Capture Burnham is a North Sedgemoor Local History Group initiative in association with Somerset Film, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Burnham and Highbridge Town Council.
Our aim is to encourage residents and visitors to explore the history of our wonderful town through this site and the heritage trail we have created. The initial content has been shaped around public nominations and we hope that you will contribute your memories and photos to help the archive grow. If you would like to know more about local history, click here to find out about the latest talks we have organised.
Explore the site through the map opposite or the menus above – you’ll find a host of images and films to help you uncover more about Burnham-on-Sea, such as this one with Skipper Steve Yeandle who reveals how boats and ships enter the bay .
Here is another YouTube Video from Windrose Rural Media Trust showing a range of local items, using some of Norman Gobey’s footage from 1935.
HERE ARE SOME LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES THAT YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING:
CAPTURE HIGHBRIDGE:
https://capturehighbridge.wordpress.com
SOMERSET HERITAGE CENTRE:
SOMERSET ARCHAEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY:
SOMERSET INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
KNOW YOUR PLACE MAPPING PROJECT:
http://www.kypwest.org.uk/tag/somerset/
INTERESTING ENGLAND:
BRITISH NEWSPAPER ARCHIVE (requires membership for which there is a fee):
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
SOMERSET & DORSET RAILWAY:
GRAVESTONE DATABASE PROJECT:
https://www.findagrave.com/ Search or add memorials & photos
HISTORIC ENGLAND (Including aerial images and some images of Burnham on Sea).
https://historicengland.org.uk
Is C Travers in any way related to Ben Travers. I was friends with/neighbour of his granddaughter when she lived here many years ago with her parents, and he lived on the Berrow Road. Maybe a co-incidence but I always wondered what their connection to the place was…
Hi Victoria,
Unfortunately we do not have any information currently about C. Travers but perhaps other readers may be able to comment.
Hi. I attended a talk by John Strickland today on the wreck of the Norman. His talk included a folk song about it on YouTube. I’d like to know who was singing so that I can find it and listen again. Please can someone provide me with that information.
Hi Holly, thanks for your enquiry. Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymyelS1HdIA
Hi everyone,we live in sunny lawns (the small row of terrace houses opposite boots) we are trying to find some info on what happened to number 1 Sunny lawns and why it was demolished. It is pictured in the electric cinema photo with a low wall and hedge with bay windows exactly the same as the rest of sunny lawns now. We have always found it odd that the numbers start at 2! I can only assume the house was demolished to make way for shops(now Anthony James jeweller’s) if anyone has any information or pictures we would love to see. Thanks
Thanks for your question Andrew. It appears that the single storey building housing Anthony James was built upon what would have been the garden of number 1. It is possible that the property was acquired by developers to incorporate into the uniform terrace of shops which was built between South Street and Sunny Lawn. It is not clear just when this was constructed, our record of commercial occupancy for this area of the High St is very poor prior to the late 20th century. It seems originally to have been numbered as 10 in its entirety so may have held previously only one other property in addition to No 1 Sunny Lawn (as the Electric Theatre photo seems to indicate).
Hi thanks for the reply Nigel,so do any pictures exist of sunny lawns houses do you know when the front gardens were open plan grass lawns?
If the records and my transcription is accurate, No 1 was still there in 1939. I have little information after that date but I suspect that you are right that this house was demolished to make way for a shop (date unknown)
1881 Census – Henry PARSONS
1883 Kellys – Henry PARSONS
1891 Census – Not found
1897 Kellys – Miss(?) Thomas STEPHENSON
1901 Census – George F MABERLEY – Medical Practitioner retired.
1902 Kellys – Geo Fredk MABERLEY
1902 Kellys -Llewellyn ROBERTS – Methodist
1906 Kellys – Francis John HALE – Inland Revenue Officer
1910 Kellys – Joseph William SMITH – Inland Revenue Officer
1911 Census – George MORGAN – Floor Cloth Maker
1914 Kellys – Joseph William SMITH – Inland Revenue Officer
1923 Kellys – Herbert POPLE
1937 Town Guide – H W SENIOR
1939 Register – Bernard W SENIOR – Company Secretary
Hello John, I work for a TV company down in Plymouth. We’re making a series about Somerset and are interested in featuring the Burnham lighthouses. I’m trying to find out who the current owner of the High Lighthouse on Berrow road is, I don’t suppose you can help? I understand it was sold to a private owner in 2018. Also looking for local people with any connections to the High or Low Lighthouses. Many thanks in advance!
Hello Emma,
My wife has contacted you via facebook with my contact details.
John
Hello there, wow what a great site, so much information on Burnham .
I was wondering if you could give me some pointers, I am trying to find the history of my home who lived here particularly and history on the street. I am new to all any historical digging.
I am on Jubilee Street.
Hello Georgina,
We do have some information on street names and we do have members of our History Group who are involved with family tree details. The best advice I can give you is to come to to our History meetings. I can then put you in touch with these people. Details of our meetings will be posted soon on the About page.
Thanks for your interest in our history site.
John
Brilliant thanks I will keep an eye out
I am trying to find the location of Brickyard Cottage highbridge rd. where my Grandfather was born in the 1880s Any help would be much appreciated.
I am trying to analyse the coach bodies that existed by and/or near the station in Burnham. One was known as the chapel and was used by fishermen, another was by the foot crossing from the excursion platform to the road, outside theLifeboat Station, I believe. I have some poor photos of these two and would be keen to here more.
