We have recently had the pleasure of digitising a wonderful collection of 47 photographs of Sydling St. Nicholas, each with a caption clearly explaining the scene, and together they paint a wonderful picture of life in the small post-war West Dorset village in 1947.
These official photographs were issued by the Central Office of Information, London. Unfortunately so far we have not been able to find out the name of the photographer, which is a shame, as he (most likely a male at this time, though not necessarily) was clearly a very good photographer – the photographs are carefully and thoughtfully composed and beautifully printed – due to the slightly warm tone of the prints, for those interested, we strongly suspect they were printed on a chlorobromide paper. We also love how the time was taken to gather the names and information and stories about the characters of the village – such stories bring the past alive.
The Church clock is one of the oldest in the country, having been built in 1593 – we love this photograph showing Mr Sherry winding it – does anyone know him or any of his relatives? The clock mechanism is large, note how it is braced to the wall by a bar above Mr Sherry’s head. A visit must be had!
The village school was small, and sadly closed in 1966, (we have their registers dating from 1873 to 1966) with children now attending school in other nearby areas. The school was a Church of England School, and we know from the caption that 34 children attended. Were you one of those children? Do you recognise anyone? We love the individual desks, and one member of the team remembers them in their primary school, with space to keep your schoolbooks inside and an inkwell and pen rest. It certainly looks a very calm and studious atmosphere!
Some villagers had multiple jobs such as the shop keeper Mrs Spriggs, who also ran the single petrol pump for the village.
Fresh water in the village was supplied from wells, and unless they were one of the lucky ones to have their own well, villagers would have to collect their water daily from a tap in the street. The water was inspected by an Assistant Sanitary Inspector from Dorchester Rural District Council to check its quality and ensure its suitability and safety for drinking.
In the second part of this blog, we will look at the role of the health visitors for the village and the support offered to expectant and new mothers, the village produce association and the Church Harvest Festival, so please do pop back for further stories. In the meantime, if you have any stories and memories to share, we would love to hear them!