The Berry Family at the Sportsman's Bar, The Lion Inn, early 1960's
Title
The Berry Family at the Sportsman's Bar, The Lion Inn, early 1960's
Subject
Description
A photograph, taken in the early to mid 1960's, of the Sportsman's Bar at The Lion Inn in Timberscombe. Above the photograph is a promotional card for The Lion Inn, probably printed in the earlier 1960's (1), featuring a pen and ink drawing of the Sportman's Bar. Printed to the left of the artwork is "Welcome to The Lion Inn TIMBERSCOMBE MINEHEAD TELEPHONE : TIMBERSCOMBE 243". Following, between two horizontal lines is "ACCOMMODATION CATERING FULLY LICENSED BED & BREAKFAST SNACKS". Along the bottom centre is "Proprietors: Mr. and Mrs. D .G . Berry".
The proprietors are in the photograph, Dennis George (he was called his middle name) Berry and Marjorie Berry, who operated the inn from 1959 to 1972. He is the gentleman in the red waistcoat and she appears to be the woman third from the right. Their son, John, is to her right, standing behind two other women. John Berry donated this photograph in the summer of 2019.
At this time, the main bar room at The Lion Inn was entered through a door to the immediate right after entering the inn's main entrance. The door no longer exists. What will later be the bar area of The Lion, more in the centre of the building, was a living area for the family and rooms upstairs were used as accommodation (2). The main bar at the time of the Berry's can be seen at SP-103.
The Sportman's Bar was in the room to the left after entering the main entrance. (Both bar rooms are later dining rooms.) The Sportman's Bar appears to be decorated with two small boats at each end of the scalloped awning, with festive hats, banners and wine bottles. Oars can be seen to the left and right. On the pen and ink drawing, these oars are each crossed with another oar. A clock labeled "GUINNESS TIME" is on the upper left and there seems to be a bottle of Worcester Sauce on the shelf over the head of the gentleman wearing a black sports coat. He was identified in 2019 by John Berry as Richard Salaman, a customer. He is likely Richard O.M. Salaman, born in Exmoor in 1943 (3).
George Berry was born 15 December 1915 in Dorset (4). In the 1939 England and Wales Register, he was working as a "Manager for a Tailoress" in Reading, Berkshire. He married Marjorie Whitehead in July 1940 at Oxford (5) where she had worked as a Post Office Clerk (6). She was born 27 January 1919 at the district of Headington in Oxfordshire (7). After leaving The Lion Inn in 1972 and moving with her husband to Alcombe, Marjorie died 8 September 1982 (8).
George Berry was confined to a wheelchair while still managing The Lion Inn and is remembered by Timberscombe residents manoeuvering it behind the bar. He died 12 March 1975, living on Bircham Road in Alcombe (9). He and his wife are both buried at the Original Garden of Rest Plot at the Minehead Cemetery (10).
The illustration on the promotional card is labelled "THE SPORTSMAN'S BAR" on the lower left, with what appears to be "Roulston's", seemingly the producer of the card, on the lower right, followed with what may be "60", perhaps indicating 1960. The cover of this card, which depicts a pen and ink of the exterior front of The Lion Inn, is visible at SP-101. An original copy of the promotional card and photographs were given by John Berry to The Lion (as then called) in the summer of 2019.
The proprietors are in the photograph, Dennis George (he was called his middle name) Berry and Marjorie Berry, who operated the inn from 1959 to 1972. He is the gentleman in the red waistcoat and she appears to be the woman third from the right. Their son, John, is to her right, standing behind two other women. John Berry donated this photograph in the summer of 2019.
At this time, the main bar room at The Lion Inn was entered through a door to the immediate right after entering the inn's main entrance. The door no longer exists. What will later be the bar area of The Lion, more in the centre of the building, was a living area for the family and rooms upstairs were used as accommodation (2). The main bar at the time of the Berry's can be seen at SP-103.
The Sportman's Bar was in the room to the left after entering the main entrance. (Both bar rooms are later dining rooms.) The Sportman's Bar appears to be decorated with two small boats at each end of the scalloped awning, with festive hats, banners and wine bottles. Oars can be seen to the left and right. On the pen and ink drawing, these oars are each crossed with another oar. A clock labeled "GUINNESS TIME" is on the upper left and there seems to be a bottle of Worcester Sauce on the shelf over the head of the gentleman wearing a black sports coat. He was identified in 2019 by John Berry as Richard Salaman, a customer. He is likely Richard O.M. Salaman, born in Exmoor in 1943 (3).
George Berry was born 15 December 1915 in Dorset (4). In the 1939 England and Wales Register, he was working as a "Manager for a Tailoress" in Reading, Berkshire. He married Marjorie Whitehead in July 1940 at Oxford (5) where she had worked as a Post Office Clerk (6). She was born 27 January 1919 at the district of Headington in Oxfordshire (7). After leaving The Lion Inn in 1972 and moving with her husband to Alcombe, Marjorie died 8 September 1982 (8).
George Berry was confined to a wheelchair while still managing The Lion Inn and is remembered by Timberscombe residents manoeuvering it behind the bar. He died 12 March 1975, living on Bircham Road in Alcombe (9). He and his wife are both buried at the Original Garden of Rest Plot at the Minehead Cemetery (10).
The illustration on the promotional card is labelled "THE SPORTSMAN'S BAR" on the lower left, with what appears to be "Roulston's", seemingly the producer of the card, on the lower right, followed with what may be "60", perhaps indicating 1960. The cover of this card, which depicts a pen and ink of the exterior front of The Lion Inn, is visible at SP-101. An original copy of the promotional card and photographs were given by John Berry to The Lion (as then called) in the summer of 2019.
Creator
Roulston's /
Anonymous
Anonymous
Source
Date
c. 1961
early 1960s
early 1960s
Contributor
Format
Language
English
Identifier
The Sportsman's Bar at the Lion Inn, c. 1960 / Timberscombe / Village Centre
Acquisition Date
2019
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PLACES: Pubs / Timberscombe
PEOPLE: Named / Timberscombe
PEOPLE: Named / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
Entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2020
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
9.5 X 20.5
11 X 17.5 (ARTWORK)
10 X 15
11 X 17.5 (ARTWORK)
10 X 15
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Club
Notes
(1) as recalled in 2019 by John Berry (2) as recalled in 2019 by John Berry (3) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 (4) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 (5) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (6) 1939 England and Wales Register (7) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 (8) England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 and Global, Find A Grave Index for Burial at Sea and Other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current (9) England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 (10) Global, Find A Grave Index for Burial at Sea and Other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2020
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-102
Technique
Copies
Citation
Roulston's /
Anonymous, “The Berry Family at the Sportsman's Bar, The Lion Inn, early 1960's,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 18, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3291.
Comments