The Timberscombe Club Walk Proceeding Down Jubilee Terrace, possibly 1910-1914
Title
The Timberscombe Club Walk Proceeding Down Jubilee Terrace, possibly 1910-1914
Subject
Description
An Alfred Vowles photograph of the Timberscombe Friendly Society conducting its annual procession, the Timberscombe Club Walk, down Jubilee Terrace in the village's centre.
The photograph, labeled "THE TIMBERSCOMBE CLUB PASSING THROUGH THE VILLAGE" also has "VOWLES PORLOCK" lettered on the bottom right corner. The photographer is Alfred Vowles and the photograph was possibly taken at the same time as another Vowles photograph, seen at SP-107, showing the marchers further west on Addison's Folly (later re-named Bemberry Bank), the road which leads directly into Jubilee Terrace. Both photographs are labelled and signed in the same style.
Alfred Vowles, born in 1882 at Stone Allerton, near Axbridge, Somerset, had originally moved to London at the age of fourteen. He worked as a clerk for various companies, ultimately at the counting house of the Eastman Kodak Company (1). Perhaps this position piqued an interest in becoming a photographer. By 1905, Vowles was back in Somerset, answering an advertisement to become a photographer's assistant. By April 1910, he was in Porlock, launching a solo career (2). For the next 30 years he relentlessly photographed Exmoor, becoming it's most renowned chronicler.
Vowles was only in Porlock from April 1910 until the outbreak of World War I in 1914, when he volunteered and become an official war photographer, at Sutton Veney, of scores of British and Australian troops (3). The labeling of the photograph seen here and SP-107 are consistent with his style in those first four years. The photograph has also been identified as 1927 but that is probably too late.
After the war, Alfred Vowles returned to Exmoor. He married Lilian Ethel Bowerman in 1931, after he had opened a studio in Minehead. He left Exmoor around 1940 and in 1947 married again, a former acquaintance, the trained opera singer, poetess and author, Dorothy Una (nee Clough, then Ratcliffe) Phillips, taking"Phillips", the name of her second husband as his surname. They moved to Anne Street in Edinburgh, where Alfred died on 22 February 1965 (4).
An origin of Friendly Societies is that of Middle Age guilds, where fellow workers of the same trade supported each other in times of need (5). In the 17th and 18th century, Friendly Societies expanded throughout Britain, providing help for the ill, the mentally unstable, arranging burials and financing funerals, extending loans or credit and when required, setting up pensions (6). The Timberscombe Friendly Society was founded in 1827 (7).
Every year, on the first Tuesday (8) or the first Thursday or later on Whit-Monday (9), a Timberscombe Club Walk was held. The participants would gather in the morning at Bickham Manor, on the southwest edge of Timberscombe. At the end of the Club Walk, they were often on the northeastern end of the village at the farmhouse, Duddings (10). In between they processed along Addison's Folly, entered Jubilee Terrace (as pictured) and likely stopped at St. Petrock's Church where a late breakfast would be served. The cost of the meal was money provided to the Friendly Society (11). The middle of the march might include a village fair, sports at the club field (12) and no doubt, side visits to The Lion and/or the Rose and Crown, until the latter pub closed in 1915 (13).
Many of the walk participants, all male, carried poles adorned with flowers, foliage and ribbons. The large flags evident here, may have included ones gifted to the Timberscombe Club in 1876 by the Minehead Friendly Society (14). Boys are running alongside the members and in a blur, past the marchers, may be a contingent of following women and children.
By 1911, The Insurance Act was passed , providing national unemployment benefits and primary care (15). Although Friendly Societies still exist and still aid, by 1939 the last Timberscombe Club Walk was walked (16). In 1892, the small village of Timberscombe had about 130 members, down to around 60 in the 1930's. The Timberscombe Friendly Society was disbanded c. 1948 (17), the same year the National Health Service was launched (18).
The buildings seen here on the right are considered to be late 18th or early 19th century (19) and certainly appear on the 1843 Tithe Map. The road itself is newer. Beginning in 1883, a previous pathway was widened and other buildings were demolished, creating Jubilee Terrace by 1887 (20), a road providing a western entrance and exit to the village. Two storefronts with entryways are seen on the right. The upper one is at Combe House (often called Coombe House), with a doorway that has a private entrance to its left. This storefront will become the village post office in 1969 (21). The other storefront is at No. 3 Jubilee Terrace (as later called), also with a storefront entrance and a private entrance to the right. In later years the storefront entrance is removed, creating a larger window. A gap in the window's sill and differences in stonework can still suggest where the door was once placed.
