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The SDFHS Blog

Rick Fire

Posted on 7th November 2021

Fire! Fire! What a co-incidence! I was browsing through the British Newspaper Archive when I came across an article in the Western Gazette for 30 July 1927 about a rick fire in Nether Compton As I read through the article I realised that I have four photographs amongst my family collection that were taken on the same day and which now illustrate this long ago event: RICK FIRE YEOVIL BRIGADE'S "GOOD TURN" TO SHERBORNE While Sherborne Fire Brigade were enjoying their annual... more

The A to Z of Yeovil’s History – Yeovil’s Virtual Museum

Posted on 28th September 2021

I wonder how many of us, me included, take this unique, photo packed source of information for granted Please allow me to tell you about some recent research of mine In September 1933 my father, Ralph Collings was fortunate indeed to be apprenticed as an Ironmonger to Hill, Sawtell in Yeovil He had left school the previous summer, a bad time in which to find a job as it was right in the middle of what would become known as 'the great depression' Having successfully... more

The Greenwood Tree – Sept 2021

Posted on 24th August 2021

The theme of the September edition of The Greenwood Tree is Grandfathers and members and readers provided the usual fund of great stories, this time about male ancestors several generations back Editor Paul Radford previews the edition which has been mailed to SDFHS members who can also view or download it from the Members’ Area of the Society’s website The magazine also provides necessary information for the Society’s forthcoming AGM/Open Day on September 18 which will be held via Zoom... more

Hethfelton building site

Posted on 8th August 2021

In 1929 my grandfather Arthur Collings, a carpenter/builder by trade, became the foreman for the construction of a new building in or near Hethfelton, Wool, Dorset He had a Box Brownie camera and he took pictures of the building site which had quite a large workforce Some of the men, including Frank Hann later identified by my father, would have travelled from Nether Compton and stayed on-site somewhere during the week One thing that struck me was the height of the scaffolding... more

Putting Somerset on the early photographic map

Posted on 18th July 2021

Somerset’s first professional photographer was someone about whom relatively little is known, even amongst photographic historians He was Thomas Sharp (1806-1896), who was born in London, but who lived much of his early life in North Devon This blog post records our efforts to have Sharp recognised as the photographer responsible for a portrait which until now has been credited to Roger Fenton, perhaps the best known early photographer Photograph: Major-General Charles Ashe Windham -... more

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