Look after the pennies….
If you read the text of this advert for Savings Certificates, it gives a very good idea of family life in 1924. If the family kept to its savings plan, the £310 it would have saved by 1934 is equivalent to just under £28,000 today. A search of the Museum catalogue...
Public Conveyance
In late February 1924, Croscols, a bus company, wrote seeking permission from the Town Council, to start a daily bus service between Bampton and Tiverton. They proposed using a 20 seater bus and were offering to submit a timetable. They felt that the service would be...
‘Witticisms’ at the Electric
In February 1924, a series of lectures and demonstrations in practical cookery were given in the Electric Theatre. They were promoted by Brown & Polson’s, then a famous Scottish flour maker. The Mayor welcomed Mrs Eva Davies, the demonstrator and included, in his...
Canadian Adventures
In the 1920s, Canada was very keen to attract people working in agriculture to settle in their country. There was plenty of land available particularly in the centre of the country. In 1922 the Empire Resettlement Act gave assistance with travel and resettlement to...
Tiverton Beagles
At this time of year, the Gazette reports on the various Hunts taking place locally. Tiverton Beagles feature most weeks and at the beginning of January 1924, they describe the Meets they held over the Christmas period. They were invited to join the Otter Vale Beagles...
Motorbike Trials
The London to Exeter Trial was first run in 1910 when it attracted 71 riders. During the 1923 trial, the weather was bad, it rained very heavily and ‘the roads, already very bad, were converted into a horrible quagmire’. Motorcycle ownership greatly increased at the...
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas… a Museum Tale
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the museum, Not a creature was stirring, you couldn’t even see ‘em. The stockings were hung on exhibits with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The children had visited all through December,...
Tiverton Museum reduce energy use as part of resilience project
Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life has taken an important step in reducing its electricity consumption. The museum worked closely with J.V.Lee Electrical to install motion sensors on most of the lighting in the museum’s galleries, and to complete the transition to LED...
‘Shop Early’
By the beginning of December adverts were beginning to appear enticing the reader to ‘shop early’ for Christmas. The Tiverton Tobacco House, in Gold Street, was amongst them. The dangers of smoking were far from people’s minds in the 1920s. ...
Christmas Cards
Unlike today, the earliest references to Christmas in the Gazette of 1923 didn’t appear until well in to November. One of the first to appear was a description of the annual ‘package of Christmas and New Year cards, stationery, post cards, calendars and books...
Memories of the River Exe
Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life has recently teamed up with Friends of the River Exe to undertake a project together recording people’s memories of the river as part of this year’s Festival of the Exe. The memories captured included people’s experiences of spending...
‘Poppy Day’
In the very early days of November 1923, an article in the Gazette was appealing for ladies to help with ‘Poppy Day’ in Tiverton which was to take place on Saturday 10th November. Ladies were asked to help with the sale of poppies in aid of ‘Earl Haig’s appeal for...