Beckington
Beckington maps (2 available)
Map of Somerset
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Beckington books (15 available)
- 2 photos on Beckington appear in 2 Frith books - View photos of Beckington
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Beckington and Somerset
Beckington memories
Read and share memories of Beckington and Somerset inspired by Frith photos
Strange but true
Our first home was a ground floor bedsit at 40 Castle Corner opposite the castle. The old part of the road formed a hammer head and had three parking bays. One dark rainy winters night my husband parked outside and ran in to get his wallet. When he got back outside the car was gone. He ran out into the road and saw that it was in fact parked between two cars in the hammer head. He must have left it with the handbrake off and the camber of the road must have determined the line at which it travelled. Whether the two parked cars were already there or not we shall never know. ...read more here
Contributed by Christine Mabbett
Somerset memories
Strange but true
Our first home was a ground floor bedsit at 40 Castle Corner opposite the castle. The old part of the road formed a hammer head and had three parking bays. One dark rainy winters night my husband parked outside and ran in to get his wallet. When he got back outside the car was gone. He ran out into the road and saw that it was in fact parked between two cars in the hammer head. He must have left it with the handbrake off and the camber of the road must have determined the line at which it travelled. Whether the two parked cars were already there or not we shall never know. ...read more here
A memory of Beckington contributed by Christine Mabbett
early 80's
During the early '80's when i was working as a cameraman for the US TV network ABC I used to come and visit my father (Marcel Dutru and his wife Anne) who had retired in Rode after a long career in the catering trade. I had many happy memories of the place and of course the pubs. The X Keys especially where we used to go upstairs and play bowls. We met some delightful people one of which I still email and chat with. Bill Lapham. Browsing the internet and seeing this site brought back the past and when my father was alive. Bob Dutru- Niagara Falls, Canada
A memory of Rode contributed by Bob Dutru
The Oldest House
Frome's 'Oldest House' or 'Pepperpot' has a chequered past even in recent times. I moved to Frome in 1992 when it was being used as a Travel Agents and looked fairly run down. It then remained closed for a number of years except at christmas time when it was used as a charity card shop. The upper floors of the building have faux tudor styling, the ground floor is laid out to plate glass. It fell into disrepair and suffered from Frome's Saturday night broken window epidemic on several occasions - which now seems to have thankfully passed. However, it has recently been restored and redeemed itself since re-opening as 'Le Strada', the best coffee house in town (in my opinion), ...read more here
A memory of Frome contributed by Julian Hight
Extracts From Beckington & Somerset books
A fine stone village a mile from Frome, Beckington has some superb stone houses and a church with an excellent
Norman tower. The Castle, in 1955 the Ravenscroft School, a boys’ prep school, is a late 16th-century house of three
storeys with gabled attics and a three-storey porch and stair turret, both crowned with medieval-style battlements.
An extract from from"Somerset Photographic Memories".
The Woolpack Inn, a medieval building, is situated where several roads meet. Its name suggests obvious links with
past local industry, and its beers were supplied by Frome United Ales. The telephone kiosk, street light and petrol
pumps are no longer there. The cottages are now all private dwellings - the one with the shop blind has a pretty
bay window today.
An extract from from"Frome Photographic Memories".
Bath Road is an extension of the village, which grew with the wool trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Until a by-pass came in 1990, it carried both the A36 and A361. In 1927 a recreation ground was built at the end of the road to keep children from the heavy traffic.
An extract from from"Somerset Living Memories".
The church lies behind a huddle of dilapidated cottages
lining the Nunney Brook; here, wool was washed during
the busy years of the cloth trade. Today the cottages are
all restored. They have small gardens overlooking the
brook, which is home to many ducks.
An extract from from"Frome Photographic Memories".
This gabled thatched
cottage is very typical
of the area. Thatch
was used before tile
and slate. This cottage
might be a local store,
as the bottom sign is
advertising Typhoo Tea.
The street remains much
the same today.
An extract from from"Frome Photographic Memories".