth and many people lost their lives.

Pat Twyford remembered,

'It was indeed with a heavy heart that we approached the 1941 Christmas. Yet, my memory tells me, that there was still shining through the smoke and rubble of a distraught devastated city, the spirit of enduring courage, the will to make the best of things, to carry on as individuals and a community drawn together by tragedy. There was the simple roughly painted board over the north porch of the destroyed mother church of St Andrew, bearing the single word, 'Reurgum', which was an inspiration in Plymouth's agony.'

The Western Morning News of 1941 described the Christmas as 'a revelation of enterprise and improvisation, and above all things the abiding qualities of the people.'

There were now many people missing at family gatherings. These included people who were away fighting, children who had been evacuated and people who had unfortunately been killed during the Blitz. Carols were sung in darkened streets and collections were taken to aid welfare and relief funds. There were visits to the hospitals by civic heads and crowded services in many churches. Amazingly, a pantomime was performed at the Palace Theatre, 'Robinson Crusoe' which lifted many people's spirits. It was a make-do Christmas and the shortages were acute and rabbit featured on many a Christmas menu. It was still a Christmas that mothers made memorable for their children using courage, ingenuity and sacrifice. Old and discarded toys were rescued from cupboards and redistributed to children less fortunate. People opened their doors to service men and women so that they could share their Christmas. Carols were sang and everyone tried to keep up their spirits even though devatation lay all around them.

There were many more hardships to be endured in the Christmases of the next few years even after the end of the war in 1945.

Pat Twyford concluded in 1955, 'the lights have long since gone up in our streets and shops, out of the ashes of the old Plymouth, the new Plymouth has arisen. The bells ring out their message again with increased meaning, the good things are back for all to enjoy.'

Perhaps with all the hardships of a Christmas during the war, the thing that kept it all together was the genorisity of friends, neighbours and strangers and everyone making do and sharing what they could.

Christmas Cheer

2009-12-18T13:11:00.001-08:00

Every Christmas, there used to be a booklet sold in Plymouth called 'Christmas Cheer'. The one pictured here cost one shilling and dates from 1955. The front cover shows children having a snowball fight by Drake's statue on the Hoe.
The booklet was 64 pages long and featured some interesting stories including tales of the Old Stoke Gibbet, Plymouth in 1855, Disaster in the Sound, Christmas in the Air Raids, the Story of Gogmagog, an article about the old people of Plymouth, as well as plenty of Christmas quizes and the odd ghost story.
The tale of the Stoke gibbet is a dark and macabre one. It is a true story that tells of the murder of a dockyard clerk on the night of July 21st, 1787. Philip Smith was brutally bludgeoned to death near to Stoke Church. His murderer, a John Richards, together with an accomplice, William Smith, were both soon apprehended. Richards was a dock worker who had earlier been suspected of killing a Fore Street sentinel. At first, there were no clues to who had committed the crime but Richards soon boasted of the crime and was, shortly afterwards, arrested. However, there was little evidence against him and he was soon released. A hat found beside the body was identified as belonging to Richards' accomplice, William Smith. Hearing of this, Smith fled to Dartmouth but was soon caught and admitted to his role in the murder and implicated Richards. Both men were tried for murder at Heavitree. They were found guilty, condemmed to death and executed in 1788.
The judge in the case, Judge Buller, declared that their bodies wouldn't by given to surgeons for disection, which was usually the case, but were to be 'suspended between Heaven and Earth as they were fit for neither.'
The corpses were brought from Exeter to Stoke and displayed near the scene of the crime. This gruesome practice was common at the time.
The bodies were hoisted in wire cages and chains on a gibbet erected on the muddy Deadlake beach just below Stoke Church. Smith's body stayed there for seven years before the gibbet collapsed and Richards' body stayed there slightly longer.
People avoided the spot and it was said to be 'the terror of some and the disgust of many'. Nettleton's 'Stranger's Guide to Plymouth' says that the gibbet stood in place upwards of 38 years near the Mill-bridge until it was blown down in the gale of 1827.
In 1788, a bestseller called, 'The Genuine Account of the Trial of Richards and Smith' sold 25,000 copies. Some were sold around the base of the gibbet.
Long after the gibbet disappeared, people shunned the area after dark which, during the 1830s, left the area quiet enough for grave robbers to carry out their grim practices in the secluded Stoke churchyard.
I hope to include some more stories from 'Christmas Cheer' and hopefully, they'll be a lot less morbid!

