Barton St David's link to 5 former Presidents of the United States

Henry Adams was born in Barton St David in about 1583.  He was a tenant farmer and farmed land in the village and in neighbouring Chartlon Mackrell.  He married Edith Squire in Charlton Mackrell Church in October 1609.  They emigrated to America c1638 and settled in the town of Braintree, Massachusetts. Their 3x great grandson was John Adams, who was the 2nd US President (1797-1801).   He was also the 4x great grandfather of John Quincy Adams, who was the 6th US President (1825-1829).  There is a plaque in St David's Church in Barton St David commemorating this fact.  The wording on it is as follows:

TO THE GLORY OF GOD

IN HONOUR OF ST DAVID

AND

IN MEMORY OF

HENRY ADAMS

BORN IN THIS PARISH ABOUT 1583

AND A FOUNDER OF NEW ENGLAND 1638

ANCESTOR OF TWO PRESIDENTS

OF THE UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA

JOHN ADAMS AND JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

WHOSE EXALTED SERVICES

TO THEIR COUNTRY

EVOKE

A TESTIMONY OF RESPECT FOR

THEIR ANCESTRAL HOME

THIS MEMORIAL HAS BEEN ERECTED BY

EDWARD DEAN ADAMS

A.D. 1926

Edith Squire is also distantly related to the 13th US President, Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929).  She was born in Charlton Mackrell in 1587.  Her sister Ann Squire married Aquila Purchase and the 13th US President, Millard Filmore (1850-1853) is one of her descendants.  Edith's sister Margaret Squire married John Shepard and the 27th US President, William Howard Taft (1909-1913) is related to her.

Plaque on the wall in St David's Church

St David's Church

Bandstands

Bandstands are usually located in parks or on seafronts.  They are designed to provide shelter from the sun and rain for performing bands.  Most of them are circular, semi-circular or polygonal in shape.  They are usually raised up above ground level and the roof acts as a sounding board, so that the music being played can be heard more widely.  

The first cast iron bandstands to be erected in Britain were at the Royal Horticultural Society's gardens in South Kensington, London in 1861. They became popular during the later Victorian period, when many public parks opened in towns and cities to provide green open spaces where people could relax.  They were often funded by local authorities or wealthy benefactors.  It was thought that music had a positive influence on moral health.  At their greatest extent, there were more than 1,500 bandstands in Britain.  They flourished until the Second World War, but nearly 600 were demolished between 1945 and 1980.  However, since the 1990s many of the surviving bandstands have been restored.

Somerset's surviving bandstands are located in Taunton, Wellington, Bath, Minehead, Burnham-on-Sea, Shepton Mallet, Wells, Clevedon, Weston-super-Mare, Frome, Keynsham and Bridgwater.

Vivary Park, Taunton

This octagonal bandstand was supplied by H. Phillips and Sons in 1895, when Vivary Park became a public park.

Morrison's Bandstand, Taunton

I don't know if this bandstand is ever used for its original purpose, given its rather odd location on the banks of the River Tone and very close to Morrison's Supermarket.

Blenheim Gardens, Minehead

Former bandstand, Jubilee Gardens Café, Minehead

This building started life in 1935 as the Jubilee Bandstand.  It was built on the site of an earlier bandstand.  In 1948 it was converted into a tearoom.

Clevedon

This bandstand is located on Green Beach.  It was erected to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887.

Wellington Park

Wellington Park was designed and laid out by the landscape gardener F.W. Meyer.  The park opened in 1903.  The bandstand, which was constructed by Messrs Follett Bros of Wellington, was part of the original design. It originally had a turret on the roof.

Collett Park, Shepton Mallet

Collett Park was given to the town by John Kyte Collett in 1906.

Manor Gardens, Burnham-on-Sea

This bandstand was built by Burnham and Highbridge Town Council in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of VE Day.

Grove Park, Weston-super-Mare

This cast iron bandstand was built in the late 19th century by Hill Bros, Sun Foundry of Alloa.  It has a lead ogee roof with a weathervane on the top of it.

