Ashburton, West Street c.1960
Photo ref: A67035
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Photo ref: A67035
Photo of Ashburton, West Street c.1960

More about this scene

Off West Street, behind Sparnham House, was the site of one of Ashburton's two umber mines - the only ones in the country. Umber was used as a pigment in the paper and cloth industries, but demand died out and the mines shut in the early part of the 20th century, only to receive a new lease of life during World War II when umber was used for camouflage paint.

Memories of Ashburton, West Street c1960

For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our website to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was, prompted by the photographs in our archive. These memories are of Ashburton, West Street c.1960

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I was living in Sparnham House in 1960, but don't recall the umber mine you mention, though my father (Brian Baker) did say there had been one, once. Outside Sparnham there used to be a tap which was supplied by a natural spring and during the long winter of 1963 it was, at times, the only piece of plumbing that wasn't frozen. There was a tunnel under the garden which I was never allowed to explore; I ...see more