Memories of Timberscombe

Timberscombe 1957-1965

We moved to Oaktrow in January 1957, me travelling in the cattle truck. The rest went by car. We stayed the first week or so at the Lion Inn, Timberscombe. Oaktrow had been purchased the previous summer. We eventually moved in and gradually things got more civilised. I liked staying in the village and playing skittles at the pub. In those days there were 3 shops nearby. These were Mrs Yeandle's, the Coombe Stores and S J. Loveridge. Nearby lived 2 farmers viz Harry Bishop at Great House and Tommy Heard at Kiln Farm. Our daily, Mrs Prole, lived near the church and on the corner was Mrs Huxtable's filling station which seemed open all hours. Going towards Dunster was the post office run by the Bond's whose daughter was church organist and the Forge run by Sammy and Ken Grabham. It was more of a woodyard than a forge! Nearby was Knowle, which is now a holiday place for horseriders etc. Going towards Wheddon Cross, the next farm was Bickham(Dru family) and the River Aville ran past it. We were in the village frequently and most of our groceries came from Mrs Yeandle's. Other farms in the area were Beasley (Capt Bill Heathcote), Allercott (James Henderson), Stowey (Mr Watts) and Old Stowey (Major Bill Enderby). Down in the beginning of Snowdrop Valley was Steart (Mr Schofield) and above them West Harwood (Henry Stevens).
It was a lovely part of the world in which to live and at one time I had hopes of it being my permanent home. Sadly this was not to be due to friction between myself and my parents. Now I rarely go there, the last time being in 2000 to attend a memorial service for Anna Henderson, and how it had changed. Now there is a bypass, and there is (or perhaps was) one sub post office where the Coombe Stores was and the Lion had been altered inside. Oaktrow too has changed and is no longer a farm. The whole 170-odd acres have been sold in lots and the barn has been desecrated. The farmhouse now includes two flats for letting. The only thing that hasn't been spoilt are the views towards Porlock and Minehead.
I now make a pilgrimage to West Somerset yearly to see Dunster Show as we still have a few friends in the area. I do however get the feeling when I arrive in those parts that I have 'come home'.

Kings Langley

The first 8 plus years of my life were spent here at Merrow Down, off the Common. The only time we were away was for a few months in 1939-40 during the Phoney War. I had various nannies, the best being Flora. She came about autumn 1940 and stayed until autumn 1942 when 'called up ' for work of national importance (day nurseries) and my mother had to cope with both my sister and I. It was a shock to her. I went to Mrs Hazlewood's school a few doors down for a year and then to The Priory. I didn't like it there and was going to London weekly for psychiatric treatment. In the spring I was sent to a sort of boarding school in Berkhamsted, with visits to psychiatrists weekly. My gullible mother swallowed everything they told her, which were a pack of lies. It was staffed by weird females and exercise consisted of walks. One of the women was called Anita and she was a blonde. She rather fancied herself. Thankfully the establishment closed down in July and I went joyfully home. For the next year I was  taught privately but attended Berkhamsted twice a week.
Our house had a nice garden, tended by Parkins once a week and our 'Daily' was Hobby (Mrs Hobbs). We grew all sorts of fruit and vegetables, and also had a henhouse, thus ensuring a good egg supply with 'retired' hens ending up in the pot. Father also shot rabbits from his bedroom window. From the age of 5 I used to play on the Common on my own where there were lots of trees to climb. Later I used to bike there and in winter when it actually snowed, I toboganned. Each June a funfair would come for a few days and most summer sundays there was cricket to watch. We also used to cycle to Bovingdon to watch the Yank aircraft. One afternoon I was out with my mother and sister when we saw loads of parachutes and a Flying Fortress descending in flames, evidently having been shot up during a raid. I can recall hearing V2s exploding. During this period I enjoyed a few holidays viz Sandbanks 1941, Watchet 1943, Torbay 1944, Higher Court 1945. Despite shortages, Christmases were good as toys were recycled and others fashioned out of bits of wood by my talented father. In 1944 I got a secondhand clockwork train, which I cherished. We used to visit Watford and Hemel Hempstead on occasions. Public transport was good with the bus passing near the bottom of our road and the railway station in walking distance. I loved to watch the trains steam by, such variety. In the High Street were the shops. I recall Kinghams the stationers, Montague's newsagent etc, Mr Cook's cycle shop, the Elite and Flitney's. The canal was always a source of interest with narrow boats going to and fro. They mostly went to the Ovaltine Factory with coal and sometimes we watched the unloading.
VE day was a great celebration, everybody waving flags. We drove around London in the morning and there was a parade and service in the afternoon. The summer was quiet after that until July when we took off for Higher Court for 5 weeks. Other places I remember were bluebell woods, watching threshing taking place using a traction engine, a variety of transport passing through the village both military and civilian. It included steam wagons, Bren carriers, Queen Marys, and farm tractors.
I went to boarding school in Sept 1945 but was on half term in November when everybody lit up the sky. We moved to Somerset the following year and I had mixed feelings. I often feel that my parents made a great mistake moving when they did.

The Timberscombe I knew (1957-1965)

We moved to Oaktrow in January 1957 and until the house was habitable, we stayed at The Lion (prominently displayed in one of the photos). The village then had four shops, these being the Post Office towards Minehead, Mrs Yeandle's, the Coombe Stores (very successful under Basil Hewlett and his wife) and Loveridge's which was on the way to Stowey. Mrs Yeandle, a large woman, sang in the choir, Sid Loveridge was in and out of the Lion all and every evening. Barley wine and whisky was his tipple. The barley wine took the sting out of the whisky.
The Huxtable family had two filling stations, the forge was run by Sammy and Ken Grabham. Tommy Heard had Kiln Farm and Harry Bishop had Great House Farm. The school was run by Mrs Willis. There was an agricultural engineer called Les Delbridge. Other farmers living nearby were James Henderson at Allercot, Bill Edwards-Heathcote at Beasley, Mr Watts at Stowey, Major Enderby at Old Stowey and the Dru family at Bickham.
After the home counties it was wonderfully laid back. By the time all the work had been done, Oaktrow was a showpiece. During my time there I spent much time in the Lion, learnt to drive and joined the TA. My sister and I got to know many people and social life was good. We made our own entertainments eg barbecues on North Hill and parties. I loved swimming in the open air pool in Minehead and feel it's a crying shame it was destroyed. At one time I was a member of Cutcombe and District YFC and later joined the Young Conservatives. This was a good move and I made several new friends. They met at Odell Court Country Club in Periton Road. Also enjoyed were Point to Points at Holnicote and Hunt meets. May the Labour party burn in Hell for banning hunting! Local shops in Minehead included Ridler's shoe shop and Floyds. The Regal cinema doubled as a theatre at Christmas to stage a pantomime, to which all the locals went.
All has now changed. Timberscombe has a bypass and there is only the shadow of a sub post office where the Coombe Stores used to be. Also the houses are mainly second homes as locals can't afford the prices. Such is progress.