Old film of Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show

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

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

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

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 accommodation 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

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 road sweeper, 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.

Plymouth Hoe in the snow

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 fourth 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

 

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.