St. Petrock's Church, From the Southeast, An RA Series Post Card, c. 1920s
Title
St. Petrock's Church, From the Southeast, An RA Series Post Card, c. 1920s
Subject
Description
Above are two versions, one sepia-tinted and one coloured, of the same postcard featuring St. Petrock's Church, both erroneously labeled on the bottom left as "ST. PETROCH'S CHURCH, TIMBERSCOMBE". The gate in the foreground is one of three churchyard gates. The other two are on the northern front of the church. This gate is entered on the southeastern side of the church, situated on Church Street.
Closest inside the gate is the south aisle of the church, added in the 1500's (1). On the southfacing side, three 3- light windows are visible, overlooking the south churchyard. On the south aisle's eastern end is a chimney and a 2 X 3 light window, originally overlooking an interior chapel which is believed to have been devoted to St. Michael. Up to the 1900's (2), the church was sometimes referred to as the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, a confusion likely caused by applying the name of the chapel to the entire church (3). In the 20th century, this chapel housed an organ, donated by the sisters, Lady Margaret Ryder, Lady Constance Ryder and Lady Audrey Anson, in memory of their brother, Major The Honourable Robert Ryder, killed in the first World War (4).
To the right of the south aisle the eastern end of the Chancel can be seen. Extending further east than the south aisle, a 2-light mullioned window is evident on the left and the chancel end shows a 3-light window topped by a 2-light trefoil mullion (5). Inside the chancel, this window overlooks the altar. The chancel dates from 1450 but was restored in 1862 by Ewan Christian (1814-1895), noted for dozens of Victorian church restorations across England but best remembered for designing the National Portrait Gallery in London (6). The roofs are Treborough slate (7) with south aisle roof restoration completed in 2019. Over the rooftops, the top stage of the church's 2-stage tower is visible, believed to have been completed in 1708, replacing an earlier tower. The rebuilding of the church tower was enabled by the patronage of Richard Elsworth (also variously spelled as Ellsworth or Elsworthy) of Bickham (8). At the top is a slate pyramid roof, over new parapets, added during the 1881 restorations by John Dando Sedding (1838-1891), the diocesan architect of Bath and Wells, who made additions and restorations at many smaller parish churches throughout the west of England (9).
On the reverse of both postcards, at the top centre is an oval with "RA" hand drawn and printed in the centre and with "SERIES" laid over the lettering. The oval has "THE SEAL OF ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE" printed around it. "POST" and "CARD" are placed to its left and right, with "CORRESPONDENCE" and "ADDRESS" placed respectively under each of the words. Unusually there are two sources printed on the reverse side of the postcard. In the lower left corner is "The R.A.P. Co., Ltd. London, E.C. 4" and along the left edge of the postcard is "Published by Mrs. E.H. Hyde, The Stores, Timberscombe. 12888". (The back view seen above is that of the coloured version, but both are identical. Indeed the same reverse can be viewed on another RA Series Postcard at SP-032.)
The R.A.P. Company was Rapid Art Photography, established around 1907 by Mr. de Jornette Plummer and his wife, Hortense (nee Sober) Plummer (10). He was born c. 1880 (11) and had arrived in England from the Continent, c. 1901 (12). She was born in Brussels around 1864 (13). It is not clear when she came to England but Hortense, who identified herself as a photographer, married Mr. Plummer in 1902 at Marylebone (14). In 1903, they had set up a photographic stall on the Brighton Palace Pier (15). By 1910 an R.A.P. Company studio was established by Mr. and Mrs. Plummer on the Chelsea Pier Bridge at London, E.C.4 (16). A series of photographic studios, called photographic galleries by the Plummer's, were established throughout southeast England, with the last one opening at Hastings in 1918, with only Madame Hortense Plummer--as she was now identified--listed as sole owner (17). She died the next year and most of these galleries closed (18).
In July 1920 at St. Pancras, London, de Jornette Plummer married Edith Mary Metters, also a photographer, born 1889 in Hampstead, London--although she had been known in Liverpool since 1917 as "Mrs. Edith Plummer". On the 6th of May 1921, de Jornette and Edith opened a new portrait studio in Liverpool. It was closed by its' shareholders in September 1922 (19). Edith lived until 1946, back in London continuing work as a portrait photographer and identified as divorced (20). de Jornette Plummer disappeared in the early 1920's, possibly returned to Europe (21).
Besides taking photographic portraits, the Rapid Art Photography Company published postcards. The RA Series postcards were unique in that they were co-produced by a local publisher that had ties to the scene on the front of the postcard(22). This postcard of St. Petrock's, as well as SP-037 which features Timberscombe' s The Great House, are two examples where that co-publisher was Mrs. Ethel Hyde.