Many thanks and a Happy New year to you
The one known as the Seamans’ Chapel was ‘transferred’ to become a changing room etc at the tennis court of Wallace Wells who was a farmer and butcher who lived along Worston Lane. My grandfather, Henry Dare Luxon, a seaman with the S&D railway used to go to the chapel and take his eldest son Howard, my uncle, along with him at times.
The fellow former seamen called Howard ‘Young Henry’.
I used to visit Wallace’s daughter Jetta, the tennis court has now got houses built upon it and the carriage/chapel is no more.
Sorry, I made a mistake there. Howard was the eldest son of Henry’s second marriage. There were four boys and three girls from his first marriage.
Hi All.
I’m looking into the Holt Family Tree. From what I’ve gathered so far is that the family original came from London. The Head of the family William Steward Holt (Already a brewer) was married to Mariane Holt and had 5 children; Mariane, Thomas, Charles, William and Louisa. The boys became brewers. Thomas Holt had 3 sons, which two, Edward and Cecil died in military service and Ernest Gerald. William Skinner Holt (Son 3 of William Steward Holt) married a Mina Ouseley (something). They lived in Sandways, which seems to be attached someway to the brewery. Now, they had 3 children Iris F, Marian Ouseley, and Charles Travers. Iris I think married in Wincanton and moved to Poole. Charles, lived on the Esplanade (44) and was also a brewer. Marian married a James Mackintosh Sutherland, who was a Brewery Director, and lived at The Towans. Later I think they moved to The Grove. Given that the family at times owned considerable property with The Hall (community centre) and The Towans (potential) they seem to vanish. Has anyone got any links to the family? Would Whitbreads have their original recipe(s)? Any help in filling spaces, correcting mistakes and any other information greatly appreciated. I know Thomas was a keen sportsman and established, or helped in forming Burnham golf course, before it became Burnham and Berrow.
Hello James and thanks for your posting. I cannot add more to your Holt Family Tree but I in several books I have I know the family had several properties in this area . I also understand Alan has contacted you by private email about his work on Family Trees . Should anything more come to light we will share it with you.
Thanks again for your time,
John
Hello again James,
We have now been able to add some information about the History of ‘The Hall’ to the website which may interest you.Look at the News page for the link. As you know, Alan Wheway is currently researching the family and we hope to be able to add a new page for them on our People Menu in the near future.
We are a little depleted in numbers but we do still exist! Gerald Holt (E.G. Holt) was my Grandfather.
Now that we have made contact it would be lovely to know more about the time your Grandfather Gerald owned Burnham Brewery. It’s probably best to send any images/ scanned articles to my home email and we can upload them here. Who should we credit these items to please ?
Thanks for many contact as I’m sure we have much to share with you, your sister and your mother.
John
Hi Bri
Sorry for my tardiness in replying. I only just found your response. Any info on your family tree would be greatly appreciated. Your family did so much within the town. There is alot of interest in Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge history, with talk of a museum and a pictorial representation along the Esplanade to brighten up the sea wall. I believe, at some point, the brewery had strong links to the Guinness family. Additionally, I would love to know if any of the original recipes still exist. It would be great to see the original brew back behind the bars of Burnham-on-Sea and the surrounding areas
Hi James
Sincere apologies. I have only just discovered your reply. Very inefficient of me. Sorry.
Since my first reply to your comment, I have been in touch with John and several family and brewery photos/items are now included on the Capture Burnham website. Meanwhile, a friend of mine has done a really great job of putting my family tree together.
I am unaware of any original recipes. Sorry. But I do agree with you – would have been wonderful to still see the local brew in the pubs of Burnham.
Hi Nigel
Thank you for the information it does help with my enquire
I am trying to contact John Strickland I under stand he may have access to the old railway maps Highbridge to Burnham. I would love to be able to do a large print.
Hello Philip.
I do have some maps but they are mainly on A5 paper.
I will contact you via my email.
John
I am trying to get hold of john strickland to see if he has any information on the buliding which is now the ymca charity at 2a high street as we think we have some paranormal activty going on and would like to find out what type of buliding it was before and if anything happened there
Hello Mervyn,
Thanks for your postings. Not sure I have much but will check my files and ask some colleagues who may know more.
It may take a while before we get back to you but thanks for your interest.
John
Hi john
Thank you and I will wait for your response and any information would be helpful
Hi Mervyn, checking the occupancy info we have from various sources for this building it seems that it was built on the college (corner building) yard. There were 2 shop units originally, though updating and reconstruction may have taken place (photos show it was single storey until at least the 1950’s). The occupancy of the buildings on the site is not entirely clear but seems to have been as follows:
1902 Ash’s Tailors & Refreshment Rooms
1916-23 Woolley’s Confectionery
1929-31 Tucker’s Drapers / Hawking’s
Dairy? / Player’s Florists
1939 Pearce’s Toacconists / Evans’
Jewellers
1960s Co-Op (extending into the corner building)
1990s JPS Footwear (extending into the corner building)
2000s YMCA
Hope this helps, not sure if any further info will turn up.
Hi David,
I need to get Nigel my web master to complete this and maybe it’s best with the Hawkings file ?
John
Could you add our site to the Hawkings family page on your site.
If I put the web address into the form below it becomes identified as spam.
Thank you.