Sarah
Hawkins Genealogy Site
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Somerset County Herald and Taunton Courier. Saturday 03 May 1947
Page 2 Column 6
TAUNTON AS A TOURIST CENTRE
WHAT TO SHOW OUR VISITORS
BY H. J. CHANNON
This is not the first time I have advocated the development of Taunton as a tourist centre. In my judgement, it has an incomparable position. Well! suppose in May the town were invaded by 200 American tourists, how might they profitably spend ten days with Taunton as their headquarters? Remember they are here to hustle, to see all they can, and to spend all they can.
Let's suppose they arrive on Friday. In the evening I should like to gather them together for a general talk about the district. A walk round the town would fill up Saturday morning. I am sure the wide clean streets, the fine shops, and the up-to-date public buildings would be admired, but they would be anxious to see old Taunton. So our itinerary shall include the Castle, the Municipal Buildings, the County Council Offices, the Almshouses, the Leper Hospital, Flook House, the site of the historic White Hart Inn, the Priory Barn, Vivary Park, the 16th century town house of the PORTMAN family (now the Tudor Restaurant), the Shire Hall, one of our public schools, and, of course, our two oldest churches. That is an ambitious programme for a three hours' tour.
COUNTRY CRICKET.
In the afternoon I should take them to see a rural cricket match in buttercup time, where lowly folk and men of rank, squire and labourer, the Vicar and the blacksmith, meet on a common footing. I should get them to sit under an ancient oak, listening to the reminiscences of the veterans in the genuine Somerset dialect. I only wish they could be entertained to an old-fashioned cricket tea. We might finish the day with a visit to a cinema in the hope of seeing a good British film.
We should leave Sunday morning open for our visitors to attend Divine worship at any of our churches.
There would be in the party some anxious to trace the native places of their English ancestors. Genealogies have a fascination for Americans. From our district a number of early Puritans migrated to America. We could talk about that as we visited the Blackdown Hills on Sunday afternoon. I should show them the gems of exquisite carving in Trull Church, and on arrival in the lovely village of Pitminster, a tablet in the church to the TREAT family would excite their interest, for in 1638 one Richard TREAT, his wife, Alice, and nine children left Pitminster, for New England, and the signature of Robert TREAT-PAINE, one of Richard's descendants, appears in the Declaration of Independence.
From the top of Blagdon Hill the party would have an unforgetable view of the Vale of Taunton. From there we could pass through the lovely beech avenue, so radiant in rhododendron time, to a view of the Taunton reservoirs, and then on to the Wellington Monument, from which is there a grander prospect in England?
THE MECCA OF ENGLAND.
We might reserve Monday for a visit to Athelney, Sedgemoor battlefield, Glastonbury (for Americans the Mecca of England), Wells, Cheddar and Wookey Hole. The visitors would like a look at Barton St. David, near Glastonbury, since from that village there went to America a Puritan named Henry ADAMS, from whom were descended two Presidents of the United States.
We decided to save a little petrol on Tuesday. I should like our friends to see the old Saxon mill at Halse, the old-world village of Cothelstone, then on to Over Stowey and Triscombe Stone. We couldn't cut out Coleridge's cottage at Nether Stowey, picturesque Holford Glen, the home of John PYM, near Cannington, St. Mary's Church and BLAKE's statue at Bridgwater. Americans just love to lap up our history.
Lorna Doone is a most popular novel in America, so on Wednesday we might have a long day in the Golden West. First, to Crowcombe and then Dunster, with its old yarn market, feudal castle, and glorious church, then on to Minehead, Selworthy (a village of grand and serene charm), Allerford and it's old pack horse bridge, and Porlock. I wish there was time to show them flower-enshrouded Luccombe and wild Dunkery Beacon. The ascent of Porlock Hill would bring us to the glorious coast road to Lynton. We might be lucky to see a red deer cross the road. Down Countisbury Hill we should find our visitors enchanted with the coast scenery. Mother Melldrum's reputed cave-home in the wild Valley of Rocks at Lynton would be our goal.
WHERE CARVER SHOT LORNA.
Then retracing our steps, we should leave the main road and turn right for Oare, from whose quaint church we should find it difficult to dislodge the tourists. But on to Malmsmead, to follow the Badgworthy Water to the Doone Valley, which probably would not come up to the expectations of the visitors. I should want to show them lovely Winsford, so instead of descending Porlock Hill we should strike right across the moor, and after Winsford, there would be Dulverton and Wiveliscombe before the final hop to Taunton.
Taunton by road is only about an hour's motor journey to the English Channel. On Thursday I should suggest a visit to Seaton, via Shute, from, which village Miss POOLE emigrated to America to become one of the founders of Taunton in Massachusetts. From Seaton on to the old world fishing village of Beer, and then through the lovely valley of Branscombe to Sidmouth, whence to Taunton via Honiton.
A STATELY OLD ENGLISH HOME.
I should not like the visitors to miss seeing Montacute House, near Yeovil, which represents almost perfectly the most advanced form of country house built in the last years of Queen Elizabeth. This most stately of early English homes expressed in stone the rise to power and wealth of an astute lawyer, Edward PHELIPS, who rose to power under the last Tudor Queen.
So Friday would be devoted to a visit to this beautiful mansion, also to the old Priory, and the village cottages built of the local warm yellow stone of Ham Hill. And the top of Stoke-under-Ham would be an ideal spot for a picnic lunch, including raw cauliflower, and sandwiches of tomatoes, crisp lettuces, and young radishes, for which Americans have a fond liking.
But have they written up their diaries? Let them have Friday evening to do it.
They would deserve a quiet day on Saturday; so we might spend the morning visiting the Market, and a few factories where they could be shown the processes of several of Taunton's manufactures – collars, gloves, paper boxes, shirts, or silk goods. And in the afternoon let them make their purchases.
Well! As a result of the visit, a considerable number of dollar greenbacks have supported Taunton's economy, but more than that, further links of friendship between the two countries, and a better understanding have been forged and created.