Chideock W. I.
At our November Meeting we had a most interesting talk from David Knapman of Axminster Heritage Centre regarding ‘Axminster Connections to Chideock’.
David spoke about our inheritance of Roman roads, for example from Exeter to Dorchester, and their development over the years until the advent of railways.
During the eighteenth century the eight day journey from Exeter to London was reduced to three days and the introduction of Turnpike Trusts led to further road improvements on major routes but cross country routes were reported as steep, narrow, rocky and dangerous. David spoke of George III’s visit to Chideock enroute to Exeter after his holiday in Weymouth. The King walked up Chideock and Charmouth Hills to lighten the carriage load, chatting to residents as he passed.
It seems that butter also played a significant role with the London populace demanding sweet, reduced salt butter: the longer the distance the butter had to travel, the more salt it needed to preserve it. Consequently Epping Forest Butter was regarded as the best. Sidmouth to Chard to Bridport became known as ‘The Dairy Triangle’ as it hosted an abundance of ‘Milking Devons’. In 1844 when the Bristol to London Railway became available, milk could be transported to London very quickly, enabling large quantities of butter to be made there also. Rail routes were established to Dorchester in 1847, Bridport in 1857 and Axminster in 1860. Farmers then turned more to rearing beef with, for example, an exceptionally prized cow named ‘Temptress’.
David’s two books on our local history, ‘Unsteady Progress’ and ‘Axminster Legacies’ are available from the Axminster Heritage Centre: a nice Christmas Gift for your favourite historian perhaps….
The WI is having a break from a formal December meeting but we will be living it up at our Christmas Lunch. Get that prosecco on ice…..!!
We hope to see you at the Christmas Fayre on Sat 29th Nov…..unless we already have…meanwhile
Merry Christmas Everyone from Us All at WI.