The 1902 Coronation of Edward VII Ceremony at the Rose & Crown Inn, Timberscombe
Title
The 1902 Coronation of Edward VII Ceremony at the Rose & Crown Inn, Timberscombe
Subject
Description
Brook Street begins in Timberscombe on the northeastern edge of the village. Approaching on the A396 from Dunster, the Brook Street sign is first evident to the left, situated between Athelstan Cottage and The Linhay, the first residence on a row of red sandstone buildings facing Timberscombe's village green, known as Brewers Green.
The future Linhay is the barn-like building in the centre of this 1902 photograph. Beneath a banner of "LONG MAY HE REIGN", the citizens of Timberscombe are gathered in front of the Rose and Crown Inn for the coronation ceremonies held for King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of Denmark. It must have been particularly exciting as the last coronation had been in 1838 for Queen Victoria, Edward's mother. Few of these participants had ever attended a coronation ceremony. The date is the 9th of August 1902 but it originally had been scheduled for the 26th of June. The king had become ill with abdominal pains that had required surgery (1). Edward was born in 1841, and his reign will not be that long, dying in 1910 (2).
This was not the only celebrating of the coronation in Timberscombe. SP-094 depicts another gathering on Jubilee Terrace, at the village's centre, with Lion Inn, Timberscombe's other public house in the background.
The A396 was not classified as a road until 1922 (3) and there is no Brewer 's Green until 1989 (4). In 1902, The Rose and Crown was alongside the old Dunster Road, part of the Minehead Turnpike Road, sanctioned in 1765 and running from the Minehead harbour to Bampton (5). The Rose and Crown was operating by 1825. At the time of this photograph, it may have been owned by Hancock's Brewery of Wiveliscombe, but in 1915 it was closed down when it's renewal was refused by the local authorities (6). In the following years, it has been an apartment house called Rosemont, a bed and breakfast and a private residence, later called Wellum and in the 2010's became Game House (7). The metal rod, from which a pub sign was once hung, remained visible until 2019, when it was removed during renovations. The current owners, Martin and Kate Savage, had it restored and the rod was returned in 2020. Subsequent owners, Dan and Florence Lloyd renamed the property as Rosemont House in the summer of 2022, as a tribute to its past.
The barn, later becoming The Linhay, was likely a stable for the inn. Not visible in the photograph, are two smaller cottages, semi-detached to the Rose and Crown's right. The first may have been called The Retreat in 1902 (8), later renamed Ivy Cottage. The last cottage was known as Berrowcote and in 1844 had become Timberscombe's first post office, as it remained until the early to mid 1930's (9). By 1977, it was renamed Burrow Cottage (10) but in July 2022 reverted back to Berrowcote. The entire row appears on the 1843 Tithe Map and was likely built in the late 18th/ early 19th century (11).
By 1989, the road--where the people in this photograph are gathered--will become narrowed, becoming the beginning of Brook Street, as a village bypass will be completed and linked to the A396. Brewers Green was then established between the two.
In 2019, an original copy of this photograph was donated to the St. Petrock's History Group by Sue Copping of Bristol. On it's reverse, "TOM ELFORD DUCK STREET" was handwritten, having possibly been owned by Mr. Elford. Born in Timberscombe in 1904, Tom Elford was buried at St. Petrock's Church in Timberscombe in 1992 (12). Duck Street is what Timberscombe's Great House Street was mostly called until the mid-1960's (13). The photograph had also been shown to Kenneth Grabham, formerly a blacksmith at Cowbridge Mill from 1938 until his retirement in 1993 (14) and who lived at Timberscombe his entire life, born in 1920, dying in 2007 (15). Mr. Grabham attached a note reading "The Second Bearded Gentleman from the left Tom Brewer-Maggie's Grandfather". This would be Thomas Brewer who lived from 1843 to 1930 (16). On the 1901 Census, Mr. Brewer lived with his family at Slade Farm but will soon move to Cowbridge Mill--just up the road from the Rose and Crown--when part of it was converted to the residence later known as Higher View (17). "Maggie" would be Margaret Bessie Brewer, born in 1911 to Thomas Brewer, the son of the Thomas Brewer in the photograph (18). In 1989, the Brewer family will donate the land for the green and their name will be given to it. Positioned where he is in the 1902 photograph, Mr. Brewer is standing on the future Brewers Green.
The future Linhay is the barn-like building in the centre of this 1902 photograph. Beneath a banner of "LONG MAY HE REIGN", the citizens of Timberscombe are gathered in front of the Rose and Crown Inn for the coronation ceremonies held for King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of Denmark. It must have been particularly exciting as the last coronation had been in 1838 for Queen Victoria, Edward's mother. Few of these participants had ever attended a coronation ceremony. The date is the 9th of August 1902 but it originally had been scheduled for the 26th of June. The king had become ill with abdominal pains that had required surgery (1). Edward was born in 1841, and his reign will not be that long, dying in 1910 (2).
This was not the only celebrating of the coronation in Timberscombe. SP-094 depicts another gathering on Jubilee Terrace, at the village's centre, with Lion Inn, Timberscombe's other public house in the background.
