Annie Merritt – but where?

This little photo has a very basic caption on the back.

Annie Merritt, unknown and Mrs Tucker – but where?

The caption tells us that Annie Merritt is on the left and Mrs Tucker on the right. The younger lady in the middle is not known

Annie was the wife of John Hampton Merritt, well known in the village as the bandmaster. They ran the cycle store on Church Street and had married back in 1890. Annie had been a Devizes lass – Annie Louisa Wiltshire. We guess the photo dates from the 1920s.

We think Mrs Tucker was Minnie Tucker of White Street in Market Lavington but we can’t be certain of that.

And as to the location – we have no idea. Maybe someone out in blogland can help us.

Advertisement

A Merritt float

Here we have another new image given to the museum this month and this is one we particularly like. It shows a carnival float, no doubt in a trade class, entered by Merritt Brothers. We don’t have a date but we estimate it to be the 1920s.

Merritt Brothers float at a 1920s carnival

Here we see a simple and pleasing four wheeled waggon drawn by horse power. There is some decoration with branches and a goodly collection of horseshoes.

The identity of the float

The Merritts were farriers and smiths as their badge says. Their premises were the former smithy at the edge of Broadwell

Let’s take a look at the people.

The man on the left is wearing a bandsman’s cap. More than one member of this family was active in the Lavington Prize Band. John Merritt was its leader for 60 or more years.

Another bandsman’s cap. The Merritts were rightly proud of the band.

Sadly we have no positive names to put to these people.

In the background there is another waggon which belonged to the Spencer family at Halstead Farm in Easterton. So we would assume the photo was taken locally but we cannot identify just where.

And help with identities would be much appreciated.

Crossways

Crossways was a house sited at the crossroads where Drove Lane and Parham Lane met Kings Road up on Lavington Sands.

The house was much loved by earlier owners. The Miss Chalmers had a poultry farm here at the time of the first world war and a Mrs Hawes lived there, putting up with rather primitive plumbing for many a year.

It was deemed unfit for 21^st century living and has been swept away leaving us with a few rather poor photocopies of photos of the house and environs.

This one is on a page which says both 1924 and 23 but seems more confident about it being March. Clearly it was a snowy time.

Crossways in the snow in 1923/24

Some folks say this house commands the best view in Market Lavington. It looks over West Park Farm and along the vale to Westbury and beyond.

RAOB outing to Bournemouth

Just over a week ago we published a photo of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffalos in a charabanc on the edge of the Market Place in Market Lavington. It was captioned with the title given to this blog. As no year was given we cannot be sure whether this was another charabanc on the same outing or a different year. We suspect it was the same year.

RAOB outing to Bournemouth in Market Lavington

This photo is on High Street in Market Lavington just outside the Burgess’s shop. At the top left we can make out their ‘photographers and frame makers’ sign.

Sign over Burgess shop on High Street

This photo has a postcard back, but no publisher given. Hopefully one of the Burgess Brothers took it! It has a Burgess style of caption.

Almost inevitably we do not recognise any people so once again we hope we can get some guidance on that.

As usual in times past, a couple of householders have got into the photo!

That’s the Co-op, which still exists, behind the back of the bus.

 

Another Charabanc Outing

In some cases it can be hard to identify old charabanc pictures. To most of us fairly uninitiated folks we can’t look at a 1920s bus and say what company it belonged to. And many of the photos were taken during ‘comfort’ breaks, often at Salisbury, where a photographer could take a photo on an outward run to the coast and have prints ready for sale on the return. But this one is actually in Market Lavington Market Place.

Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffalos outing to Bournemouth in Market Lavington

As usual, the photographer has concentrated on the buying public. They have been included and the charabanc itself has lost its front end

A caption has been added more or less along the running plate of the coach. It says R.A.O.B. outing to Bournemouth. So we know where it was going and that the people on board were connected to the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes.

Present day viewers would not recognise this as The Market Place for this is the area of the village which has seen most alterations and more than once. The rather fine house behind the coach was once a doctor’s house. At some point it was partially demolished and became a part of Fred Sayer’s bus garage. Behind the right hand end of this vehicle we can make out the top of Northbrook. The last of the pollarded trees was removed during the most recent renovation of the Market House.

The charabanc looks to have solid wheels. They probably didn’t give a very comfortable ride but no doubt the passengers wouldn’t mind. They’d have been determined to enjoy that rare treat – a day by the sea.

