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Taunton
Taunton maps
Historic maps of Taunton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Taunton maps
Taunton area books
Displaying 1 of 11 books about Taunton and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Taunton
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Taunton.
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Narrow Escape (probably Between 1958 And 1961)
a few years after this photo was taken WH Smiths which was located to the bottom left of this photo completely collapsed following a prolonged spell of wet weather. This happened very early one saturday morning in the run up to christmas, prior to staff arriving for work. I don't think anyone was injured - a few hours later and the store would have been crowded with christmas shoppers!
Lost Friends
My memories of Taunton don't go back too far. I'd arrived one summer evening in 1970 on the back of Tony's chopper, and stayed with friends for a while at 5 Cannon Street. Amongst the friends I eventually made were: The Colonel, Jake and Ricky, Busking Battersea Bill Smith, Colena, Angie, Ally, Sharon, Big John the biker...to name but a few. Those were really carefree days. Mornings we'd usually meet up in the Merlin for a coffee, then maybe nip across the road into the park, play some music or whatever... In the evenings I remember we'd either nip down a tiny passage way into a great little pub The Full Moon, with its lethal scrumpy on tap, or to that other great pub The Mirtle Tree, selling the same elixir. I have very fond memories of my short stay in the Taunton area, and I've certainly made-up for my bout of inactivity ever since. After that epic Glastonbury festival of 1971 that most of us went to, all those friends just... Read more
Army Barracks Overlooking Vivary Park.
I lived in the Army Barracks [Jelelahbad] from around 1960-61 and went to Mary Magdalene School which is now closed and used as an auctions room. One teacher I recall was a Mr Oak and pupils were Margaret Harvey, John & Jane Scott, Paul Hacker, and Marilyne Littlejohn. We spent a lot of time playing in Vivary Park and bought our sweets from Jarvis Sweet shop across the road from the iron gates last I heard it was turned into a Tatoo Shop in the 1980/90s. Tutor Tavern back then was run by Mr & Mrs Hacker who had sons called Paul and Clifford we often played in the tavern in the cellar area it was very spooky. My father was stationed at nearby Norton Manor Camp and mother worked at Woolworths.
Somerset memories
Mitchell Family
I have been tracing my maternal grandmother's family for some time now. My grandmother was born in Shoreditch in 1908, and my mother was born there too in 1929. My nan was born in New North Road, and I found out that her g grandparents William and Jane Mitchell lived in the same street in the 1851 Census. Of course Shoreditch, and the rest of the East End is a very different place now. I don't think though that we can really understand the poverty, and what life was really like when you were poor working class. People just lived in lodgings and rooms in a house usually occupied by several families.
My Village in Youth
I was born in Wellington in 1936 and grew up there for the first 10 years,living in No 3 Rumwell Cottages in the centre of the village. I remember just before D-Day all of the American troops passing our house on the way to Weymouth to sail to Normandy. They used to throw many kinds of candy and sweets to my sister Betty and myself as we waved to them. The Crown Inn was owned by a Mr Marker who used to give us kids Smiths Potatoe Crisps,with the salt wrapped in blue paper. Rumwell Hall(now Rumwell Hotel) was owned by a grand old lady called Mrs Fox who my father used to drive in her old Rolls Royce, she was the 'queen' of Rumwell.
My Village in Youth Pt.2
As I was living in Rumwell,I attended the Bishops Hull school, about 2.5 miles away, We Walked there and back every school day. My local friendS were called Graeme Baker, David Rollinson, Marigold Swain. We got to know all about the war from some Italian POWs who were placed in a couple of houses in the village and worked on the local farms, they were very kind to us kids. We often saw German bombers flying overhead on the way to Bristol and Cardiff to bomb, one bomb fell near the village from a damaged plane which I doubt made it back home. In 1946 we moved into Taunton to live. I still have happy memories of Rumwell. I'm 73 now and have lived in Holland for over 30 years, but I still visit the village when in the UK and have a drink in the Crown Inn.
Orchard Portman House School 1965
I went to this school, yet I cannot find any information on its history and if it is still in operation today. I would love to hear from anyone as to any details or history as it was a great part of my past. Ron from Canada.
