Photo categories
Cookies and Privacy
This site uses cookies when you post comments.
If you don't want this to happen please use the contact form and mention the photo title with your comment.
If you'd like to know more please see our privacy policy and information on how cookies are used.
Recent additions
Recent comments
- Phil Lewis on The Rectory (old) Blagdon
- Blagdon Local History Society on Taking the air, Nordrach
- simon shepherd on Taking the air, Nordrach
Things to think about
• Is the image the right way round?
• Is it duplicated in the archive?
• When was the image taken?
• Why was it taken?
• Who took it?
• Where is it?
• What does it show?
• Can you identify the people in it?
• Any observations about the image
• Anecdotes inspired by the images
• Is it duplicated in the archive?
• When was the image taken?
• Why was it taken?
• Who took it?
• Where is it?
• What does it show?
• Can you identify the people in it?
• Any observations about the image
• Anecdotes inspired by the images
Join 95 other subscribers
 |
| A www.blagdon.org project |
Andrew Addicott's Archive 
Dear Julie & Andrew,
Yes, this looks very much like my Dad, Albert Sampson, the man on top of the hayrick on the right leaning on his pitchfork. Andrew has shown me another in the past where, I think, my Dad was on his own on top of a hayrick, just in a white shirt.
Thanks, Robert
Mmmm! looks a lot like Pete Best, bottom left?
Thanks, Richard, for sending me this pic. I don’t suppose you are related to Reg Young who had a daughter, Julie Young? They lived along a lane down off the A38 just East of Star. Reg’s wife was the daughter of Norman Branch, a well-known and well-loved character who was run over by a car as he crossed over from his cottage to the Star pub one evening. In those days the Star Inn had a skittle alley and was very popular in the evenings. best regards, Robert Sampson ________________________________
I only met Pete Best some 5 years before he passed away but still pop in to say “Hello” to his widow whenever I’m in Blagdon and visit my parents’ grave in the new cemetery. Pete had told me that he and his brother both worked for my Dad when he was the owner of Holt farm (now Yeo Valley) and Diplands stables, opposite (now converted into houses). Pete told me that his brother was one of the best stockmen on Mendip and had been taught almost all he knew by my Dad. In those days my Dad delivered milk around Blagdon Charterhouse and Harptree by horse and cart; the milk being scooped by a measure from churn into the customers’ own receptacles. At Diplands Dad kept his horses which were used for ploughing and hauling, also some riding school lessons.
Immediately after the end of WW2 my Dad left Blagdon to live in London with his 2nd wife, my mother, and left the farm and stables to his 1st wife and 2 daughters, Rosemary and Helen, who sold the property to the Meads on the death of their mother. There was a particularly steep corner in one of Dad’s fields which he used to plough with horses. Mr. Mead hired a firm of contractors to plough the field but they wouldn’t attempt that steep corner on the grounds that it was too dangerous for the tractor. Mr. Mead attempted to plough it himself saying that he would be able to negotiate it successfully by tractor, with the tragic result that you are probably aware of.
In case you don’t know…….Andrew Addicott was my cousin, his mother Flo being my Dad’s youngest sister. There were 11 children of that Sampson family, 5 boys & 6 girls all living in the shop on Bath Road just above Bob Lyons’ garage. My uncle Cecil (Sammy) inherited the shop from grandfather and it was a newsagents and barber shop.
Alex, the former caretaker of Blagdon school was also my cousin, as was Clarence (Jack) Lyons of Rowberrow, both of whom passed away in the last 3 years. I still have cousin Dorothy living in Ubley. She’s married to Rob Dury who used to have a substantial herd of Friesians but who has long since made his exit from dairy farming since the advent of the EEC common agricultural policy.
Rosemary Hodges is my sister.She lives in Cox’s Green, Wrington, with her hubby Mike who was a player in the same Blagdon rugby team as was Andrew.
Thanks for sending me this pic and pointing out Pete best on it. Nice to know that people in Blagdon still bother to think about their history.
yours sincerely,
Robert George Mendip Sampson
(full name, Ha! Ha!)
Hi Robert
You have another cousin still in this area. I am Gena Williams, the daughter of Bertha Sampson, your dad’s sister. I remember Uncle Albert and Phyllis very well as they often used to call in to see us when in the area. I also remember your sister Rosemary, Jack Lyons, Alex Sampson and Andrew Addicott.
Regards
Gena
Thank you, Gens. I don’t think we ever met I did meet Hazel once when she would have been about 16. Apparently she was a bright girl, university standard, but passed away at a young age. I’m wondering if you are her sister
I’m 71 now. If I make it as far as July 6th I’ll be 72. I’m overjoyed to discover that I have another cousin, YOU. I must make it my business to look you up if & when I make it down your way. Are you in Langford?
Hi Robert
Yes I am Hazel’s little sister. I’m the same age as your sister Christine. I think we must have met at Albert’s funeral, but I don’t remember. You are welcome to call in when you are down this way. I still live in Langford, at 2 The Old Cottages, Langford Lane (tel: 01934 862165, email gena@ghwilliams.plus.com).
Regards
Gena
Dear Gena,
I have taken the liberty of sending you 2 pictures of my son, Albert, by e-mail so if you see a message from lordmendip@yahoo.com it’s from myself
Roger and Mary mead brought Holt farm from Jim Stevens in the 1960 ,s my grandfather Bill Wilson and Pete Best worked for Jim Stevens I left school and worked for Roger Mead.
Mr & Mrs Pete Best were lovely people