Coming to the Centre of Timberscombe From Addison's Folly, on a Peacock Brand Postcard, c. 1905
Title
Coming to the Centre of Timberscombe From Addison's Folly, on a Peacock Brand Postcard, c. 1905
Subject
Description
The top two images are different versions of the same photograph, utilised as an early 20th postcard, with "Timberscombe Church and Village" printed on the lower left and "4937 B." on the lower right. A group of children are looking eastward toward the centre of Timberscombe. The photographer would have been standing close to the Timberscombe School, where most likely the children were pupils. Aptly the top image was donated in September 2021 by Mr. John D. Jones of Monmouthshire, as it had been part of the estate of his late aunt, Mary Wright, who had been the Head Teacher of Timberscombe School from 1976 to 1985 and apparently had reproduced it on a card for a school history project (1).
In November 2023, the second version, an original postcard. was gifted to the St. Petrock's History Group by a donor who preferred to remain anonymous. At some point "1905"was handwritten on the front, confirmed with two postmarks from Dunster and Timberscombe stamped on the 12th of July of that same year---as seen on the postcard's reverse, reproduced here as the third image. It also revealed a lovely green rendering of a peacock with its tail spread, the trademark of Pictorial Stationary Company Ltd. of London, which only printed this brand of postcard from 1902 to 1908 (2).
The children are positioned alongside the road known as Addison's Folly, entering Timberscombe from the west In later years it was renamed Bemberry Bank (3). The embankment of rubble and stone, that the children are at the end of, still exists--although with the stone less visible, later covered with more foliage. In front of the children, the road splits, becoming the centre of the village.
To the left of the split, the road becomes Jubilee Terrace. Before 1883 this had been more of a pathway. Some housing in the centre of Timberscombe was demolished or rebuilt, allowing for this area to be widened and by 1887, Jubilee Terrace was completed (4). Connected to Addison's Folly, also commonly known as the Cutcombe Road, this allowed a western entrance or exit to Timberscombe.
To the right (behind the children), the road goes uphill, headed to Church Street and a northern entrance to St. Petrock's Church. In the middle of the split, on an island, is the Old Forge. In this photograph, the back of the forge and a curving wall, bordering a small garden area, is visible. Smithies have been on this site, possibly since the 1100's. On their foundations, this version was likely constructed by the early to mid 19th century (5). It has been recorded, perhaps incorrectly, that the last two blacksmiths here were a father and son. William Grabham, born c.1855, lived and worked at the Old Forge until his death in 1911 (6). His son, Robert John Grabham, born in 1884, continued at the shop at least until 1919 (7). Likely either the father and/or son were at work when this photograph was taken.
At SP-012 is a photograph of Harry Phillips, born in 1880 (8), and another young man in front of the Old Forge, with a sign over the door reading "C. PHILLIPS & SON GENERAL SMITHS". "C. Phillips" was Charles Phillips, born in 1855 (9) and the father of Harry. It had not been clear exactly when they were at the Old Forge. Originally from Exton and Bridgetown, the Phillips family arrived at the Cowbridge Mill in Cowbridge, the hamlet on the northeastern end of Timberscombe, in the 1880's (10). The Phillips family and the Grabham family likely worked in conjunction. Sam Grabham (1887-1971), a cousin of William Grabham, joined the Phillips family at Cowbridge by 1911 (11). When the 1921 Census was published in 2022, it was revealed that 18-year-old Edwin Thorne, living in Timberscombe, was working as a blacksmith at the Old Forge, employed by Harry Phillips. Mr. Philip Thorne, a great-nephew of Edwin Thorne, seeing the photograph in February 2022, believed that the younger man photographed with Harry Phillips could certainly be his great-uncle. Therefore young Edwin Thorne may have been the last blackmith at the Old Forge, working for Harry Phillips after Robert John Grabham had left Timberscombe to smith in Minehead. It is not clear how long Henry Phillips and Edwin Thorne --who died young in 1929--kept the Old Forge running as a smithy (12). By the early 1930's, it was divided into three flats (13), still addressed as Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Old Forge.