Mrs. Hyde (1894-1968) was listed on the 1939 England and Wales Register as the manager of The Stores, shops located at the southern end of Brook Street, in the area later occupied by the cottages, Brooklyn and Butterflies (23). The Stores can be seen at SP-032, also an RA Series postcard--undoubtedly if Mrs. Hyde was going to pay to co-publish postcards featuring St. Petrock's and The Great House, she would want to publicise her shops as well.
Originally coming from London, Mrs. Hyde and her husband, Joseph and their daughter Hilda were still living and shopkeeping in Middlesex at the time of the 1921 Census (24). RA Series postcards were published in the same style as the postcard shown here--having a sepia tint and a neatly placed label on the lower left corner--- as early as 1910 (25). The series continued to be published until around 1930 (26), possibly by the shareholders and perhaps Edith Plummer. Considering Ethel Hyde was not in Timberscombe until after 1921, the postcard shown here likely dates later in that decade.
The sepia-tinted version of the postcard was donated in 2019 by Alan Hines and Tom Sperling of Burrow Cottage, Timberscombe. It was purchased at Minehead in 2007. The coloured version was donated in 2023 by a collector who would prefer to remain anonymous.
Closest inside the gate is the south aisle of the church, added in the 1500's (1). On the southfacing side, three 3- light windows are visible, overlooking the south churchyard. On the south aisle's eastern end is a chimney and a 2 X 3 light window, originally overlooking an interior chapel which is believed to have been devoted to St. Michael. Up to the 1900's (2), the church was sometimes referred to as the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, a confusion likely caused by applying the name of the chapel to the entire church (3). In the 20th century, this chapel housed an organ, donated by the sisters, Lady Margaret Ryder, Lady Constance Ryder and Lady Audrey Anson, in memory of their brother, Major The Honourable Robert Ryder, killed in the first World War (4).
To the right of the south aisle the eastern end of the Chancel can be seen. Extending further east than the south aisle, a 2-light mullioned window is evident on the left and the chancel end shows a 3-light window topped by a 2-light trefoil mullion (5). Inside the chancel, this window overlooks the altar. The chancel dates from 1450 but was restored in 1862 by Ewan Christian (1814-1895), noted for dozens of Victorian church restorations across England but best remembered for designing the National Portrait Gallery in London (6). The roofs are Treborough slate (7) with south aisle roof restoration completed in 2019. Over the rooftops, the top stage of the church's 2-stage tower is visible, believed to have been completed in 1708, replacing an earlier tower. The rebuilding of the church tower was enabled by the patronage of Richard Elsworth (also variously spelled as Ellsworth or Elsworthy) of Bickham (8). At the top is a slate pyramid roof, over new parapets, added during the 1881 restorations by John Dando Sedding (1838-1891), the diocesan architect of Bath and Wells, who made additions and restorations at many smaller parish churches throughout the west of England (9).
On the reverse of both postcards, at the top centre is an oval with "RA" hand drawn and printed in the centre and with "SERIES" laid over the lettering. The oval has "THE SEAL OF ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE" printed around it. "POST" and "CARD" are placed to its left and right, with "CORRESPONDENCE" and "ADDRESS" placed respectively under each of the words. Unusually there are two sources printed on the reverse side of the postcard. In the lower left corner is "The R.A.P. Co., Ltd. London, E.C. 4" and along the left edge of the postcard is "Published by Mrs. E.H. Hyde, The Stores, Timberscombe. 12888". (The back view seen above is that of the coloured version, but both are identical. Indeed the same reverse can be viewed on another RA Series Postcard at SP-032.)
The R.A.P. Company was Rapid Art Photography, established around 1907 by Mr. de Jornette Plummer and his wife, Hortense (nee Sober) Plummer (10). He was born c. 1880 (11) and had arrived in England from the Continent, c. 1901 (12). She was born in Brussels around 1864 (13). It is not clear when she came to England but Hortense, who identified herself as a photographer, married Mr. Plummer in 1902 at Marylebone (14). In 1903, they had set up a photographic stall on the Brighton Palace Pier (15). By 1910 an R.A.P. Company studio was established by Mr. and Mrs. Plummer on the Chelsea Pier Bridge at London, E.C.4 (16). A series of photographic studios, called photographic galleries by the Plummer's, were established throughout southeast England, with the last one opening at Hastings in 1918, with only Madame Hortense Plummer--as she was now identified--listed as sole owner (17). She died the next year and most of these galleries closed (18).
In July 1920 at St. Pancras, London, de Jornette Plummer married Edith Mary Metters, also a photographer, born 1889 in Hampstead, London--although she had been known in Liverpool since 1917 as "Mrs. Edith Plummer". On the 6th of May 1921, de Jornette and Edith opened a new portrait studio in Liverpool. It was closed by its' shareholders in September 1922 (19). Edith lived until 1946, back in London continuing work as a portrait photographer and identified as divorced (20). de Jornette Plummer disappeared in the early 1920's, possibly returned to Europe (21).
