Plymouth Guide 1961

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, Spooners, 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, entertainment, 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

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

When I was a boy and we'd moved back to Plymouth from Singapore in the 1960's, 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 1600's. 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 1970's, 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 unsuccessfully 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 1900's 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 military 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 detector but it disappeared sometime in the early 1980's.

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

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/

Romans at Rame

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 artefact 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 artefacts 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 Liaison 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

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

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

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

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 1900's. 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

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

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 separate 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 separated 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

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

The Kloof can be found near the end of Wolseley Road at Saltash Passage. 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. Some of Marshall's stories can be found in my books 'Saltash Passage,' 'St Budeaux,' and 'Memories of St Budeaux.'

Plymouth : Tales From The Past

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 Philpott

This photo shows Putty Philpott 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

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

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

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

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

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 compulsory. 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

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

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

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

With all the catastrophes 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

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 1600's and 1700's, attitudes to death were very different to what they were in the 1800's 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

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.

The Great Blizzard of March 1891

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

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

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 successand  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.