Another wall is seen on the right side of the slightly uphill road (glimpsed between the curving back wall of the Forge and the left end of the embankment). This wall later fronts gardens for the inhabitants of the Old Forge cottages and the church, although at the time of this photograph, this area was part of the Glebe lands and the Rectory Farm of the church (14). A garden cart can be seen propped up by the wall.
A white building, with a chimney at the peak of its gabled roof, is seen beyond the garden area, being Church Steps Cottage, possibly 18th or early 19th century, if not earlier (15). It is so-named as this is the location of the steps leading up to St. Petrock's Church, built on this site in the 12th century, possibly on the foundations of previous religious settlements. This became more probable in 2020, when further archaeological discoveries in the southern churchyard, subsequently carbon dated, offered incontrovertible evidence of a Saxon settlement, likely religious, on the site of the future St. Petrock's by 777 A.D. (16)
On this photograph, the church tower is prominent, rebuilt by 1708 and gifted by the sixteen-year-old Richard Elsworth (variously seen as Ellsworth or Elsworthy) of Bickham Manor (17). St. Petrock's main entrance, the North Porch, is visible to the left of the tower. Added in the 1450's, it faces over the centre of the village. (18). The church's Yew Tree appears round and healthy, believed to have been here since c. 1400 (19).
A bit of wall is on the left foreground of the photograph, which fronts the Vicarage (not visible). At the time of this photograph, the Vicarage housed the Rev. Henry Herbert Bell, the vicar at St. Petrock's from 1900-1933 (20). Later the Vicarage will be remodelled as flats, becoming known as the Old Vicarage. The front end of Kiln Farmhouse is visible at the wall's end. It appears to have its stone construction exposed, later being rendered. A half-gabled porch is over the doorway, much like the porch on Kiln Farmhouse in modern times. The Vicarage and Kiln Farmhouse are both probably late 18th or early 19th century in origin and appear on the 1843 Tithe Map.
The Pictorial Stationary Company, Ltd., the manufacturers of this postcard, was founded by Mr. Walter Keep and Mr. John Davis in 1897, operating at various London locations until settling in 1902 at 23 Moorfields, London. They became a best-selling postcard provider of the Edwardian era throughout England and Wales, somewhat less so in Ireland and apparently never ventured into Scotland. The Peacock illustration became a company trademark in December 1900. The Pictorial Stationary Company published postcards in different categories and styles (18). The type presented here was a Monochrome Postcard of the "PLATINO PHOTO" style. Monochrome Postcards were numbered above 3,000, with black and white images followed by the suffix "B" (19). Thus the "4937 B." printed on the lower right corner.
In November 2023, the second version, an original postcard. was gifted to the St. Petrock's History Group by a donor who preferred to remain anonymous. At some point "1905"was handwritten on the front, confirmed with two postmarks from Dunster and Timberscombe stamped on the 12th of July of that same year---as seen on the postcard's reverse, reproduced here as the third image. It also revealed a lovely green rendering of a peacock with its tail spread, the trademark of Pictorial Stationary Company Ltd. of London, which only printed this brand of postcard from 1902 to 1908 (2).
The children are positioned alongside the road known as Addison's Folly, entering Timberscombe from the west In later years it was renamed Bemberry Bank (3). The embankment of rubble and stone, that the children are at the end of, still exists--although with the stone less visible, later covered with more foliage. In front of the children, the road splits, becoming the centre of the village.
To the left of the split, the road becomes Jubilee Terrace. Before 1883 this had been more of a pathway. Some housing in the centre of Timberscombe was demolished or rebuilt, allowing for this area to be widened and by 1887, Jubilee Terrace was completed (4). Connected to Addison's Folly, also commonly known as the Cutcombe Road, this allowed a western entrance or exit to Timberscombe.
