One of the brilliant things about the Mystery Photograph is the memories that they evoke in you, our readers. Thank you for sharing your stories with us. Last week’s Mystery Photograph was an example of this – it was taken at Miss Rivers’ shop in Bath Old Road, Radstock.

Correct answers went to: Dr Ian Brown, Frankie Ford, Winston Eyles, Peter

Kirkland and Dan Bates.

Thank you to Dr Ian Brown, who sheds some light on last week’s photograph. He says: “This is my Great-Grand-parents’ old cottage at Bath Old Road, Radstock, now demolished.

“As a boy in the 1940s I spent many happy holidays staying in what was then my Great-Aunt’s sweet and grocery shop. My Grandmother was born in the bedroom with the window shown top right. I used to stay in the other room, top left. The bottom right window shows some of the items for sale in the shop. The room at bottom left was a store for the shop. I remember loose sugar there being weighed out and sold in a square of paper twisted into a cone!

“So there was little space to bring up a family. There was no water, gas or electricity supply in the house. My Grandmother was one of ten children, only four of whom survived infancy. Her sister, Eliza Rivers, ran the shop after her parents’ death.

“The photo shows my Great-Grandfather, Thomas Rivers (1832–1922), my Great-Grandmother, Elizabeth (née Wareham, 1832–1915) and an unknown neighbour on the right.

“I am writing this from the cottage next door. My Great-Grandparents married in 1857 and the family has had a continuous connection with Bath Old Road ever since!

“Those interested in historical details may find my article, published in the Five Arches, Issue 58, 2007, entitled ‘Miss Rivers and Her Radstock Sweetshop’. I followed up the story last year (2020) with another article about my Grandmother: ‘How a Radstock girl survived the Blitz’.

“The cottage in the Mystery Photo had a similar one next to it and two more were backed-on to these facing a yard with a fifth cottage (partly visible beside my Aunt’s car, see photo above) and old stables. The five

cottages shared outside toilets and a stand pipe for water. The photo was taken in the 1960s shortly before the Council condemned the cottages for demolition.”

If you think you know where this week’s

Mystery Photograph was taken and would like a mention, please email: contactus

@mnrjournal.co.uk

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