S.J. Stenner's Butcher Shop and the Stenner Family Home on Brook Street
Title
S.J. Stenner's Butcher Shop and the Stenner Family Home on Brook Street
Subject
Description
An undated photograph of homes and shops along the southern end of Timberscombe's Brook Street. Another photograph, dated 1909, is seen at SP-034 and depicts the cottages in the centre of this photograph with alterations that indicate this photograph would have been taken somewhat later, likely in the 1910's.
On the left edge of the photograph is Stenner's Butcher Shop, operated by Samuel James Stenner. "S.J. STENNER " can be read over the shop window. Mr. Stenner was born in Timberscombe on the 2nd of February 1888 (1). He was the son of Samuel Stenner, born at Cutcombe in 1856 (2), a farmer and landlord of the Lion Inn. The younger Mr. Stenner married Adelaide Julia Carter in 1912 (3). They had six children before his early death on 15 February 1926 at the Minehead and West Somerset Hospital in Minehead (4). The elder Mr. Stenner outlived his son, dying in 1938 (5).
The next doorway over from the butcher shop was Brook House, the home of Samuel James Stenner and his family (6). This building and the butcher shop will be later demolished, as seen at SP-033. The date of the demolition is not clear. Victoria County History, writing about Timberscombe, cites the demolition of a listed building in 1961, as well as the "17th-century Brook House in the 1970s". The former butcher shop and the former Stenner home can still be seen standing at SP-101, a photograph stamped "OCTOBER 1961".
(The name of Brook House has been confusing at times. Across the road from the former Stenner home is another building, with possible late 17th century origins (7)--visible at SP-035--which also becomes called Brook House or sometimes Brook Cottage. Adding to the confusion, another cottage on the northern end of this section of Brook Street, which was originally half of two semidetached cottages known as The Gardens, will also later be renamed Brook Cottage.)
Obscured by the Stenner 's home, to its right is the house later called The Old Malt House, possibly the slaughterhouse at this time, serving Stenner's Butcher Shop (8). It later will also be a butcher's shop, first Burnell's and later Bond's (9). After becoming a residence it was renamed Ye Olde Malt House, becoming The Old Malt House in 2023. In 2019, David Rawle, born in 1947, gave an Oral History to the St. Petrock's History Group, remembering the 1960s when his father worked as a butcher at Bonds. He recalled how prone this stretch of Brook Street was to flooding and Bond's kept in place high water marks on the front facade as they were of great interest to customers.
Past the future The Old Malt House are two cottages, both altered since the 1909 photograph at SP-034. With a person walking past it, the first cottage is later called Brooklyn, which has had a bay window added and to it's right, a newer doorway with a gabled porch. The end cottage was Poole's in 1909, a shop ran by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Poole. Shop signs seen in SP-034 have been removed. A metal sign with "LYONS TEA" advertised remains visible in this photograph, just past the gabled porch. Indeed the doorway with the gabled porch now seems to be shared by the future Brooklyn and the end cottage which may also have a new shop window, possibly larger than the one in 1909. It seems probable that these shops are now known together as The Stores, possibly operated by Mrs. Ethel Hyde (10). They can also be seen with this shared porch at SP-032, with more information on Mrs. Hyde. Residents of Timberscombe will continue to call these shops "Poole's", at least through World War II, even though Mr. Poole died in 1932 (11).
The end cottage will later become a residence called Butterflies, still retaining a front window rather like a shop window.
Past the future Butterflies, another road junctions with the southern end of Brook Street, being Great House Street--often called Duck Lane at this time (12). As Brook Street curves to the bottom right of the photograph it will junction at the village centre with Jubilee Terrace, a road completed around 1889 (13).
On the right edge of the photograph is Lion Inn. Earlier inns have been on this site, at least since the 1600's.. By 1820 the Boot was here, being altered and renamed Lion Inn c. 1841 (14). Two doorways are visible. The one to the right remains a service doorway to the pub, as it probably is here. A woman seems to be in the other doorway. This is a semi-detached cottage, later known as Honeysuckle. In 2019, a half-gabled porch with slate tiles will be built over this doorway by Malcolm and Judy Passmore, owners of The Lion Inn (as it becomes called). At various times both Honeysuckle and Butterflies have provided living accommodations for proprietors of the inn.
Used as a postcard, the photograph is labeled "Timberscombe" on the upper right. This particular postcard was printed at an unknown date in a small leather bound booklet consisting of twelve Timberscombe scenes. It was donated in 2019 by Maurice Huxtable, a longtime resident of The Old Malt House (when it was called Ye Olde Malt House) and a lifelong resident of Timberscombe.
On the left edge of the photograph is Stenner's Butcher Shop, operated by Samuel James Stenner. "S.J. STENNER " can be read over the shop window. Mr. Stenner was born in Timberscombe on the 2nd of February 1888 (1). He was the son of Samuel Stenner, born at Cutcombe in 1856 (2), a farmer and landlord of the Lion Inn. The younger Mr. Stenner married Adelaide Julia Carter in 1912 (3). They had six children before his early death on 15 February 1926 at the Minehead and West Somerset Hospital in Minehead (4). The elder Mr. Stenner outlived his son, dying in 1938 (5).