Blake Gardens, Bridgwater

Blake Gardens opened to the public on 9th August 1902, as part of the town's celebrations for the coronation of King Edward VII.  I think the bandstand was built in 1902.  It was renovated in the summer of 2003 by Bridgwater Prince's Trust Team 12 with help from Chisletts Tool Hire, Bridgwater College Community Service and Sedgemoor District Council.

Royal Victoria Park, Bath

This semi elliptical bandstand was built in around 1887 by Major Charles Davis.  The rear is made from limestone, the columns are made of cast iron and it has a lead fish scale roof.  The interior is timber lined.  The bandstand was designed with acoustics in mind and is aligned with the centre of the Royal Crescent. The park was opened on 23rd October 1830 by the Duchess of Kent and her daughter, Princess Victoria.

Parade Gardens, Bath

The original bandstand in Parade Gardens was designed and built by Henry Goodridge in 1870.  It was replaced in 1925 by the current octagonal bandstand.  The balustrade was replaced in June 2018.  A public forging event was held, which involved a team of blacksmiths from around the United Kingdom.  The musical score shown on the new balustrade is from Hammer & Anvil, which was composed by Jake Garrett.  There are also 8 musical themed panels, which were designed by the blacksmiths.  They feature a gate, big brass, Bridge over Troubled Water, a Celtic harp, tuning forks, a Roman cithara, melody and The Dancing Fiddler. School children from all over Bath forged the treble clefs, which adorn the finial on top of the bandstand.

Celtic harp panel, Parade Gardens, Bath

This panel was made by Gerard Loughran.

Wells Recreation Ground

Thatched bandstand, Victoria Park, Frome

A wooden bandstand was erected in Sidney Gardens in Yeovil in 1898.  It was paid for by James Bazeley Petter.  It was burnt down by vandals in 1972 and not replaced.

RIP Bobby Booroff

On the wall of the churchyard in Barton St David there is a small plaque, which has the following inscription:

Allen Booroff

"Bobby"

Tragically drowned in the River Brue

23rd July 1939, aged 4

Buried in this churchyard

Allen George Rex "Bobby" Booroff was the only child of Mr Robert Booroff of Willesdon, London.   He was on holiday in Somerset with Mrs T. Coleman of Willesdon, who had fostered him nearly 3 years earlier.   They were staying with Mrs Coleman's parents, Mr & Mrs F. Cook, at Mill View, Barton St David.  At about 6.15pm on Sunday 23rd July, Bobby went for a walk with his 10 year old step-brother John Coleman, 14 year old Mary Louise Porter and 5 year old Violet Cook.  Bobby slipped down the bank, fell into the River Brue at Tootle Bridge and drowned. His body was recovered on the following day, from the river bed about 100 yards from Tootle Bridge.

Accounts of the inquest into Bobby Booroff's death, which was held in the Court House at Somerton, were recorded in the Taunton Courier & Western Advertiser and in the Bristol Evening Post of 29th July 1939.  Colston Victor Williams, aged 51 of Hotwells in Bristol, was fishing on the bank of the River Brue when he heard a child running nearby.  Then he realised that the young boy had fallen into the river.  The other children asked him to go into the river to rescue Bobby.  He put his fishing rod into the water and shouted to the boy to catch hold of it, but Bobby didn't manage to do this.  Mr Williams couldn't swim and hadn't fully recovered his grip after losing a finger, so he didn't dare venture further into the river.  He said he wasn't familiar with the River Brue at Tootle Bridge and that it was muddy and fast flowing at the time.  He was criticised by the coroner, Mr C. Leslie Rutter, who said that the water in the river was no more than waist deep for an adult.  He also said that Mr Williams could easily have grabbed the boy, walked with him down to the bridge and climbed out of the river there.  The verdict of the inquest was accidental death.  

NB: Bobby's first name at birth was registered as Alan, but his death is registered as Allan.  The newspaper reports of the inquest and the memorial in the churchyard at Barton St David say he was called Allen. 

Memorial plaque on the wall of the churchyard in Barton St David

Tootle Bridge

The River Brue from Tootle Bridge

Hunky Punks

Hunky punks are grotesque carvings found on the outside walls of buildings, usually churches.  They differ from gargoyles because they are purely decorative: gargoyles drain water off roofs through their mouths.  The purpose of hunky punks seems to have been to break up long straight sections of stone walls and to ornament corners.

