
The Star and Railway Inns in the early 1920s.
Bring the past to the present

The Star and Railway Inns in the early 1920s.
A view of The Star Inn, 1908. On The left is Mrs. Hawkins, grandmother to Mrs. Evelyn Pike. Mrs. Hawkins cooked lunches in The Star, she is talking to a Mrs. Quick. In the background are Mr. Luxton the ostler and Mr. Denning who brought the Royal Mail from Cullompton to Hemyock. The gentleman with the broad brimmed hat was the Vicar of Dunkeswell Abbey Church.

c. 1957/8, staff from the milk factory outside Taunton Station en route to London for the annual two day re-union for long service staff, L to R.
Percy Pike, W. Bradford, Bill Griffiths, Bill Miller, Jack Jennings, Bill Alway, Bill Trickey, Kit Pike, Harry Trickey, George Northam, ?, ?, Bill Cload, Ernie Hole.

A photograph of all the factory staff in the 1930s
Back row L to R. Bert Head, Frank Browning, Tom Lowman, ?, Mark Lowman, Bill Northam, Bert Bickle, George Northam, Frankie Masters, Dick Pooley, Reg Barton, Vic Bale.
2nd row – Sid Land, Jim Woodgate, ?, Bill Wotton, Percy Pike, Fred Trickey, Harry Towell,?, Red Lowman, Edgar Lowman, Bill Hutchings, Fred Cork , Ernie Best.
3rd row – ?, Ern Lowman, Eli Lowman, Tom Bright, W. Guppy, Bill Cload, Bill Casley, Bert Marks, Percy Salter, Kath Curtis, ?, Chris Board, Bill Bennett, George Lowman, Bill Tricky, Jim Mitcham.
Sitting – Jack Exton, Harry Summers, Bill Griffiths, Hazel Wide, Ted Hassan, Bill Hole, Mr. Anderson, Sam Lutley, Bill Miller, Queenie Pring, Jack Jennings, Edward Lutley, John Webber.
On the ground – ? Ayres, Elsie Bendle, Phyll Lowman, Beat Osmond, ?, Kit Pike, Gwen Bennett.

c. 1950s Mr. Hassan the motor engineer by the garage for the lorries. A fleet of 14 Bedford lorries had just been purchased.
An early lorry being dug out of a snowdrift, snow caused problems in the very early days.
The entrance to the factory when it was the Culm Valley Dairy Co. There were two houses on the left, both of which were subsequently demolished to make way for the office block and the yard beyond. The railway lines on the right ran into the factory.
The dried milk powder was dispatched in these barrels made of plywood and known as Venestas (from the name of the firm that made them).

Bill Northam with an early milk churn that could hold 17 gallons of milk (75 litres) and would weigh 210 lbs (90kgs) when full.
The Hemyock History Group meet on the second Thursday of the month with speakers talking about interesting historical subjects.
The meetings start at 19:30 in the church rooms. For more information please send us an email on the Contact Us tab.
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