The next doorway over from the butcher shop was Brook House, the home of Samuel James Stenner and his family (6). This building and the butcher shop will be later demolished, as seen at SP-033. The date of the demolition is not clear. Victoria County History, writing about Timberscombe, cites the demolition of a listed building in 1961, as well as the "17th-century Brook House in the 1970s". The former butcher shop and the former Stenner home can still be seen standing at SP-101, a photograph stamped "OCTOBER 1961".
(The name of Brook House has been confusing at times. Across the road from the former Stenner home is another building, with possible late 17th century origins (7)--visible at SP-035--which also becomes called Brook House or sometimes Brook Cottage. Adding to the confusion, another cottage on the northern end of this section of Brook Street, which was originally half of two semidetached cottages known as The Gardens, will also later be renamed Brook Cottage.)
Obscured by the Stenner 's home, to its right is the house later called The Old Malt House, possibly the slaughterhouse at this time, serving Stenner's Butcher Shop (8). It later will also be a butcher's shop, first Burnell's and later Bond's (9). After becoming a residence it was renamed Ye Olde Malt House, becoming The Old Malt House in 2023. In 2019, David Rawle, born in 1947, gave an Oral History to the St. Petrock's History Group, remembering the 1960s when his father worked as a butcher at Bonds. He recalled how prone this stretch of Brook Street was to flooding and Bond's kept in place high water marks on the front facade as they were of great interest to customers.
Past the future The Old Malt House are two cottages, both altered since the 1909 photograph at SP-034. With a person walking past it, the first cottage is later called Brooklyn, which has had a bay window added and to it's right, a newer doorway with a gabled porch. The end cottage was Poole's in 1909, a shop ran by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Poole. Shop signs seen in SP-034 have been removed. A metal sign with "LYONS TEA" advertised remains visible in this photograph, just past the gabled porch. Indeed the doorway with the gabled porch now seems to be shared by the future Brooklyn and the end cottage which may also have a new shop window, possibly larger than the one in 1909. It seems probable that these shops are now known together as The Stores, possibly operated by Mrs. Ethel Hyde (10). They can also be seen with this shared porch at SP-032, with more information on Mrs. Hyde. Residents of Timberscombe will continue to call these shops "Poole's", at least through World War II, even though Mr. Poole died in 1932 (11).
The end cottage will later become a residence called Butterflies, still retaining a front window rather like a shop window.
Past the future Butterflies, another road junctions with the southern end of Brook Street, being Great House Street--often called Duck Lane at this time (12). As Brook Street curves to the bottom right of the photograph it will junction at the village centre with Jubilee Terrace, a road completed around 1889 (13).
On the right edge of the photograph is Lion Inn. Earlier inns have been on this site, at least since the 1600's.. By 1820 the Boot was here, being altered and renamed Lion Inn c. 1841 (14). Two doorways are visible. The one to the right remains a service doorway to the pub, as it probably is here. A woman seems to be in the other doorway. This is a semi-detached cottage, later known as Honeysuckle. In 2019, a half-gabled porch with slate tiles will be built over this doorway by Malcolm and Judy Passmore, owners of The Lion Inn (as it becomes called). At various times both Honeysuckle and Butterflies have provided living accommodations for proprietors of the inn.
Used as a postcard, the photograph is labeled "Timberscombe" on the upper right. This particular postcard was printed at an unknown date in a small leather bound booklet consisting of twelve Timberscombe scenes. It was donated in 2019 by Maurice Huxtable, a longtime resident of The Old Malt House (when it was called Ye Olde Malt House) and a lifelong resident of Timberscombe.
Creator
Anonymous
Source
Date
possibly 1910s
Contributor
Language
English
Identifier
S. J. Stenner's Butcher Shop and Brook House / Timberscombe / Brook Street
Acquisition Date
2019
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PLACES: Village Streets / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
Entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2019
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
12 X 18.5
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) Ancestry.com, Tree Search, julie_searle1, Samuel James Stenner, 1888-1926 (2) 1861 England Census (3) Somerset, England, Marriage Register, Bonds and Allegations, 1754-1914 (4) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 (5) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (6) as listed on Samuel James Stenner's death announcement on the England & Wales, National Probate Calendar. The house is also identified as Brook House on the 1939 England and Wales Register (7) Historic Environment Record, Exmoor National Park (8) as recalled in 2018 by Peter Bright of Orchard Close and other residents of Timberscombe (9) as written in "AWAY & HOME, Somerset and Essex, 1939-1945", a 2016 memoir by Pat Herniman, published by Papermill Books, Little Baddow, in association with The Little Baddow History Centre and as recalled in 2019 by Mary Holcombe and John Gratton, longtime residents of Timberscombe (10) 1939 England and Wales Register and as labeled on other postcards produced by Mrs. E. H. Hyde, examples being SP-037 and SP-049 (11) in "AWAY & HOME-WORLD WAR II, Somerset and Essex, 1939-1945", Pat Herniman's aunt, Phyllis Prole (later Bryant) works during World War II at these shops, which she calls "Poole's" and England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (12) as recalled in 2019 by Wendy Hellewell and Allan Sutton of Timberscombe (13) Victoria County History.ac.uk (14) VCH
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2020
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-029
Technique
Copy
Citation
Anonymous, “S.J. Stenner's Butcher Shop and the Stenner Family Home on Brook Street,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 6, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3153.
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