The Southern End of Timberscombe's Brook Street, Published by Mrs. E.H. Hyde of Timberscombe and The R.A.P. Co., Ltd. of London
Title
The Southern End of Timberscombe's Brook Street, Published by Mrs. E.H. Hyde of Timberscombe and The R.A.P. Co., Ltd. of London
Subject
Description
A colourised front and the reverse of a postcard depicting the southern end of Timberscombe's Brook Street. Neatly printed on the bottom left of the front is "THE STORES, TIMBERSCOMBE". On the bottom left of the reverse, in sepia coloured lettering, is "The R.A.P. Co., Ltd., London, E.C.4." but perhaps of more local interest, alongside the left edge of the reverse is "Published by Mrs. E.H. Hyde, The Stores, Timberscombe".
The vantage point of this photograph is similar to that of SP-029, a photograph taken probably in the 1910s. On the postcard shown here, a butcher shop window is visible on the left foreground. "S. J. STENNER", the name of the shop's proprietor, Samuel James Stenner, is painted along the top of the window against a dark background, not seen clearly here but is legible at SP-029.
Semi-detached to the shop's right is the home of Mr. Stenner and his family, called Brook House (1), possibly built in the 17th century (2). Visible on its' left end is what appears to be a notice board (or something similar), not apparent in other photographs. Unfortunately both of these buildings will be demolished later, as seen at SP-033.
The rest of the row is also semi-detached, but set further back from the road. It consists of three structures, all likely shops at this time. On the postcard, the first of these is blocked from view by Brook House, with only a portion of awning extending outward. It is possible that at the time of this photograph, this was a slaughterhouse for S. J. Stenner's (3). By the 1939 England and Wales Register, this hidden building had become known as Old Malt House and housed a butcher's shop run by Ernest Burnell. Either way, it does not appear to be part of "The Stores ", as labelled on the postcard. (Later Old Malt House became known as Ye Olde Malthouse and in 2023 became The Old Malt House).
Two structures are visible beyond the awning, ending the row at the junction of Brook Street and Great House Street. Previously, at least the building at the far end had been R. Poole's Shop, a Grocer, Tailor and Draper, run by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Poole, as seen in a c. 1909 photograph at SP-034. Here, it has been altered and now seems to share a doorway, covered by a gabled porch, with the cottage next door (to the left). It is likely both are at this time the shops known as "The Stores" and were indeed run by Mrs. E. H. Hyde.
Mrs. Hyde was born as Ethel Daley on 26 March 1894 in Willesden, London. By the age of 17 she was in retail, working as a shop assistant at Ealing (4), where in 1916 she married Joseph Hyde, who listed his profession as "Cook" (5). Their daughter, Hilda Rita Caroline Hyde, was born in 1918 and baptised at St. John the Baptist at Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex and the Diocese of London. Her parents were listed collectively as "shopkeeper"(6). On the 1921 Census, the Hyde family was still living in Middlesex.
At some point after that, the Hydes came to Timberscombe, where on the 1939 England and Wales Register, Ethel Hyde was "Shopkeeper, Grocery, Drapery (and another unreadable word beginning with "Ch") at "The Stores". Their location was placed between Old Malt House and Great House Street, just as they appear on this postcard. Robert Poole had died in 1932, but the stores were still called "Poole's" by the residents of Timberscombe at least through World War II (7), making it difficult to actually date this photograph.
Both stores, be they The Stores or Poole's, will later convert to residential accommodations. The end cottage will be known as Butterflies (which retains a shop-like front window). The cottage to the left, with the bay window and a separate door, will become the residence later called Brooklyn.
The R.A.P. Co., Ltd., London, E.C.4, printed on the reverse, was Rapid Art Photography, which was established by Mr. de Jornette Plummer, who emigrated to England from Europe, c. 1901 and who in 1903 had a photographic stall on the Brighton Palace Pier (8). In 1902, Mr. Plummer had married Hortense Sober, who listed her occupation as photographer. By 1910 the couple had opened a photographic gallery on Chelsea Bridge Pier in London--the E.C. 4 address where Mr. Plummer also published postcards (9). Further galleries were established in Eastbourne, Bournemouth, Croydon, Dover, Folkstone, Southsea and finally Hastings--the last of these, was solely operated by Madame Hortense Plummer, as she was now identified (10). Most of these galleries seem to have closed in 1919 at the time of the death of Madame Plummer.
Mr. Plummer established a new studio in Liverpool on the 6th of May 1921, with a new wife, Edith Mary (nee Metters) Plummer--also a photographer. It was a portrait studio and sold photographic equipment. A year later, Edith Plummer was reported to be "the sole director" and Plummer disappeared, possibly relocating elsewhere in Europe (11).
Nevertheless R.A. P. Co. postcards continued to be published, at least to around 1930 (12). Those with the logo of the "RA Series", as seen above on the reverse, also included a local publisher's name (13)---here being Mrs. E. H. Hyde. Likely, Ethel Hyde contributed to publishing costs and shared in any profits, as well as getting modest advertising for her shops. Other RA Series postcards with this style of label and logo appear dated as early as 1910 (14) but as Mrs. Hyde was not in Timberscombe until after 1921, later that decade or in the early 1930's, are probable dates for this postcard.
