Home welcome Contact us Site map

Up
Good Old Days 1
Good Old Days 2
Good Old Days 3
Good Old Days 4
Good Old Days 5
Good Old Days 6
Good Old Days 7
Good Old Days 8
Good Old Days 9
Good Old Days 10
Good Old Days 11
Good Old Days 12
Good Old Days 13
Good Old Days 14
Good Old Days 15
Good Old Days 16
Good Old Days 17
Good Old Days 18
Good Old Days 19
Good Old Days 20
Good Old Days 21
Good Old Days 22
Good Old Days 23
Good Old Days 24
Good Old Days 25
Good Old Days 26
Good Old Days 27
Good Old Days 28
Good Old Days 29
Good Old Days 30
Good Old Days 31
Good Old Days 32
Good Old Days 33
Good Old Days 34
Good Old Days 35
 

The Taunton & District Civic Society is a charity and you can make a donation by sending in your old pictures to us, either by post (please enclose an SAE for return) or by email. 
Click Here For Addresses

Good Old Days
It's time to get the photo albums out because we are asking you to send in your old pictures of Taunton. We have displayed here over 300 pictures already so why not browse through them and remind yourself of the good old days of Taunton and surrounding area.

Just use the menu on the left.
 Latest additions are numbers 21 and above.

(Contributors also help with other projects the Civic Society have adding more value to your contribution in the community. If you wish to send by post please enclose a self addressed envelope for return. Contact details can be found at the top of this page).

The Good Old Days - Visitor Responses
 

East Reach 1984
I believe that I have identified the attached picture and confirmed it in Nick Chipchaces book. The building was The Phoenix Hotel and was situated in East Street to the right of The Taunton Motor Company. In the centre of the first floor, in the picture, can be seen a bracket this bracket held the sign board for the hotel.
Ralph Bale - Taunton

The above was also confirmed by a contribution from Keith Escott & Liz Atkins


Our Picture Above
Brian Murless's Picture Below

 

 

 

   The Mystery
The photograph with the excavator relates to a sewerage scheme being undertaken in Spring 1972. The location is the eastern end of Priory Avenue looking towards the 'old' Priory Way which led to Taunton Corporation's refuse destructor. My attached photograph taken just a little further along the road shows the white stuccoed building, originally part of Lambrook Farm, on the left which matches the one shown in your shot on the right hand side.  
The development of the retail outlets and the roads (Obridge Viaduct, Victoria Parkway etc.) resulted in considerable landscape changes in this area which included the demolition of the relatively modern semi-detached houses shown behind the excavator.
Brian Murless - Archivist, Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society
 
This photo was taken at the point where Priory Avenue merged with Lambrook Road before the Victoria Parkway was constructed. The view is northwards towards the Corporation Yard in the old Lambrook Farm. On the 1960 Ordnance Survey (OS) plan, the cream washed house beyond the yard is called 'Laburnum'.
 
The town Sewage Works, which by this time had been replaced by the new Sewage Works at Ham was about 200 yards further north down this lane but is out of sight on this picture.
 
The two new houses on the left of the picture are now 8 and 9 Monks Close. The small brick building to the right behind the Hadsphaltic sign is an electricity sub station, which is still there today.
David Hunt - Winnersh, Berkshire

The above was also confirmed by a contribution from Keith Escott.

  Sainsbury's is a Long Time Coming
The Store name was Kennedys. A builders merchant. And I believe they moved to the bottom of East Reach to what is now known as Travis Perkins.
Keith Escott - Taunton

  The Parade
Regarding the first picture of the opening page to the above section of the parade my guess to the year would be between end of July 1992 and June 1993. 
 
The reason that I know this is that I work in Watson and Smith Opticians (beside Clark's shoe shop) and have done since the practice was taken over at the end of July 1992 from Focal Point Opticians.  The window display showing is that of Focal Point that we used before we had a refurbishment done in 1993 which changed how we use the windows.
Liz Atkins - Taunton
 
 
Copyright 2005 Taunton & District Civic Society. All rights reserved