Across the terrace, the white house with woman at it's doorway, is a semi-detached accommodation extension onto the back of the Old Forge (not visible), at a site where there may have been blacksmiths working since the 1100's (22). The woman could well be Edith Surridge, who in 1912 married Robert John Grabham (23), the blacksmith most likely working here at the time of the photograph. He was born in 1884, to Mary (nee Packman) and William Grabham, who also smithed at this location (24). At some point after 1919, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Grabham moved to Marshfield Road in Minehead, where he continued working as a blacksmith (25). By the 1930's the Old Forge was converted into three flats (26), with entryways on the other (the southern) side of the building. The doorway with the woman was converted into a window.
This photograph was donated to the St. Petrock's History Group by Jenny Gratton.
The photograph, labeled "THE TIMBERSCOMBE CLUB PASSING THROUGH THE VILLAGE" also has "VOWLES PORLOCK" lettered on the bottom right corner. The photographer is Alfred Vowles and the photograph was possibly taken at the same time as another Vowles photograph, seen at SP-107, showing the marchers further west on Addison's Folly (later re-named Bemberry Bank), the road which leads directly into Jubilee Terrace. Both photographs are labelled and signed in the same style.
Alfred Vowles, born in 1882 at Stone Allerton, near Axbridge, Somerset, had originally moved to London at the age of fourteen. He worked as a clerk for various companies, ultimately at the counting house of the Eastman Kodak Company (1). Perhaps this position piqued an interest in becoming a photographer. By 1905, Vowles was back in Somerset, answering an advertisement to become a photographer's assistant. By April 1910, he was in Porlock, launching a solo career (2). For the next 30 years he relentlessly photographed Exmoor, becoming it's most renowned chronicler.
Vowles was only in Porlock from April 1910 until the outbreak of World War I in 1914, when he volunteered and become an official war photographer, at Sutton Veney, of scores of British and Australian troops (3). The labeling of the photograph seen here and SP-107 are consistent with his style in those first four years. The photograph has also been identified as 1927 but that is probably too late.
After the war, Alfred Vowles returned to Exmoor. He married Lilian Ethel Bowerman in 1931, after he had opened a studio in Minehead. He left Exmoor around 1940 and in 1947 married again, a former acquaintance, the trained opera singer, poetess and author, Dorothy Una (nee Clough, then Ratcliffe) Phillips, taking"Phillips", the name of her second husband as his surname. They moved to Anne Street in Edinburgh, where Alfred died on 22 February 1965 (4).
An origin of Friendly Societies is that of Middle Age guilds, where fellow workers of the same trade supported each other in times of need (5). In the 17th and 18th century, Friendly Societies expanded throughout Britain, providing help for the ill, the mentally unstable, arranging burials and financing funerals, extending loans or credit and when required, setting up pensions (6). The Timberscombe Friendly Society was founded in 1827 (7).
Every year, on the first Tuesday (8) or the first Thursday or later on Whit-Monday (9), a Timberscombe Club Walk was held. The participants would gather in the morning at Bickham Manor, on the southwest edge of Timberscombe. At the end of the Club Walk, they were often on the northeastern end of the village at the farmhouse, Duddings (10). In between they processed along Addison's Folly, entered Jubilee Terrace (as pictured) and likely stopped at St. Petrock's Church where a late breakfast would be served. The cost of the meal was money provided to the Friendly Society (11). The middle of the march might include a village fair, sports at the club field (12) and no doubt, side visits to The Lion and/or the Rose and Crown, until the latter pub closed in 1915 (13).
Many of the walk participants, all male, carried poles adorned with flowers, foliage and ribbons. The large flags evident here, may have included ones gifted to the Timberscombe Club in 1876 by the Minehead Friendly Society (14). Boys are running alongside the members and in a blur, past the marchers, may be a contingent of following women and children.