Joseph Hyde, 25 years older than his wife, was listed in 1939 as a Retired Boarding House Keeper. Their daughter, Hilda, worked with her mother as a Shop Assistant. Two years later, Hilda married Matthew J. Heard (15), originally from Dulverton (16). She died in 1995 and was buried with both of her parents at St. Michael and All Saints in Bampton, Devon. Joseph Hyde died in 1961 and Ethel died in 1968 (17).
Four young people have gathered in the road, with another individual visible on the right edge of the photograph, in front of the left side of Lion Inn. The inn looks much as it does at SP-029, although a utility pole has been erected, suggesting this photograph is more recent. Public houses have likely been at this site since the 1600's. An alehouse called The Boot was here by 1820, which was partly rebuilt, becoming Lion Inn c. 1841 (18). Two doorways are seen on this side of Lion Inn. The one to the right is likely a work entrance to the pub. The other is an accommodation, later known as Honeysuckle. In 2019 a porch with a tiled roof will be erected over this doorway by Malcolm and Judy Passmore, the current owners of The Lion Inn (as it becomes known).
This postcard was donated in January 2022 by Chanelle Singleton of The Bracken at Hole's Square in Timberscombe. In 2023, the St. Petrock's History Group was gifted with an original copy of the postcard by a donor who preferred to remain anonymous, which as been archived with VILLAGE HISTORIES.
The vantage point of this photograph is similar to that of SP-029, a photograph taken probably in the 1910s. On the postcard shown here, a butcher shop window is visible on the left foreground. "S. J. STENNER", the name of the shop's proprietor, Samuel James Stenner, is painted along the top of the window against a dark background, not seen clearly here but is legible at SP-029.
Semi-detached to the shop's right is the home of Mr. Stenner and his family, called Brook House (1), possibly built in the 17th century (2). Visible on its' left end is what appears to be a notice board (or something similar), not apparent in other photographs. Unfortunately both of these buildings will be demolished later, as seen at SP-033.
The rest of the row is also semi-detached, but set further back from the road. It consists of three structures, all likely shops at this time. On the postcard, the first of these is blocked from view by Brook House, with only a portion of awning extending outward. It is possible that at the time of this photograph, this was a slaughterhouse for S. J. Stenner's (3). By the 1939 England and Wales Register, this hidden building had become known as Old Malt House and housed a butcher's shop run by Ernest Burnell. Either way, it does not appear to be part of "The Stores ", as labelled on the postcard. (Later Old Malt House became known as Ye Olde Malthouse and in 2023 became The Old Malt House).
Two structures are visible beyond the awning, ending the row at the junction of Brook Street and Great House Street. Previously, at least the building at the far end had been R. Poole's Shop, a Grocer, Tailor and Draper, run by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Poole, as seen in a c. 1909 photograph at SP-034. Here, it has been altered and now seems to share a doorway, covered by a gabled porch, with the cottage next door (to the left). It is likely both are at this time the shops known as "The Stores" and were indeed run by Mrs. E. H. Hyde.
Mrs. Hyde was born as Ethel Daley on 26 March 1894 in Willesden, London. By the age of 17 she was in retail, working as a shop assistant at Ealing (4), where in 1916 she married Joseph Hyde, who listed his profession as "Cook" (5). Their daughter, Hilda Rita Caroline Hyde, was born in 1918 and baptised at St. John the Baptist at Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex and the Diocese of London. Her parents were listed collectively as "shopkeeper"(6). On the 1921 Census, the Hyde family was still living in Middlesex.
At some point after that, the Hydes came to Timberscombe, where on the 1939 England and Wales Register, Ethel Hyde was "Shopkeeper, Grocery, Drapery (and another unreadable word beginning with "Ch") at "The Stores". Their location was placed between Old Malt House and Great House Street, just as they appear on this postcard. Robert Poole had died in 1932, but the stores were still called "Poole's" by the residents of Timberscombe at least through World War II (7), making it difficult to actually date this photograph.
Both stores, be they The Stores or Poole's, will later convert to residential accommodations. The end cottage will be known as Butterflies (which retains a shop-like front window). The cottage to the left, with the bay window and a separate door, will become the residence later called Brooklyn.
The R.A.P. Co., Ltd., London, E.C.4, printed on the reverse, was Rapid Art Photography, which was established by Mr. de Jornette Plummer, who emigrated to England from Europe, c. 1901 and who in 1903 had a photographic stall on the Brighton Palace Pier (8). In 1902, Mr. Plummer had married Hortense Sober, who listed her occupation as photographer. By 1910 the couple had opened a photographic gallery on Chelsea Bridge Pier in London--the E.C. 4 address where Mr. Plummer also published postcards (9). Further galleries were established in Eastbourne, Bournemouth, Croydon, Dover, Folkstone, Southsea and finally Hastings--the last of these, was solely operated by Madame Hortense Plummer, as she was now identified (10). Most of these galleries seem to have closed in 1919 at the time of the death of Madame Plummer.
