Page 4 - SHS Newsletter 2 Vol 3 Sept 29th 2020

My first home was on a remote farm, so when we The Stalbridge Parish
came to live in the centre of Stalbridge in 1936 I
was absolutely fascinated by the street lighting. Magazine 1880
What particularly impressed me was that a boy on
a bike went round and pulled the little chain down Sunday School Centenary in Stalbridge.
to make the Gaslight work. He was an athletic
youth and he had a lot of lights to get going. So Great gatherings and celebrations of the Sunday
somehow he was able to wield a long pole with a School Centenary have been quite the order of the
hook on the end to pull down the chain to each day throughout the country.
light.
Tuesday July 27th 1880 will be a day long
remembered among us. Great preparations had
been made for a thoroughly successful festival in
Stalbridge Park, but the unfavourable weather of
the day before raised many fears that all would
have been done in vain.

The morning broke in bright sunshine, and though
there were a few passing storms in the morning
the afternoon proved as fine as anyone could
have desired.

Before one o’clock the Scholars of the various
Gas Lamp High Street Stalbridge schools united on the occasion (viz, the Stalbridge
Boys and Girls Sunday School, the Bagber,
And he could do this without getting off his bike. Weston and Thornhill Schools) began to
This was city life and I loved it. When the Second
World War broke out of course everything assemble at the Boys School. Owing to the late
changed. Lights had to be severely muted in case arrival of the Castle Cary Band the start did not
their presence attracted bombing, the lights on take place quite punctually. However soon after
motor cars were reduced to a slit and to go out in 1.30 the long procession began to march through
the evening most people carried their own torch. the town, the Brass Band let the way, followed by
But I shall never forget the boy on the bike. Stalbridge Girls School, the Thornhill, Bagber and
Weston Schools.
Hilary Townsend

[Ed. Hilary tells us that the Boy on a Bike was Basil Wilmot.
Does anyone else remember him?]

“Never ask the locals”

One day in early summer, some years ago, I was
in the Town Clerk’s office (in those days it was in
Ring Street opposite Dikes). It was a wet morning
and a lady came in to complain that there were
weeds growing out of the stone wall on the right
hand side going up Station Road, and they were
dripping on pedestrians. I said I would tell the Stalbridge Drum and Fife Band (Stalbridge Archive
gentleman who we had doing odd jobs for us. He Society)
came along soon after, so I told him, and he said, Then came Stalbridge Drum and Fife Band
“no problem”. About half an hour later a lady followed by the Boys School. The cheerful strains
came in to complain that someone had cut down of Bands, the long procession with its waving
all the wild flowers growing out of the wall down flags and banners, it’s flowers and medals and
Station Road. the decorations of the streets will be long
remembered. At 2.30 all gathered for a short

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