Easterton Shop – 1930s

We have recently gained a number of postcards of Easterton and this one has excited some interest. The scene is clear. The main focus of the photo is the shop – the one near the bottom of Easterton’s White Street and more or less opposite the Royal Oak pub.

Easterton shop in the 1930s

The shop is made clear with a zoom in.

Tea and lamp oil are advertised

An advert for Brooke Bond tea is clearly visible and, possibly, a poster for a garden fete. The end building advertises Empire lamp oil.

But what generates interest is the factory style chimney beyond the shop.

The factory style chimney on Easterton Street

As yet the purpose of this is unproven. Suggestions are that it could be a bakery or maybe a forge.

We’ll let you know when we discover its purpose.

This was a sent postcard. So let’s look at the back.

The back of the postcard

The recipient was Bessie Gye who became Bessie Francis. The senders were members of the Burnett family – well known in Easterton and previously shop keepers there. Bert and Elsie lived on High Street, Easterton. The date of sending appears to be 1938 but the postmark is not good.

Do help us sort out that chimney, if you can. Thanks.

 

Six and Eight, Parsonage Lane

Hands up if you hear six and eight and think, ‘that’s a third of a pound’. Well it was in old money and if you do think that, you may remember this wonderful bit of topiary outside these Parsonage Lane semi-detached houses. This photo, of numbers 6 and 8, Parsonage Lane, dates from about 1930.

Numbers 6 and 8, Parsonage Lane in Market Lavington in about 1930

These cottages were built after the demolition of the former parsonage. That was in 1852. The cottages carry a hallmark of Edward Pleydell Bouverie who owned the Manor at that time in the shape of the ornate chimneys.

Chimneys on the cottages in 2012

It is hard to be certain about the occupants of these houses in times past. Census data does not always give precise addresses but we think the nearer of the pair was occupied for many years by members of the Potter family. It seems likely that May Potter, later Mrs Elisha, was born there. Walter James who became a baker at what is now the Post Office may have lived in the other.

The 1964 electoral roll shows the Potter family in one of pair and the Moger family in the other.

We’d love to receive more information about these two cottages. We suspect that the topiary was originally by Edwin Potter, but local people with memories are not certain. As we said just over a month ago, we are short of good information on Parsonage Lane.

We would also like more about the 1960s in Market Lavington and Easterton. This follows two recent request which we are not well able to meet. For those people who think the 1960s were yesterday and not yet the stuff for museums, let’s just say that something like half of the population has been born since the 1960s. We are in 2012 which means 1962 was 50 years ago. Again, do get in touch if you can help.