The Eastern Gate House (or Toll House), Approaching Timberscombe
Title
The Eastern Gate House (or Toll House), Approaching Timberscombe
Subject
Description
On the 15th of February 1765, a petition was sent to Parliament from the people of Minehead, declaring that their road, running from Watchet and Minehead to Bampton, and passing through Dulverton, Brushford Green and Exebridge, was "very narrow, founderous and much out of repair". The Minehead Turnpike Trust Act was passed in May 1765, with the intention of turning the Minehead to Bampton road into a turnpike and with the tolls collected, improve it's condition (1).
Unfortunately this happened at the same time of a decline in trade, and income from the tolls did not cover necessary costs (2). Nevertheless, attempts at road improvements continued. In 1822, a change in the road was proposed in the area of Hele Bridge (on the western end of Timberscombe), with a new section of road to be built, crossing " the present Turnpike Road as it extends from or near a Dwelling House in the Parish of Timberscombe, in the Occupation of the said Robert Blackmore or his Undertenant" (3). With the aid of £2,000 loaned by the House of Commons to the "Trustees of Minehead and Bampton Road", the new road was completed by 1826 (4).
The undated colour photograph, seen here, is a former gate house (or toll house) of that road, on the northeastern end of the village of Timberscombe, at the hamlet of Cowbridge. The "Dwelling House" mentioned in the description of the 1822 road change (as it later appeared) was likely a public house owned by Robert Blackmore, born in 1775 (5) and who died in 1843 and was buried at St, Petrock's Church in Timberscombe (6). Mr. Blackmore also owned other properties on the northeastern edge of Timberscombe, including the row of buildings that contained his public house, the Rose and Crown (7). The position of the new gatehouse would have been before arriving at The Rose and Crown, if travelling from Minehead, perhaps a good place to collect a toll from travellers before a stop at the pub.
Built of the local red sandstone, the gatehouse was situated on a section of the road, locally called the Dunster Road, before it was classified as the A396 in 1922 (8). To the house's left, is a junction with Cowbridge Road--which quickly sloops downward. On the other side of the junction was the Cowbridge Garage and then across and facing Cowbridge Road is the Cowbridge Mill (a sliver of the mill is visible on the left edge of the photograph).
The gate house is seen on the 1843 Tithe Map, or at least an earlier version, where the house's front facade actually extended into the road. By the 1844-1888 Ordnance Survey, the house is altered so that only the left side of the front facade extends into the road and a rectangular addition had been made to the right at the back--which would have been on a lower ground level. By the 1921-1943 survey map, the entire front facade has been altered so that it is off the road, much as in this photograph. At the same time, a larger section has been added to the rear left side, possibly to help support the house.
In the 1871 Census, the house is called The Turnpike Gate, and is collecting tolls. The Toll Collector was Mrs. Mary Lyddon, living here with her husband, Thomas, a tailor, and their four children. By 1881, the Lyddons had moved up the road to Berrowcote, where Mary Lyddon became sub-postmistress of the post office, until her death in 1913 (9).
In 1889, a Mr. Featherstone was interviewed for the First Report of the Royal Commissions on Market Rights and Tolls. His father had lived on the "Tiverton to Minehead" road (as he recalled it) at "White Hart" inn. He remembered that 2d. was collected for weighing and 3d. paid to the old woman for "selling sweets" (10).
It is not recorded if Mrs. Lyddon also sold sweets during her time at the gatehouse, but Mrs. Jennings, who later lived here is remembered having them. Elsie Sarah Jennings was born at Carhampton in 1901 as Elsie Sarah Needs. In 1930 she became the second wife of William James Jennings, a gardener living in Cowbridge, seemingly at one of the Hart Cleeve Cottages on Knowle Lane. After his death in 1950, Elsie Sarah Jennings relocated down Cowbridge Road to the gatehouse. She died in 1971 and was buried at St. Petrock's Churchyard (11) . The house is remembered by residents of Timberscombe as "Mrs. Jenning's House" (12). Sarah (nee Grabham) Hill is the grand-daughter of Sam Grabham, who began working across the road at the sawmill in 1911, joined in 1938 by his son, Kenneth Grabham (13)--Mrs. Hill's father. In 2019, Mrs. Hill remembered Mrs. Jennings at her door, seemingly always dressed in a white pinafore and handing sweets out to visiting children.
By the mid 20th century, the house is largely remembered as becoming derelict. Almost anyone asked about their memory of the house replies with a variation of "it was splitting in two". It seems probable it could no longer cope with being on such a downward slope. Mrs. Jennings still lived here as long as she could but the house was demolished sometime in the early 1960's (14).
This photograph was shared in 2019 by Owen Rush, the owner of the Cowbridge Mill.
Unfortunately this happened at the same time of a decline in trade, and income from the tolls did not cover necessary costs (2). Nevertheless, attempts at road improvements continued. In 1822, a change in the road was proposed in the area of Hele Bridge (on the western end of Timberscombe), with a new section of road to be built, crossing " the present Turnpike Road as it extends from or near a Dwelling House in the Parish of Timberscombe, in the Occupation of the said Robert Blackmore or his Undertenant" (3). With the aid of £2,000 loaned by the House of Commons to the "Trustees of Minehead and Bampton Road", the new road was completed by 1826 (4).