Kinterbury Villa 1923

2009-12-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

This old postcard from 1923 is probably the only photo of Kinterbury Villa, who played against local teams and hailed from St Budeaux. They were the winners of the Junior League Cup in that year. When the team disbanded in 1924, some players left to join other teams including the popular nearby team, the Saltash Stars. Football was as popular then as it is now and there were many local teams including Woodland Villa who were great rivals of the St Budeaux teams from 1918 onwards.
Most of the names of the players have long since been forgotten though two members of the team at the time were Bob Foster and Reuben Woolway. Bob, who played inside left, left the team to join the Saltash Stars and later played for Cornwall. Reuben was the team's goal keeper and later joined Looe FC.

The Forum in Devonport

2009-12-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

Passing the Forum in Devonport today, it's hard to imagine that it once formed part of the busy and popular, Fore Street. The heavy bombing during the Second World War and the demolition afterwards, has left the now bingo hall almost on an island with constant traffic passing all day long.
The Forum was once a popular and busy picture house. The cinema, which seated 1,800, opened on the 5th August, 1939. It's first film was 'Honolulu', which was shown at 5pm, which starred Robert Young and Eleanor Powell.
It was built by Charles Tyler of Swansea and was run in conjunction with the nearby Hippodrome.
Due to the heavy bombing in the war, Fore Street was partly cleared away and taken over by the dockyard and the cinema was never fully restored to its former glory. Television also played a part in dwindling audiences. The cinema stayed open until 14th May, 1960 and soon after, it opened as a bingo hall. Bingo seemed to lose favour for a while but now appears to be as popular as ever.
The photos show the bomb damaged Forum, Fore Street (including David Greig)as it once was, and the Navy helping to clear rubble, shown passing the damaged Forum.

The State Cinema

2009-11-26T09:10:00.001-08:00

I pass the State Cinema in Victoria Road, St Budeaux, nearly every day. Of course, it's a long time since it's had that name. I read recently that there are plans to demolish it which I think would be a great shame.
In March 1939, just before the start of the Second World War, the St Budeaux cinema company was formed. They had a capital of £10,000 which was all in £1 shares. Perhaps if the cinema had been proposed further into the war, it might not have been built due to the lack of materials and resources.
On 16th October, 1939, a month into the war, the State Cinema opened at the junction of Victoria Road and Stirling Road. It seated 1,000 people and was the first cinema in Plymouth to be fitted with a four channel stereophonic system.
The first film shown was 'That Certain Age' starring Deanna Durbin and Melvyn Douglas. The seats were 6d, one shilling and 1/6d. There were two shows daily. The cinema was certainly popular and attracted huge queues whenever a new film was showing. It escaped the bombing during the war and stayed open for many years after.

I can remember in the late 1960s, queueing with my mum and brother to see films like 'Oliver' and 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'. I particularly remember queueing for Oliver because it was pouring down with rain and the queue went right around the building. I remember one evening, our parents took us there to see 'Ice Station Zebra' probably one of the most boring films I've ever seen!

In 1970, the name of the cinema was changed to the Mayflower to coincide with the Mayflower celebrations of that year.

Eventually, the popularity of the cinema seemed to die off with the introduction of the video recorder. The Mayflower closed its doors to the film going public in 1983 and it became a carpet warehouse and, some time later, a snooker hall.

Once the cinema closed, the building was never kept in a particularly good condition and seems to have deteriorated ever since. Today, it stands boarded up with many of the younger generation not even realising it was once ever a cinema. It would be a great shame to see it go and hopefully, there'll be some way to preserve it.