By 1911, The Insurance Act was passed , providing national unemployment benefits and primary care (15). Although Friendly Societies still exist and still aid, by 1939 the last Timberscombe Club Walk was walked (16). In 1892, the small village of Timberscombe had about 130 members, down to around 60 in the 1930's. The Timberscombe Friendly Society was disbanded c. 1948 (17), the same year the National Health Service was launched (18).
The buildings seen here on the right are considered to be late 18th or early 19th century (19) and certainly appear on the 1843 Tithe Map. The road itself is newer. Beginning in 1883, a previous pathway was widened and other buildings were demolished, creating Jubilee Terrace by 1887 (20), a road providing a western entrance and exit to the village. Two storefronts with entryways are seen on the right. The upper one is at Combe House (often called Coombe House), with a doorway that has a private entrance to its left. This storefront will become the village post office in 1969 (21). The other storefront is at No. 3 Jubilee Terrace (as later called), also with a storefront entrance and a private entrance to the right. In later years the storefront entrance is removed, creating a larger window. A gap in the window's sill and differences in stonework can still suggest where the door was once placed.
Across the terrace, the white house with woman at it's doorway, is a semi-detached accommodation extension onto the back of the Old Forge (not visible), at a site where there may have been blacksmiths working since the 1100's (22). The woman could well be Edith Surridge, who in 1912 married Robert John Grabham (23), the blacksmith most likely working here at the time of the photograph. He was born in 1884, to Mary (nee Packman) and William Grabham, who also smithed at this location (24). At some point after 1919, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Grabham moved to Marshfield Road in Minehead, where he continued working as a blacksmith (25). By the 1930's the Old Forge was converted into three flats (26), with entryways on the other (the southern) side of the building. The doorway with the woman was converted into a window.
This photograph was donated to the St. Petrock's History Group by Jenny Gratton.
Creator
Alfred Vowles
Source
Date
possibly 1910-1914
Contributor
Language
English
Identifier
Timberscombe Club Walk, c. 1910-1914 / Timberscombe / Village Centre
Acquisition Date
2020
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PEOPLE: Organisations / Timberscombe
EVENTS: the Timberscombe Club Walk / Timberscombe
EVENTS: the Timberscombe Club Walk / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2020
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
18 X 11
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) "AROUND MINEHEAD FROM OLD PHOTOGRAPHS", by Joan Astell, Amberley Publishing, Stroud, Gloucestershire, 2010 (2) "EXMOOR CENTURY" by Hilary Binding, Brian Pearce and Steven Pugsley, Exmoor Books, 2001 (3) "AROUND MINEHEAD FROM OLD PHOTOGRAPHS" (4) artisan harmony.co., England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005, "Secure the shadow: Somerset Photographers 1839-1939" by Robin Ansell, Allan Collier and Phil Nichols, The Somerset and Dorset Family History Society, 2018 and Web: UK, Burial and Cremation Index, 1776-2014 (5) Encyclopedia Britannica, britannica.com/friendlysociety (6) Encyclopedia.com (7) Victoria County History.ac.uk (8) VCH (9) "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 (10) as recalled at Duddings Holiday Cottages in 2018 and as photographed at SP-113 (11) VCH (12) "THE VILLAGE OF TIMBERSCOMBE AND ITS CHURCH" (13) VCH (14) VCH (15) Spartacus Education.com (16) "THE VILLAGE OF TIMBERSCOMBE AND IT'S CHURCH" (17) VCH (18) nationalarchives.gov.uk (19) Historic Environment Record, Exmoor National Park and VCH (20) VCH (21) as recalled in 2019 by Mary Holcombe who had a store at No. 3 Jubilee Terrace (22) VCH and HER (23) England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Certificate, 1837- 1912 (24) 1939 England and Wales Register and 1891 England Census (25) 1939 England and Wales Register (26) as recalled in 2020 by Joy Booth, a lifelong resident of Timberscombe
Storage Location
St. Petrock's History Group Archive
Storage Date
2020
Storage Notes
St. Petrock's History Group PHOTOGRAPHS
Item Reference
SP-108
Technique
Copy
Collection
Citation
Alfred Vowles, “The Timberscombe Club Walk Proceeding Down Jubilee Terrace, possibly 1910-1914,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 2, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3416.
Comments