Hunky punks are particularly numerous in Somerset.  The term hunky punk is thought to have originated from the words hunkers and punchy.  Hunkers means "squatting on haunches" and punchy means having "short legs and a thick set body". 

Most hunky punks were carved between 1450 and 1550, during the second half of the Perpendicular period.  Parapets, pinnacles and window tracery were also often decoratively carved at this time.  The church towers built in Somerset in this period were mainly funded by the wealth generated by the wool trade.  The carving of hunky punks would have taken place on the ground (probably in the carvers' workshops) and not in situ.  They were carved using chisels and mallets.  The hunky punks on a particular church may not all have been carved by the same stone mason.

The subjects carved were rarely Christian symbols.  They were often mythological or heraldic creatures and occasionally humans.  Dragons, goats, dogs and griffins are the most common subjects.  Life in medieval times was greatly influenced by the Christian church, but also by superstition and folklore.  This may explain why so many hunky punks depict mythological and heraldic creatures.

My thanks to Nigel Stone for allowing me to use some of his photographs.

All Saints' Church, Langport

Lion, All Saints' Church, Langport

Three faces, All Saints' Church, Langport

Lion, Church of St Peter & St Paul, Kilmersdon

The north aisle of the St Peter & St Paul's Church was added in the 15th century and almost certainly paid for by William, Lord Botreaux. The hunky punks are thought to have been carved at the same time.

Antelope, Church of St Peter & St Paul, Kilmersdon

Toad and monk (or angel?) 

Church of St Peter & St Paul, Kilmersdon

Holy Trinity Church, Chantry

This church was built 1844-1846, so the hunky punks on it are not medieval.

Holy Trinity Church, Chantry

Toothache, All Saints Church, Monksilver

Dragon, Monksilver

Cat, Kingston St Mary

Woman giving birth, Kingston St Mary

Griffin/dragon, Norton-sub-Hamdon

Devil, North Curry

Dog, All Saints Church, Curry Mallet

Goat, All Saints Church, Curry Mallet

Bagpipe player, Isle Abbotts

Further reading: 

Hunky Punks: A Study in Somerset Stone Carving by Peter Poyntz-Wright, first published 1982, revised edition 2004, Heart of Albion Press

Hedgehogs and Squirrels

Artistic representations of hedgehogs and squirrels aren't very common in Somerset.  Here are the ones I have come across painted on glass or walls, carved in wood, set in concrete and stitched onto church kneelers

Hedgehog, west door, Norton-sub-Hamdon Church

Mural, Priorswood, Taunton

Hedgehog, Church of St John the Baptist, Axbridge

Hedgehog on a carved seat in the churchyard of St Bartholomew's Church in Oake

Stained glass window, Churchstanton Church

Red squirrel on a kneeler in the Church of St Peter & St Paul, North Curry

Red squirrel set into the pavement outside the former Squirrel pub, High Street, Wellington

Squirrel chainsaw carving, Croydon Hill

Grey squirrel, Lamyatt bus shelter

Faded squirrel, Spray Point, Watchet

Victoria Park, Frome

This animal themed bench, which features three squirrels, was made from a 140 year old Norway maple, which had to be felled in 2025, as it was diseased.  The bench was made by Graham Derham.

Willy's Rope Walk, Sea Farm, Ilminster

Willy's Ropewalk was established in 1832 by Thomas (or maybe John) Willy, although it may originally have been entirely open-air or located on a different site. 

By 1887 a building had been built at the south end of an open-air ropewalk.  The building, which was constructed from bricks and local stone, would have contained the turning and straining equipment. The rope walk was at least 100 metres long and extended over the Dowlish Brook, by means of a footbridge.  

Rope and twine were still being made on the site well into the mid 20th century by S. Metcalf, who took over from his uncle Frederick Willy during the Second World War.

Since I took the photo below in November 2015, the roof has been changed from a rounded top to one with straight pitches. A Victorian post box is built into the gable wall.  

Grid reference: ST 349 130.

Willy's Rope Walk, Sea Farm

The Taunton Stop Line

The Taunton Stop Line was built in 1940, when the UK government believed an invasion of Britain by Nazi Germany was imminent. The evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk at the end of June 1940, increased the sense of urgency. The Taunton Stop Line was part of a network of defensive lines built across various parts of Britain.  The purpose of a stop line was to slow down, a German advance, if they had invaded Britain.