Dad's Army

2009-11-20T09:44:00.001-08:00

Remember the 1970s when there was actually something decent to watch on the telly? We all used to love Dad's Army then and it seems to have been repeated ever since!
I was reading the other day about Arnold Ridley who played Private Godfrey in the show. In Dad's Army, Godrey's character was that of a former conscientious objector but in real life, Ridley fought as a Lance Corporal with the 6th Somerset Light Infantary during the First World War.
When war broke out in August 1914, Ridley wanted to enlist straightaway but he was rejected because of a broken toe injury that he had endured while playing rugby. The following year, he tried to enlist again and was accepted and was sent, with other raw recruits, to train at Crownhill in Plymouth. The regimental Sergeant Major told them that they would not be seeing their families for a while because,'you will all be bleeding well dead on the Western Front!'
Ridley was lucky to survive the battlefields of the Somme after being rescued by a fellow soldier who was later killed himself. In later life, he had nightmares and suffered terrifying flashbacks.
After the war, Ridley became a successful playwright but then experienced financial ruin until he regained fame in the classic sitcom.
Arthur Ridley's story made me think about the real Dad's Army who protected Plymouth in the Second World War. The Home Guard, originally called the Local Defence Volunteers or LDV, was made up of members of the public who were told by Anthony Eden and his government to register, if they were interested in joining the LDV, with their local police station and when they were needed, they would be called up. Police stations found themselves deluged with volunteers and in just 24 hours, 250,000 people from all over Britain had registered their names. Although the age limit was supposed to be 65, many older members, some in there 80s, managed to enrol. Numbers grew and eventually one and a half million people registered their names.
Eden promised them uniforms and weapons but they ended up with armbands and had to use whatever they could as weapons. These included pitchforks, brooms,umbrellas. golf clubs, pikes and catapults. Eventually, they were fitted out with denim uniforms and some rifles arrived.
Churchill changed the name of the LDV to the Home Guard in 1940 and he saw that they received proper military training. The Home Guard contributed to civil defence by helping to put out fires, clearing rubble, guarding damaged banks and shops and preventing looting. They also captured stray German parachutists and showed that they were ready to fight the enemy if they landed on British soil.
By 1943, the fear of German invasion was fading and the Home Guard found that they had lost most of their purpose in the war and numbers started dwindling.
In October 1944, the government announced that the Home Guard would be disbanded the next month. There were no medals awarded and in total, 1,206 members of the Home Guard had either been killed on duty or died from their wounds, and 557 more sustained serious injuries.
In December 1944, King George VI, the Home Guard's Colonel-in-Chief, stated, 'History will say that your share in the greatest of all our struggles for freedom was a vitally important one.'

Memories of the US Army in Saltash Passage, 1944

2009-11-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

I was lucky to know Marshall Ware, the St Budeaux historian, and I have many of his cuttings and notes amongst my collection. Marshall wrote down many things that happened in the Second World War and some of his reminisces I've included in my book, 'Memories of St Budeaux.'
When the American troops took over Saltash Passage in preperation for D-Day in 1944, everyone was issued with special passes so that they could enter the area. Marshall remembered, 'We all had identity cards but Saltash Passage residents were issued with yellow Certificate of Residence Cards. It bore the holder's National Registration Identity Card number and stated that the holder was thereby certified to be a resident within the specified area and that it must be carried out of doors at all times and shown to any Constable or member of His Majesty's or Allied Forces on duty. It bore the signature of the holder and was signed by the Chief Constable of Plymouth and the distribution was completed by 19th April 1944. One resident, wearing tennis gear, forgot to carry his card and was taken in a jeep for interrogation to the US Naval Advanced Amphibious Base at Vicarage Receiving Barracks at St Budeaux.'
The troops were very friendly and polite to the local residents and were loved by the children because they would give them sweets, gum, cocoa and other items that were rationed to the English. The Americans didn't have their food and supples rationed at the time and were happy to share it with the locals.

Maurice Dart remembered, 'I remember the American's camp at Vicarage Road. When I was a boy, we would go down to the gate sometimes and they would give us chocolates and sweets and items to take home, such as tins of cocoa, biscuits and butter. My mother used to tell me off for scrounging but she was pleased to receive it all!'
The rare photo above shows the smiling faces of the American troops as they left for D-Day. Residents remember that the area was a hive of activity while the troops were there but, one day, they awoke to find that they'd all gone, leaving just a baseball bat behind.

The Hoe Lodge Gardens 1930s

2009-11-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

This photo of the Hoe Lodge Gardens in the 1930s is an old picture used by the Keystone Press Agency. A quick search on the internet shows that Keystone are still in business.

Looking at this photo, not a great deal has changed over the years and the only noticable thing that is now missing is the old bandstand which was destroyed during enemy bombing in the 1940s.

This picture would have been featured in a newspaper or magazine at one time though it's impossible to discover what the story behind it was. This is possibly the only copy of this picture that survives. There is some information written on the back in pencil which reads, 'A pretty scene of the flower gardens on Plymouth Hoe. In the background can be seen Smeaton Lighthouse.'

It must be spring as one of the two girls in the picture is admiring the tulips while the other girl is holding an umbrella. In the background, Smeaton's Tower is painted as it is today though it's seen some variations over the years including being painted green and white during the 1960s.

Some think that this might have been in honour of Plymouth Argyle but it was probably because green and white are the colours of Devon. Also, in the background, can be seen the Victorian watchtower.

The garden had a small pond in the days before the Prejoma Clock. The clock was erected in April 1965 in memory of the parents of a Mr John Preston Ball.

It's amazing that this photo was taken approximately 70 years ago and how little has changed. Incidently, this photo was another 99p buy on ebay. An absolute bargain, I think!