To the right (behind the children), the road goes uphill, headed to Church Street and a northern entrance to St. Petrock's Church. In the middle of the split, on an island, is the Old Forge. In this photograph, the back of the forge and a curving wall, bordering a small garden area, is visible. Smithies have been on this site, possibly since the 1100's. On their foundations, this version was likely constructed by the early to mid 19th century (5). It has been recorded, perhaps incorrectly, that the last two blacksmiths here were a father and son. William Grabham, born c.1855, lived and worked at the Old Forge until his death in 1911 (6). His son, Robert John Grabham, born in 1884, continued at the shop at least until 1919 (7). Likely either the father and/or son were at work when this photograph was taken.
At SP-012 is a photograph of Harry Phillips, born in 1880 (8), and another young man in front of the Old Forge, with a sign over the door reading "C. PHILLIPS & SON GENERAL SMITHS". "C. Phillips" was Charles Phillips, born in 1855 (9) and the father of Harry. It had not been clear exactly when they were at the Old Forge. Originally from Exton and Bridgetown, the Phillips family arrived at the Cowbridge Mill in Cowbridge, the hamlet on the northeastern end of Timberscombe, in the 1880's (10). The Phillips family and the Grabham family likely worked in conjunction. Sam Grabham (1887-1971), a cousin of William Grabham, joined the Phillips family at Cowbridge by 1911 (11). When the 1921 Census was published in 2022, it was revealed that 18-year-old Edwin Thorne, living in Timberscombe, was working as a blacksmith at the Old Forge, employed by Harry Phillips. Mr. Philip Thorne, a great-nephew of Edwin Thorne, seeing the photograph in February 2022, believed that the younger man photographed with Harry Phillips could certainly be his great-uncle. Therefore young Edwin Thorne may have been the last blackmith at the Old Forge, working for Harry Phillips after Robert John Grabham had left Timberscombe to smith in Minehead. It is not clear how long Henry Phillips and Edwin Thorne --who died young in 1929--kept the Old Forge running as a smithy (12). By the early 1930's, it was divided into three flats (13), still addressed as Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Old Forge.
Another wall is seen on the right side of the slightly uphill road (glimpsed between the curving back wall of the Forge and the left end of the embankment). This wall later fronts gardens for the inhabitants of the Old Forge cottages and the church, although at the time of this photograph, this area was part of the Glebe lands and the Rectory Farm of the church (14). A garden cart can be seen propped up by the wall.
A white building, with a chimney at the peak of its gabled roof, is seen beyond the garden area, being Church Steps Cottage, possibly 18th or early 19th century, if not earlier (15). It is so-named as this is the location of the steps leading up to St. Petrock's Church, built on this site in the 12th century, possibly on the foundations of previous religious settlements. This became more probable in 2020, when further archaeological discoveries in the southern churchyard, subsequently carbon dated, offered incontrovertible evidence of a Saxon settlement, likely religious, on the site of the future St. Petrock's by 777 A.D. (16)
On this photograph, the church tower is prominent, rebuilt by 1708 and gifted by the sixteen-year-old Richard Elsworth (variously seen as Ellsworth or Elsworthy) of Bickham Manor (17). St. Petrock's main entrance, the North Porch, is visible to the left of the tower. Added in the 1450's, it faces over the centre of the village. (18). The church's Yew Tree appears round and healthy, believed to have been here since c. 1400 (19).
A bit of wall is on the left foreground of the photograph, which fronts the Vicarage (not visible). At the time of this photograph, the Vicarage housed the Rev. Henry Herbert Bell, the vicar at St. Petrock's from 1900-1933 (20). Later the Vicarage will be remodelled as flats, becoming known as the Old Vicarage. The front end of Kiln Farmhouse is visible at the wall's end. It appears to have its stone construction exposed, later being rendered. A half-gabled porch is over the doorway, much like the porch on Kiln Farmhouse in modern times. The Vicarage and Kiln Farmhouse are both probably late 18th or early 19th century in origin and appear on the 1843 Tithe Map.
The Pictorial Stationary Company, Ltd., the manufacturers of this postcard, was founded by Mr. Walter Keep and Mr. John Davis in 1897, operating at various London locations until settling in 1902 at 23 Moorfields, London. They became a best-selling postcard provider of the Edwardian era throughout England and Wales, somewhat less so in Ireland and apparently never ventured into Scotland. The Peacock illustration became a company trademark in December 1900. The Pictorial Stationary Company published postcards in different categories and styles (18). The type presented here was a Monochrome Postcard of the "PLATINO PHOTO" style. Monochrome Postcards were numbered above 3,000, with black and white images followed by the suffix "B" (19). Thus the "4937 B." printed on the lower right corner.
