A tank on Church Street

Amongst some photos recently sent to the curator was this slightly blurred image of a military tank travelling along Church Street.

A tank on Church Street in the 1930s

The sender of this image wasn’t sure when it was taken and suggested that the tracked vehicle was a Bren gun carrier.

Our curator sent a copy of the photo to the tank museum in Bovington who responded with the following.

The tank in question is a Vickers Light Tank probably a Mark VI – it’s difficult with the quality of the image to be specific on the exact mark of Light Tank though. The Light Tank Mark VI entered service in 1936 so mid-late 1930s would be the right time frame.

The tank is just rounding the corner onto White Street. The shop window on the left is now that of Saint Arbuck’s, the locally run coffee shop.

It looks as though it was, or had recently been, a part of Mr Walton’s empire when the photo was taken.

It looks as though the house on the corner of Church Street and Parsonage Lane (on the right) had already been demolished. The first building we see, with its rectangular sign looking to be suspended in mid-air in this photo, is the old Volunteer Arms.

It’s a delightful snap of how life was in the village and reminds us of the military presence – not just during war-time.

 

Whither now the Thatcher?

Albert Hiscock was a long term Market Lavington thatcher. We have read about him a couple of times on this blog. (Click here and here). Albert and his wife lived at Hillside at the bottom of Lavington Hill.  One of the nicest photos we have of their house was taken in 1936 – a quickly snapped photo taken when military tanks came off Salisbury Plain and into Market Lavington.

Hillside Cottage, Market Lavington, looks to be well thatched and well protected by a tank – a great photo snapped with a box camera in 1936.

Harriet, Albert’s wife, died in 1954 and Albert joined her in St Mary’s graveyard in January 1955.

Soon after, scaffolding appeared on Hillside cottage.

Hillside Cottage on White Street, Market Lavington in 1955. Now you see the thatch!

And now you don’t. Later in 1955 Hillside Cottage is under a new roof.

By the end of the year, the thatch was gone and Hillside Cottage sported a new, tiled roof.

Once upon a time many houses in Market Lavington were thatched and there was plenty of work for the thatcher. Someone will correct us if we are wrong, but we can place just three thatched houses now.

So, whither now the thatcher? For a while his future looked bleak, but now he’s in his van and maybe operating over a wider area, but the trade is certainly still very much alive and kicking.