We don’t recognise the passengers but just in case anybody else does we’ll zoom in on them.

 

A football medallion

This item isn’t actually in the museum. We have it borrowed and hope to find out more about it for its owner. It was the owner’s father who won this medallion. The owner believed it was mid 1920s but that was really as far as it went.

Here is the front of the medallion.

Lavington Tournament – a 1920s football medallion

This clearly says Lavington Tournament on it but that is as far as the information goes.

However, the main part of this item is hallmarked silver. It was made in Birmingham and assayed in 1923 according to the marks which can be made out on the back.

The hallmark

The anchor indicates Birmingham, the lion tells us this is Sterling silver and the X is the year letter for 1923. The other, hard to read mark is the maker’s mark – HB&S for Herbert Bushell and Son.

The whole item is tiny – about 3cm tall by 2½ cm wide.

Now obviously nobody alive now played in a tournament on or soon after 1923. Hardly anybody alive would have any chance of remembering such an event. But maybe somebody out there can tell us something about Lavington (football) Tournaments.

Do get in touch if you can.

 

Carnival time – 1920s

People dressed up in all sorts of ways for the annual carnival which raised money for health care and was a main part of the Hospital Week effort. Here we have what appears to be a very relaxed gamekeeper or poacher, with his pony and trap.

Carnival time in the 1920s

Please put us right if this style of conveyance is not a trap.

We reckon the man, leaning on the horse, is too relaxed to be a game keeper. He’s a poacher and he seems to have secured a couple of rabbits tied to the trap. That loose fitting coat could hide a lot of ill-gotten gains.

The venue is Easterton Street. The precise date and the names of the people are not known.

Kemmel Poolman takes a bride

Well, not really, for both Kemmel and his bride in this photo are little children.

Kemmel Poolman and Bess Gye in about 1925

Kemmel, obviously, is on our left and looks every bit the gentleman. He has been made up so well and clothed to perfection. Kemmel was born in 1918 so we place the photo at about 1925.

The caption on the back of the photo gives the bride as Bess. This would have been Bessie Gye – the same person as received the card of the shop in Easterton that we featured a couple of days ago.

Bess was born in 1917. She, too, has been beautifully dressed.

We don’t know the occasion but our best guess is that they were in fancy dress for a Hospital Week event.

What an utterly charming image.

A football team

A few days ago this postcard dropped through our curator’s letter box in an envelope and with accompanying letter.

A football squad – but which team is it and when?

The sender, a lovely chap who has suffered a stroke and is bedridden, thought, for a very good reason, that this was the Market Lavington and Easterton Football Club.

The good reason is that this is a Burgess card. The publisher is mentioned on the back.

The card is by Burgess Bros of Market Lavington

This dates to between the two world wars. And as we see, Burgess Brothers were a Market Lavington company, based on High Street, near the present Co-op.

However, at the moment we recognise nobody in the team. In particular, we’d have expected Bill Elisha to be amongst those present and we don’t spot him. Alfie Alexander was also part of the management of the club and he definitely isn’t there.

We are, of course, more than happy to be proved wrong. We hope somebody out there can put us straight.

If it isn’t our own local team, it is likely to come from a nearby village. We could suggest Urchfont, Potterne, West Lavington, Tilshead, Shrewton, Worton, Marston, Great and Little Cheverell or maybe Erlestoke as possible places where these lads played.

Once again we appeal for help in telling us more about this squad and maybe what trophies had been won and when.

Thanks.

 

Edward and Susan

A Tale of Two Teddies

‘Hello! We’re Edward and Susan. Nearly 100 years ago a little girl called Peggy used to play with us. Later, Peggy founded this museum which has given us a permanent home’.

So reads the label describing these two lovely and much loved Teddy Bears at Market Lavington Museum.

Edward and Susan have recently been given to us and sad to say, at the moment we don’t actually know which is which.

We think they are delightful. Three out of four eyes have been replaced with buttons. One ear is a piece of non-matching corduroy. Feet have clearly worn out. All this, thankfully, probably means they are bears of very little value. To us they tell a tale of a child’s love for her bears making them so much better than items in pristine condition.

No doubt Peggy’s children and grandchildren enjoyed the bears as well. And now the good folks who visit the museum can enjoy them in our low level display on childhood.

Edward and Susan are so pleased you have looked at this page.