Mr. Plummer established a new studio in Liverpool on the 6th of May 1921, with a new wife, Edith Mary (nee Metters) Plummer--also a photographer. It was a portrait studio and sold photographic equipment. A year later, Edith Plummer was reported to be "the sole director" and Plummer disappeared, possibly relocating elsewhere in Europe (11).
Nevertheless R.A. P. Co. postcards continued to be published, at least to around 1930 (12). Those with the logo of the "RA Series", as seen above on the reverse, also included a local publisher's name (13)---here being Mrs. E. H. Hyde. Likely, Ethel Hyde contributed to publishing costs and shared in any profits, as well as getting modest advertising for her shops. Other RA Series postcards with this style of label and logo appear dated as early as 1910 (14) but as Mrs. Hyde was not in Timberscombe until after 1921, later that decade or in the early 1930's, are probable dates for this postcard.
Joseph Hyde, 25 years older than his wife, was listed in 1939 as a Retired Boarding House Keeper. Their daughter, Hilda, worked with her mother as a Shop Assistant. Two years later, Hilda married Matthew J. Heard (15), originally from Dulverton (16). She died in 1995 and was buried with both of her parents at St. Michael and All Saints in Bampton, Devon. Joseph Hyde died in 1961 and Ethel died in 1968 (17).
Four young people have gathered in the road, with another individual visible on the right edge of the photograph, in front of the left side of Lion Inn. The inn looks much as it does at SP-029, although a utility pole has been erected, suggesting this photograph is more recent. Public houses have likely been at this site since the 1600's. An alehouse called The Boot was here by 1820, which was partly rebuilt, becoming Lion Inn c. 1841 (18). Two doorways are seen on this side of Lion Inn. The one to the right is likely a work entrance to the pub. The other is an accommodation, later known as Honeysuckle. In 2019 a porch with a tiled roof will be erected over this doorway by Malcolm and Judy Passmore, the current owners of The Lion Inn (as it becomes known).
This postcard was donated in January 2022 by Chanelle Singleton of The Bracken at Hole's Square in Timberscombe. In 2023, the St. Petrock's History Group was gifted with an original copy of the postcard by a donor who preferred to remain anonymous, which as been archived with VILLAGE HISTORIES.
Creator
The R.A.P. Co., Ltd., London, E.C. 4
Source
Publisher
Mrs. E. H. Hyde, The Stores, Timberscombe
Date
1921 to early 1930s
Contributor
Language
English
Identifier
The Stores, Brook Street Shops / Timberscombe
Acquisition Date
2022
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PLACES: Village Streets
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
Entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2022
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
9,5 X 15
8.5 X 14
8.5 X 14
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) Brook House is named as the home of Mr. Stenner at the time of his death in 1926, on the England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1995 and the 1939 England and Wales Register (2) Victoria County History.ac.uk (3) recalled in 2018 by Peter Bright of Orchard Close (4) 1911 England Census (5) London, England, Church of England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936 (6) 1939 England and Wales Register and London, England, Church of England, Births and Baptisms, 1837-1920 (7) A typed copy of "TOWN MICE TO COUNTRY MICE" was donated to the St. Petrock's History Group in 2016 and is archived with PERSONAL HISTORIES. It is a draft of the first chapter (later retitled "Escape to the Country") of a memoir, "AWAY & HOME, Somerset and Essex, 1939-1945" by Pat Herniman, of her World War II evacuation from London to Timberscombe, to live with her grandparents, Harry and Annie Prole, at Kiln Farmhouse. In it, she recalls her Aunt Phyllis working at "Poole's shop next door to Burnells the butcher just across from the Lion". The memoir was published in 2016 by Papermill Books, Little Baddow, in association with The Little Baddow History Centre (8) photohistory-sussex.co.uk (9) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915, 1911 England Census and hertfordshire genealogy.co.uk (10) Postcards of the Past, sandgrownlass.co.uk and UK, City and Country Directories, 1766-1946 / Kelly's Directory of Sussex, Hastings, 1918 (11) England and Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 and photohistory-sussex.co.uk (12) the Devon History Centre has a R.A.P. Co. Ltd. postcard of the Buckfast Abbey dated c. 1930, devon-cat.swheritage.org.uk (13) Postcards of the Past, sandgrownlass.co.uk (14) examples are "Machrharish Hotel Co. Ltd.", an RA Series Post Card , published by R.A.P. Co., Ltd, London E.C.4, dated 1910, golfonoldpicturepostcards.com and "Scotch Girls Cutting Herrings, Lowescroft", Lowescroft History Image Catalogue, postmarked 1910 (15) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (16) England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 (17) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current (18) VCH
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2022
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
original postcard is archived in St. Petrock's History Group VILLAGE HISTORIES
original postcard is archived in St. Petrock's History Group VILLAGE HISTORIES
Item Reference
SP-032
Technique
Copies
Citation
The R.A.P. Co., Ltd., London, E.C. 4, “The Southern End of Timberscombe's Brook Street, Published by Mrs. E.H. Hyde of Timberscombe and The R.A.P. Co., Ltd. of London,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 18, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3389.
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