It’s May 1865 and someone professing to be a ‘photographer’ is out capturing images of Bridgwater for the first time with his ‘camera’. As he walks down the traffic-free St.Mary street to where it meets the newly built Taunton road he notices someone has daubed ‘Westropp for ever’ on the wall of the old Workhouse […]
On January 10th 1899 the Son of God died in Bridgwater and was buried standing up in a garden in Spaxton. Whilst this could have been bad news for religion generally, in fact it was merely the last breath of a real live mortal, the Reverend Henry James Prince, who had built up a religious […]
In the very early hours of November 5th 1605 the Catholic Freedom Fighter / Papist Terrorist (delete as appropriate) Guy Fawkes, was caught red handed (and red bearded) in the cellars of Parliament attempting to blow it up with 36 barrels of gunpowder. That evening in Bridgwater the townspeople probably hadn’t even had the news […]
Like everywhere in Britain, Tuesday 4th August 1914 in Bridgwater was a day of excitement and anticipation as the Nation waited to see if the German Army of Kaiser Wilhelm would obey the British Government’s ultimatum to withdraw from Belgium by 11pm. In fact, this war, which had been a long time coming and pretty […]
On Tuesday 22nd July 1645 Bridgwater was in flames after an 11 day siege, surrounded by Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army and under constant bombardment from Parliamentary cannons positioned on Hamp Hill. The townswomen had been allowed to leave the town ,the Roundhead army prepared to storm the castle and Bridgwater was on the verge […]