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Aisholt
Aisholt maps
Historic maps of Aisholt and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Aisholt maps
Aisholt area books
Displaying 1 of 11 books about Aisholt and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Aisholt
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Somerset memories
An Evacuee's Memory
I was evacuated to Over Stowey in 1939 at the start of the Second World War. I was lucky becauseIi was with my mother and brother and sister, who was a babe in arms. I was ten years old and my brother was eight. Two ladies were owners of the house where we stayed, which is the house next to the church in the photograph. We were with another family from the same street in London and one of the children was my playmate in London. We were evacuated from Canning Town in east London. We were only there for four days because we had bread and jam for breakfast, tea and supper for 3 days running. When my mother asked if they ever had meat, the lady said they thought that's all we had in London. She said we would have a special meal the next day. It was called Jugged Hare, which was hung in the orchard for a week until there were thousands of maggots in it... Read more
A Memory of Coultings, nr Fiddington
In April 1963, my ex husband and I moved from Nottingham to Coultings, he to work on a farm owned by the Triggol family. We lived in a thick-walled cottage on the main road through Coultings, which had a Victorian letter box in the wall of one of the other houses. There weren't many residents of the hamlet, some farm workers and families and a few others. There was a phone box, and the travelling library came every couple of weeks, which was wonderful. The bus went through twice a week to Bridgewater which is where we shopped. The bakers van came a couple of times a week and the butcher also, and there was a converted ambulance that came through with groceries and fresh fish. Although that was a bit expensive for the humble wage that a farm worker earned back then. The cottage we lived in was fairly old, but did have a bathroom built on and a Rayburn in the kitchen, and a fireplace in... Read more
Combe Florey Primary School
The village school in Combe Florey closed in about 1958 I believe, it exists as a private house now, but I can still remember the mile long walk to and from it, through the lanes every morning and afternoon. Mum would accompany us with younger siblings in a big green metal pushchair, so for her it was twice the distance. I remember little of the actual school, except that it was one big room with tall windows and a wood burning stove in it. The playground was on the other side of the road, so we were all hearded across at playtime and shut in, and then hearded back afterwards. I dont remember how many were at the school, but from the names I can still recall there must have been in the region of fifteen to twenty of us. I left when I was about seven, to go to the nearby Lydeard St Lawrence primary school. The school mistress was called Mrs Warren,... Read more
Maternal Family History And Onwards Dictated by my Mum Age 84
My name is Hilda Mary Fenn nee Hurman. I was born at Yarford in 1924. My father was William Thomas Hurman, my mother Caroline Elizabeth nee Tucker. They are buried in the village churchyard. My two sisters and I were all married in the village church in 1952 and had receptions in the village hall. As children we attended the village school - Mr Hawkins was the headmaster - we attended youth club, brownies, guides, choir, Kingston players drama group. My best friend was Margaret Mead of The Bungalow, Fulford, she lives there still. We spent our days roaming the fields, collecting milk, harvesting, riding on the hay carts. When it was the Silver Jubilee of George V and Queen Mary, the village held a carnival and all the children and adults dressed up for a parade and a tea was held where prizes were given. All the children received a mug. When the Coronation of George 6th happened there was a similar event and another mug was given. In... Read more
Meeting my Great Grandparents
My name is Margret Russell. My maiden name was Margret Lewis. I live in Australia.
My father Wilfred Charles Lewis was born in Taunton Somerset. His maternal grandparents were Martha (nee Harris) and Samuel Critchard who were from Kingston St Mary where they raised a family of eight daughters and one son.
Martha and Samuel operated the Norton Fitzwarren Post Office for many years. When the death of Samuel occurred, Martha with the help of some of her daughters continued running the Post Office for a few years. Samuel also operated a shoe making business in a room of their home above the Post Office. Last year I was very fortunate to be able to come to the UK to meet my father's family of whom there are many still alive and many more of my 2nd cousins. It was such a surreal time for me as my father passed away when I was very young and I never had the oppourtunity to inquire of his family in the... Read more
Halsway Manor
I discovered this amazing place in 2006 and only wish I had known of it 50 years ago as it is an oasis of rural bliss where folk musicians and dancers meet like-minded people to practise and learn from one another. I first went there to meet some folk musicians one Sunday evening so I took along my piano accordian to join in the session in the Halsway Manor bar. It was really wonderful to be able to play in such a grand atmosphere. Since then I have returned a dozen times for similar music groups and on one occasion I went along on a summer afternoon to see the maypole dancing on the Halsway Manor front lawn.
How Things Change
This is my house where I was brought up since the age of 10. How things change over the years - it is no longer a post office, it changed to a cafe and now is a two-bed bungalow attched to the house behind.
