The Co-Op returns to Corsham
Many people who are new to Corsham may not realise that there was a Co-operative stores in the town previously. It occupied the buildings that we now recognise as 51/53/55 High Street, a Veterinary surgery Walter/Macfadden, (notice the ‘Beehive ’sign in the gable to...
Derivation of the surname Weldon
I expected the explanation of the surname Weldon to be straightforward, but spelling variations complicate the issue. The obvious conclusion is that it is derived from the place of that name in Northamptonshire. This indeed seems to have been the source of the...
Who remember the Meccano Magazine?
My father bought me my first Meccano Magazine when I was 9 or 10 and I was an avid reader until it stopped production in the 1960’s. I was therefore delighted when Pat Whalley handed me two editions from June 1930 and October 1931. The covers have long disappeared,...
Frank Gerrish 1883 – 1917
Genealogy is an interest of mine. Adding names to a family tree is fine but sometimes we need to look at the personal stories of the individuals. This voyage of discovery began last year when a cousin showed me a letter which had been retrieved from the effects of a...
Corsham Almshouses: the tulip tree (lirodendron tulipifera)
(yellow poplar, saddle wood, canoe wood, white wood) In the debate over the Almshouse proposals, the Tulip tree often had a mention and I thought a few comments on it and its descendants might be appropriate. The Lirodendrons belong to the Magnolia family and their...
Lady Margaret Hungerford Almshouse Bell
Many visitors to the Almshouse may be unaware that within the wooden framed cupola is the original bell. The bell weighs approximately 75 kg and is 510 mm in diameter. There is a two lined inscription THIS BELL BELONGS TO THE ALMES HOVSE OF CORSHAM THE HONORABLE DAME...