The undated colour photograph, seen here, is a former gate house (or toll house) of that road, on the northeastern end of the village of Timberscombe, at the hamlet of Cowbridge. The "Dwelling House" mentioned in the description of the 1822 road change (as it later appeared) was likely a public house owned by Robert Blackmore, born in 1775 (5) and who died in 1843 and was buried at St, Petrock's Church in Timberscombe (6). Mr. Blackmore also owned other properties on the northeastern edge of Timberscombe, including the row of buildings that contained his public house, the Rose and Crown (7). The position of the new gatehouse would have been before arriving at The Rose and Crown, if travelling from Minehead, perhaps a good place to collect a toll from travellers before a stop at the pub.
Built of the local red sandstone, the gatehouse was situated on a section of the road, locally called the Dunster Road, before it was classified as the A396 in 1922 (8). To the house's left, is a junction with Cowbridge Road--which quickly sloops downward. On the other side of the junction was the Cowbridge Garage and then across and facing Cowbridge Road is the Cowbridge Mill (a sliver of the mill is visible on the left edge of the photograph).
The gate house is seen on the 1843 Tithe Map, or at least an earlier version, where the house's front facade actually extended into the road. By the 1844-1888 Ordnance Survey, the house is altered so that only the left side of the front facade extends into the road and a rectangular addition had been made to the right at the back--which would have been on a lower ground level. By the 1921-1943 survey map, the entire front facade has been altered so that it is off the road, much as in this photograph. At the same time, a larger section has been added to the rear left side, possibly to help support the house.
In the 1871 Census, the house is called The Turnpike Gate, and is collecting tolls. The Toll Collector was Mrs. Mary Lyddon, living here with her husband, Thomas, a tailor, and their four children. By 1881, the Lyddons had moved up the road to Berrowcote, where Mary Lyddon became sub-postmistress of the post office, until her death in 1913 (9).
In 1889, a Mr. Featherstone was interviewed for the First Report of the Royal Commissions on Market Rights and Tolls. His father had lived on the "Tiverton to Minehead" road (as he recalled it) at "White Hart" inn. He remembered that 2d. was collected for weighing and 3d. paid to the old woman for "selling sweets" (10).
It is not recorded if Mrs. Lyddon also sold sweets during her time at the gatehouse, but Mrs. Jennings, who later lived here is remembered having them. Elsie Sarah Jennings was born at Carhampton in 1901 as Elsie Sarah Needs. In 1930 she became the second wife of William James Jennings, a gardener living in Cowbridge, seemingly at one of the Hart Cleeve Cottages on Knowle Lane. After his death in 1950, Elsie Sarah Jennings relocated down Cowbridge Road to the gatehouse. She died in 1971 and was buried at St. Petrock's Churchyard (11) . The house is remembered by residents of Timberscombe as "Mrs. Jenning's House" (12). Sarah (nee Grabham) Hill is the grand-daughter of Sam Grabham, who began working across the road at the sawmill in 1911, joined in 1938 by his son, Kenneth Grabham (13)--Mrs. Hill's father. In 2019, Mrs. Hill remembered Mrs. Jennings at her door, seemingly always dressed in a white pinafore and handing sweets out to visiting children.
By the mid 20th century, the house is largely remembered as becoming derelict. Almost anyone asked about their memory of the house replies with a variation of "it was splitting in two". It seems probable it could no longer cope with being on such a downward slope. Mrs. Jennings still lived here as long as she could but the house was demolished sometime in the early 1960's (14).
This photograph was shared in 2019 by Owen Rush, the owner of the Cowbridge Mill.
Creator
Anonymous
Source
Date
undated but pre early 1960s
Contributor
Format
Language
English
Identifier
Gate House / Timberscombe / northeastern Timberscombe
Acquisition Date
2019
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PLACES: Houses / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
Entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2020
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
10.5 X 10.5
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) foda.org.uk and bampton.org.uk/ history-old routes (2) Victoria County History.ac.uk (3) Journal of the House of Lords, June 1822, books.google.com>books (4) Finance: Accounts, Volume 19, Parliament House of Commons, 1826, books.google.com>books (5) Somerset, England, Church of England Burials, 1913-1914 (6) UK and Ireland, Find a Grave Index, 1300s-Current (7) Poll Year 1932, UK, Poll Books and Electoral Registers, 1538 -1993 and Somerset Record Office, Taunton, as researched and drawn by John Burns, February 1989 for the Timberscombe School (8) sabre-roads.org.uk (9) 1881 England Census and Somerset, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1914 (10) First Report of the Royal Commission of Market Rights and Tolls, Volume 1, Books.google.com>books (11) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915, 1939 England and Wales Register, England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005, England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 and UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (12) recollections by Maurice Huxtable and Owen Rush in January 2019 (13 ) TimbercombeVillage.com/ History of Timberscombe/ Other Historic Structures/. Cowbridge Mill , written by Lesley Webb (14) as recalled by Wendy Hellewell in September 2019
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2020
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-044
Technique
Copy
Citation
Anonymous, “The Eastern Gate House (or Toll House), Approaching Timberscombe,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 17, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3375.
Comments