The Exhibition Fields at Pennycomequick

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

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

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. 

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

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 1970s. The newsagents was Eastabrooks (where my mum worked) and next door was the Off-Licence. Eastabrooks 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 Eastabrooks, 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 changes over the years and there was a shop for a while that just sold wool. Knitting once seemed a lot more popular 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

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

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.

Hostins of Atherton Place, Devonport

Here's a lovely old photo of Hostin'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 equivalent 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 Hostin 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 Hostin 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.