Ashburton, North Street 1936
Photo ref:
87480
Photo ref:
87480
More about this scene
The building on the right with the granite arch is now A R Church, an ironmonger's, but was once the Mermaid Inn and played host to the Parliamentarian General Fairfax during the Civil War. The Town Hall (centre left, with the bell tower) was built by Lord Clinton in 1850 to replace the wooden 16th-century structure which stood at the Bull Ring.
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A Selection of Memories from Ashburton
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. Here are some from Ashburton
Sparked a Memory for you?
If this has sparked a memory, why not share it here?
Someone thought the Umber Mine in Ashburton was at West Street but I know that it was at the End of East Street next to the Cottage Hospital which I think may have been called Eastern Road at that point. I used to live at East End Terrace and I remember having to pass the entrance of the mine and getting the orange/brown umber on the bottom of my shoes.
Best friend lives there
Whether or not Sparnham House was an old coaching inn (I doubt it) or not, it is noteworthy of being the long-time residence of John Hannibal (or sometimes Henry) Foaden and his wife Elizabeth nee Husson. They were married in the summer of 1867 and moved to Sparnham House shortly after. They had at least six children; two sons and four daughters. John lived in the house till after the First World War and died in ...see more
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; ...see more
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