General Edmund Ironside was appointed as Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces at the end of May 1940.  On 25th June he announced plans for Home Defence to the War Cabinet.  He proposed:

1. The construction of coastal defences to fight off small raids and delay any landings.
2. Road blocks at strategic locations to be manned by the Home Guard
3. The construction of static fortified stop lines, which divided coastal areas into sectors and sealed off London and the Midlands from the coast
4. A central reserve of troops, who would be ready to deal with any major breakthroughs
5. Local mobile groups, which could deal with parachute landings and local attacks.

The Taunton Stop Line ran for approximately 50 miles from the Bristol Channel/mouth of the River Brue at Highbridge to the English Channel at Axmouth Harbour in Devon.  Its route was via Pawlett Hams, Dunball, Bridgwater, North Newton, Creech St Michael, Wrantage, Ilton, Ilminster, Donyatt, Knowle St Giles, Chard, Forton, Perry Street, Chard Junction and Axminster.  

Where possible the Taunton Stop Line utilised natural barriers.  It followed the River Parrett to Bridgwater, then the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal to Creech St Michael and then the line of the disused Chard Canal to Ilton.  It then followed the Great Western Railway to Chard Junction and then the River Axe and/or the Southern Railway to Axmouth Harbour.

Highbridge was also the start of the General Headquarters (GHQ) Green line, which ran east to Bradford-on-Avon and then north to Framilode on the River Severn south of Gloucester.

The construction of the Taunton Stop Line began in July 1940 and was largely completed by September of the same year.   About 400 defensive structures, including pillboxes, road and rail blocks, anti-tank gun emplacements and anti-tank obstacles were constructed at strategic points along the stop line to strengthen it.  The anti-tank obstacles were usually made of concrete and came in various shapes and sizes, including dragons' teeth (flat-topped pyramids), posts, cubes and coffins. 

Gun emplacements were built at strategic locations, landmines were laid, trenches were dug and barbed wire entanglements were put in place.  Many of the bridges along the route had charge chambers cut into their walls, so that they could be blown up in the event of an invasion.  The pillboxes were disguised and/or camouflaged using paint and netting or locally available materials such as soil, beach pebbles and hedgerows.

In 1941 twelve defensive "islands" were created to strengthen the stop line at Bridgwater, Durston (to cover the railway junction at Cogload), Creech St Michael, Wrantage/Crimson Hill, Ilton (RAF Isle Abbotts/Merryfield). Ilminster, Chard, Forton, Perry Street, Whitford, Axminster and Colyford.  These anti-tank islands were intended to be used as bases from which to launch counter attacks, if the stop line was breached.

The Taunton Stop Line was initially manned by the army, assisted by the Home Guard, but as the threat of an invasion receded, the Home Guard took over responsibility for it.

The majority of the structures built for the Taunton Stop Line are still intact and in situ today.

Pillbox close to the River Brue at Highbridge

Pillbox on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal near Outwood House

Pillbox on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal

Pillbox on the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal near Outwood House

This pillbox has had its front wall removed.

 

Pillbox on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal at Charlton

Pillbox and dragons' teeth on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal

Pillbox at the junction of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal and the Chard Canal in Creech St Michael 

It was probably originally disguised as a farm building or canal-side cottage.  In 2015 it was repurposed as a bat roost. This is a Type 26 pillbox.

Pillbox on Park Drive, Ilminster

Pillbox near Dillington, Ilminster

Donyatt Halt

One of a pair of concrete blocks, into which sections of railway track would have been slotted to form a vehicle barrier.  There are some anti-tank blocks in the background. 

6-pounder anti-tank gun emplacement on the now disused railway line near Knowle St Giles

6-pounder anti-tank gun emplacement near Knowle St Giles

Anti-tank wall, Victoria Avenue, Chard

Artillery Battery on Axmouth Beach

This would probably have been equipped with a 6-pounder Hotchkiss gun

Further Reading: The West Country's Last Line of Defence: Taunton Stop Line by Andrew Powell-Thomas, Amberley Publishing, 2017