Creator
Pictorial Stationary Co., Ltd. ,London
Publisher
Pictorial Stationary Co. Ltd., London
Date
c. 1905
Contributor
Language
English
Identifier
Addison's Folly at the village centre / Timberscombe / Bemberry Bank and the village centre
Acquisition Date
2021
2023
2023
Acquisition Method
Gift
Category
PLACES: Village Streets / Timberscombe
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
entered by Tom Sperling
Condition Date
2021
2023
2023
Dimension Type
W X L
Dimension Units
cm
Dimension Value
12.5 X 20
11.5 X 18
9.5 X 15
11.5 X 18
9.5 X 15
Institution Name
St. Petrock's History Group
Notes
(1) in the donation by Mr. Jones of items created and saved by his aunt, Mary Wright, when she was Head Teacher of Timberscombe School, this photograph was mounted and saved together with other images to be displayed as part of the history of Timberscombe's (2) undividedbackpostcard.com/2020/06/10/peacock (3) as seen at SP-039. (4) Victoria County History.ac.uk (5) VCH and as recalled in 2019 by residents of the Old Forge (6) UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current and TIMBERSCOMBE 1910 LIST OF RESIDENTS, minehead-online.co.uk (7) England & Wales Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 and Kelly's Directory of Somerset, 1919 (8) 1881 England Census and TimberscombeVillage.com/ History of Timberscombe/ Other Historic Structures/ Cowbridge Mill, written by Lesley Webb (9) 1861 England Census (10) Kelly's Directory of Somerset, 1889 (11) Timberscombe Village.com/ History of Timberscombe/ Other Historic Structures/ Cowbridge Mill, written by Lesley Webb and as recalled by Sarah (nee Grabham) Hill of Minehead, the grand-daughter of Sam Grabham--who believed he probably began at Cowbridge Mill earlier than 1911 (12) 1939 England and Wales Register and England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 (13) as recalled in 2020 by Joy Booth of The Knapp, Timberscombe (14) VCH (15) TIMBERSCOMBE TITHE MAP 1843, Source: Somerset Record Office, Taunton, as researched and redrawn by John Burns for Timberscombe School, February 1989, Timberscombe Village.com/ History of Timberscombe/ Other Historic Structures/ Village Hall History, written by Lesley Webb and VCH (16)"St. Petrock's Church Timberscombe", church pamphlet written by Marion Jeffrey, 2017 and "The Parish Church of St. Petrock, Timberscombe, Somerset, The Results of Archaeological Monitoring", Ref: 18-20/2000, April 2021, by James E. Brigers, PA PROSPECT ARCHAELOGY, Middlezoy, Somerset (17) Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages & Burials, 1531-1812 and "St. Petrock's Church Timberscombe" (18)"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 (19) "St. Petrock's Church Timberscombe" (20) Timberscombe School MINUTES BOOK, 3 April 1930-2 April 1974 (21) sussexexpressco. uk/spot/nostalgia/edwardian-worthing-in-the-postcards-of-the-victoria-series and undividedbackpostcard.com/2020/06/10/peacock (22) as printed on the left edge of the reverse of the postcard, " 'PLATINO PHOTO" POSTCARD. PICTORIAL STATIONARY CO.,LTD. LONDON and undividedbackpostcard.com/2020/06/10/peacock
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 VILLAGE HISTORIES
original postcard is archived in St. Petrock's History Group VILLAGE HISTORIES
Item Reference
SP-042
Technique
Copy
Citation
Pictorial Stationary Co., Ltd. ,London, “Coming to the Centre of Timberscombe From Addison's Folly, on a Peacock Brand Postcard, c. 1905,” St. Petrock's History Group, accessed May 7, 2024, https://stpetrockshistorygroup.omeka.net/items/show/3478.
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