Besides taking photographic portraits, the Rapid Art Photography Company published postcards. The RA Series postcards were unique in that they were co-produced by a local publisher that had ties to the scene on the front of the postcard(22). This postcard of St. Petrock's, as well as SP-037 which features Timberscombe' s The Great House, are two examples where that co-publisher was Mrs. Ethel Hyde.
Mrs. Hyde (1894-1968) was listed on the 1939 England and Wales Register as the manager of The Stores, shops located at the southern end of Brook Street, in the area later occupied by the cottages, Brooklyn and Butterflies (23). The Stores can be seen at SP-032, also an RA Series postcard--undoubtedly if Mrs. Hyde was going to pay to co-publish postcards featuring St. Petrock's and The Great House, she would want to publicise her shops as well.
Originally coming from London, Mrs. Hyde and her husband, Joseph and their daughter Hilda were still living and shopkeeping in Middlesex at the time of the 1921 Census (24). RA Series postcards were published in the same style as the postcard shown here--having a sepia tint and a neatly placed label on the lower left corner--- as early as 1910 (25). The series continued to be published until around 1930 (26), possibly by the shareholders and perhaps Edith Plummer. Considering Ethel Hyde was not in Timberscombe until after 1921, the postcard shown here likely dates later in that decade.
The sepia-tinted version of the postcard was donated in 2019 by Alan Hines and Tom Sperling of Burrow Cottage, Timberscombe. It was purchased at Minehead in 2007. The coloured version was donated in 2023 by a collector who would prefer to remain anonymous.
Creator
The R.A.P. Co. Ltd. E.C.4
Publisher
Mrs. E.H. Hyde, The Stores, Timberscombe
Date
c. 1920s
Contributor
Format
Language
English
Identifier
St. Petrock's Church exterior / Timberscombe / Church Street
Acquisition Date
2019
2023
2023
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PLACES: Churches and Chapels / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2020
2023
2023
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
12 X 19.5
11 X 17.5
9.5 X 15.5
11 X 17.5
9.5 X 15.5
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) "St Petrock's Church Timberscombe", church pamphlet written by Marion Jeffrey, 2017 (2) "St Petrock's Church Timberscombe" (3) "THE VILLAGE OF TIMBERSCOMBE AND ITS CHURCH", by B.L.K. Henderson and G.O.E. Henderson, printed by E. Goodman & Son. Ltd., The Phoenix Press, Taunton, 1955 (4) "TIMBERSCOMBE'S FALLEN OF WORLD WAR I", compiled by Harvey Grenville, produced for St. Petrock's Church and the parish of Timberscombe, 2014 (5) English Heritage, British Listed Buildings.co.uk (6) "St. Petrock's Church Timberscombe" and en.wikipedia.org>wiki>Ewan_Christian (7) Historic Environment Record, Exmoor National Park (8) "St. Petrock's Church Timberscombe" (9) the Specifications of John Dando Sedding, held at the Somerset Records Office, Taunton, quoted in "TIMBERSCOMBE St. Petrock", Somerset Churches Project, August 2019, Archaeological Assessment 2019, by David and Jerry Sampson, Buildings Archaeology and victorianweb.org>art>architecture>sedding (10) photohistory-sussex.co.uk and hertfordshiregenealogy.co.uk (11) The Howard Family Tree , Ancestry.com, "De Jornette Plummer, 1880-" (12) Postcards of the Past, sandgrownlass.co.uk and photohistory-sussex.co.uk (13) 1911 England Census (14) 1911 England Census and England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 (15) photo-history-sussex.co.uk (16) hertfordshiregenealogy.co.uk (17) UK, City and Country Directories, 1766-1946/ Kelly's Directory of Sussex, Hastings, 1918 (18) England and Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 and photo-history-sussex.co.uk (19) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and photo-history-sussex.co.uk (20) 1939 England and Wales Register and England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (21) photo-history-sussex.co.uk (22) Postcards of the Past, sandgrownlass.co.uk (23) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (24) 1939 England and Wales Register and London, England, Church of England, Births and Baptisms, 1837-1920 (25) an example is "Machrharish Hotel Co. Ltd. ", depicted on a RA Series Post Card published by R.A.P. Co. Ltd. E.C. 4 , dated 1910, golfonoldpicturepostcards.com (26) an RA Series postcard depicting Buckfast Abbey, c. 1930 is at the Devon Heritage Centre, devon-cat.swheritage.org.uk
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2020
2023
2023
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
original postcard is archived in St. Petrock's History Group ST. PETROCK'S
original postcard is archived in St. Petrock's History Group ST. PETROCK'S
Item Reference
SP-049
Technique
Copies
Citation
The R.A.P. Co. Ltd. E.C.4, “St. Petrock's Church, From the Southeast, An RA Series Post Card, c. 1920s,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 5, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3282.
Comments