The A396 was not classified as a road until 1922 (3) and there is no Brewer 's Green until 1989 (4). In 1902, The Rose and Crown was alongside the old Dunster Road, part of the Minehead Turnpike Road, sanctioned in 1765 and running from the Minehead harbour to Bampton (5). The Rose and Crown was operating by 1825. At the time of this photograph, it may have been owned by Hancock's Brewery of Wiveliscombe, but in 1915 it was closed down when it's renewal was refused by the local authorities (6). In the following years, it has been an apartment house called Rosemont, a bed and breakfast and a private residence, later called Wellum and in the 2010's became Game House (7). The metal rod, from which a pub sign was once hung, remained visible until 2019, when it was removed during renovations. The current owners, Martin and Kate Savage, had it restored and the rod was returned in 2020. Subsequent owners, Dan and Florence Lloyd renamed the property as Rosemont House in the summer of 2022, as a tribute to its past.
The barn, later becoming The Linhay, was likely a stable for the inn. Not visible in the photograph, are two smaller cottages, semi-detached to the Rose and Crown's right. The first may have been called The Retreat in 1902 (8), later renamed Ivy Cottage. The last cottage was known as Berrowcote and in 1844 had become Timberscombe's first post office, as it remained until the early to mid 1930's (9). By 1977, it was renamed Burrow Cottage (10) but in July 2022 reverted back to Berrowcote. The entire row appears on the 1843 Tithe Map and was likely built in the late 18th/ early 19th century (11).
By 1989, the road--where the people in this photograph are gathered--will become narrowed, becoming the beginning of Brook Street, as a village bypass will be completed and linked to the A396. Brewers Green was then established between the two.
In 2019, an original copy of this photograph was donated to the St. Petrock's History Group by Sue Copping of Bristol. On it's reverse, "TOM ELFORD DUCK STREET" was handwritten, having possibly been owned by Mr. Elford. Born in Timberscombe in 1904, Tom Elford was buried at St. Petrock's Church in Timberscombe in 1992 (12). Duck Street is what Timberscombe's Great House Street was mostly called until the mid-1960's (13). The photograph had also been shown to Kenneth Grabham, formerly a blacksmith at Cowbridge Mill from 1938 until his retirement in 1993 (14) and who lived at Timberscombe his entire life, born in 1920, dying in 2007 (15). Mr. Grabham attached a note reading "The Second Bearded Gentleman from the left Tom Brewer-Maggie's Grandfather". This would be Thomas Brewer who lived from 1843 to 1930 (16). On the 1901 Census, Mr. Brewer lived with his family at Slade Farm but will soon move to Cowbridge Mill--just up the road from the Rose and Crown--when part of it was converted to the residence later known as Higher View (17). "Maggie" would be Margaret Bessie Brewer, born in 1911 to Thomas Brewer, the son of the Thomas Brewer in the photograph (18). In 1989, the Brewer family will donate the land for the green and their name will be given to it. Positioned where he is in the 1902 photograph, Mr. Brewer is standing on the future Brewers Green.
Creator
Anonymous
Date
9 August 1902
Contributor
Format
Language
English
Identifier
Coronation ceremony / Timberscombe / Brook Street
Acquisition Date
2019
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
EVENTS: Coronations and Jubilees / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
Entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2019
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
15 X 20 (ORIGINAL / OVERSIZED) MAPS AND PHOTOGRAPHS)
13 X 18.5 (PHOTOGRAPHS)
12.5 X 17.5 (VILLAGE HISTORIES)
13 X 18.5 (PHOTOGRAPHS)
12.5 X 17.5 (VILLAGE HISTORIES)
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royal/edward-vii (2) ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST, rct.uk/collection (3) sabre-roads.org.uk (4) Victoria County History.ac.uk and as recalled in 2018 by Sarah Hill, of Minehead, the daughter of Mr. Kenneth Grabham (5) VCH (6) VCH (7) as recalled in 2019 by Nick Webber of Rose Cottage, Timberscombe (8) the cottage is identified as The Retreat on the 1939 England and Wales Register (9) TimberscombeVillage.com/ History of Timberscombe/ Other Historic Structures/ History of the Post Office, written by Tom Sperling in 2019 (10) Berrowcote became listed as Burrow Cottage in 1977 when it is sold to Geoffrey and Ann Toze (11) Historic Environment Record, Exmoor National Park (12) 1939 England and Wales Register and UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (13) as recalled in 2019 by Wendy Hellewell of The Bracken, Hole's Square, Timberscombe (14) TimberscombeVillage.com/ History of Timberscombe/ Other Historic Structures/ Cowbridge Mill, written by Lesley Webb and as recalled by Sarah Hill and Historic Environment Record, Exmoor National Park, SEM8425 (15) Family History Resources/ Births and viewing Mr. Grabham's gravestone at St. Petrock's Church in 2019 (16) as noted on Mr. Brewer's gravestone at St. Petrock's Church, 2019 (17) TimberscombeVillage.com/ History of Timberscombe/ Other Historic Structures/ Cowbridge Mill (18) 1911 England Census
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2019
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group OVERSIZED MAPS AND PHOTOGRAPHS)
St.Petrocks's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
St. Petrock's History Group VILLAGE HISTORIES
St.Petrocks's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
St. Petrock's History Group VILLAGE HISTORIES
Item Reference
SP-020
Technique
Original photograph
Copy
Copy
Citation
Anonymous, “The 1902 Coronation of Edward VII Ceremony at the Rose & Crown Inn, Timberscombe,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed April 26, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3210.
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