Norton Fitzwarren
Norton Fitzwarren maps (2 available)
Map of Somerset
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
Personalised maps
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Norton Fitzwarren books (7 available)
Norton Fitzwarren memories
Read and share memories of Norton Fitzwarren and Somerset inspired by Frith photos
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Somerset memories
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!
A memory of Taunton contributed by cherry james
Meeting my Great Grandparents
My name is Margret Russell. My maiden name was Margret Lewis. I live in Australia.
My father Wilfred Charles Lewis was born in Taunton Somerset. His maternal grandparents were Martha (nee Harris) and Samuel Critchard who were from Kingston St Mary where they raised a family of eight daughters and one son.
Martha and Samuel operated the Norton Fitzwarren Post Office for many years. When the death of Samuel occurred, Martha with the help of some of her daughters continued running the Post Office for a few years. Samuel also operated a shoe making business in a room of their home above the Post Office. Last year I was very fortunate to be able to come to the UK to ...read more here
A memory of Kingston St Mary contributed by margret lewis
maternal family history and onwards dictated by my mum age 84
My name is Hilda Mary Fenn nee Hurman. I was born at Yarford in 1924. My father was William Thomas Hurman, my mother Caroline Elizabeth nee Tucker. They are buried in the village churchyard. My two sisters and I were all married in the village church in 1952 and had receptions in the village hall. As children we attended the village school - Mr Hawkins was the headmaster - we attended youth club, brownies, guides, choir, Kingston players drama group. My best friend was Margaret Mead of The Bungalow, Fulford, she lives there still. We spent our days roaming the fields, collecting milk, harvesting, riding on the hay carts. When it was the Silver Jubilee of George V and Queen Mary, ...read more here
A memory of Kingston St Mary contributed by Rosie Robinson
Combe Florey Primary School
The village school in Combe Florey closed in about 1958 I believe, it exists as a private house now, but I can still remember the mile long walk to and from it, through the lanes every morning and afternoon. Mum would accompany us with younger siblings in a big green metal pushchair, so for her it was twice the distance. I remember little of the actual school, except that it was one big room with tall windows and a wood burning stove in it. The playground was on the other side of the road, so we were all hearded across at playtime and shut in, and then hearded back afterwards. I dont remember how many were at ...read more here
A memory of Combe Florey contributed by Kathy Farmer
Extracts From Norton Fitzwarren & Somerset books
Redevelopment of the Parade started c1870. Lime
trees were planted in the 1880s to start the Avenue.
The buildings to the left of photograph 31223 had
just been built, replacing houses with walled gar-
dens. The building in the centre of the row, at the
end of Bancks Street, was all that remained of the
older buildings. Then a bank, it is now an estate
agents. The building protruding at the end of the
row, in Wellington Square, is now a bank. Capron’s,
the building on the far left, became a well-known
garage. It was Minehead’s first garage, established
in 1908. Two other garages were established before
the First World War but a petrol shortage during the
First World War meant horse drawn carriages and
bicycles remained popular until the 1920s.
An extract from from"Minehead Town and City Memories".
The architectural style is actually one which
is common to areas around the Bristol Channel.
The oldest cottages are based on what is known
as a ‘cross passage’ design, whereby a passage
runs straight from front to back door, dividing
the house. In the original cottages there were
usually two rooms on the upslope side of the
passage and a ‘shippon’ (cow shed) on the
downslope side. In medieval times the living
quarters would have been heated by a fire in the
middle of the floor of the main room with the
smoke simply drifting out through the thatch,
blackening the roof beams as it went.
One house near Church Steps is called the
Hearth House, implying it originated from such
a cottage. None survive in their original state
and all have been enlarged. Most were enlarged
upwards, with bedrooms added, their little semi-
dormer windows breaking the line of eaves.
When this happened, the smoke from the fire
had to be diverted, so it was usual to add a
tall chimney to the front of the house, with a
bulging bread oven at its base. This tended to
happen in the 17th century, when the town grew
prosperous and chimneys became a status symbol
for householders showing off their new wealth.
An extract from from"Minehead Town and City Memories".
A promenade walk had been established along the street in the 1880s,
when some of the gardens were removed. Now, the level of the road
was raised to prevent flooding of the cottages on the far side. Hence,
they are now partly below road level, with a retaining wall in place to
buffer them from the floods which still arise from time to time. Most
of the doorways are still equipped with slots in which to insert boards
when there are flood warnings.
An extract from from"Minehead Town and City Memories".
One of Campbell’s White Funnel fleet, probably the ‘Britannia’, ties
up at the pier. The ‘Britannia’ was built in 1896 and was one of the
best known and one of the fastest passenger ships of its day. Its full
promenade deck and reliability in all weathers made it very popular.
It survived use as a Second World War transport and was afterwards
refitted with an additional funnel. It was eventually taken out of
service in the late 1950s.
An extract from from"Minehead Town and City Memories".
The buses on Quay Street are probably Western National service buses. The double-decker shows an advertisement for
Hatcher’s, a department store in Taunton. The Quay became the traditional starting point for bus services from Minehead.
The National service started in 1927 and ran to Dunster, Taunton, Bridgwater and Dulverton. It became the Western
National following merger with the motor services of the Great Western Railway in 1929. The buses met each train and
took passengers on to Lynton and beyond. It gradually bought out most local bus companies, except Blue Motors and Scarlet
Pimpernel. The latter specialised in excursions and, between the First World War and the 1960s, up to 44 coaches a day
left Minehead with up to 1,400 passengers for trips to the surrounding countryside. The first motor coach to operate from
Minehead in 1908 caused much opposition for its intrusiveness. Both Western National and Blue Motors continued to
start journeys here long after the pier was removed and the harbour ceased to be used by boat passengers.
An extract from from"Minehead Town and City Memories".