Frome Woolies 1970s

 

Frome punks at the Westway Cinema 1977

 The band playing just before the movie (Rollerball). The band were the Straits an all girl band from York.  Us Frome punks got up and pogoed and danced to the band. In the photo is Nigel and Charlie Fenby and Steve Keep. I was dancing too but I am not in the photo. 

Old Somerset Customs Muriel Walker

 

Susan picked this book up for me - 50p. I was surprised to see one that I had taken part in being included. Whit Monday in Frome there was a parade of children from the churches with banners and bands and at the end of it got a special bun. I remember this. I was forced to go to Sunday school etc. so these type of activities were run of the mill. A good book. Lots of useful info.

Cider Lollies from Paniccia's

 

From Frome Past & Present photo by Di Hollingsworth

I was thinking about cider lollies. Lovely. We used to get them from Paniccia's of Frome. Asda do them very cheaply as do Iceland. Did you know you can freeze cider? A friend did and you get a little pool at the top of a really strong drink but otherwise frozen. The man in the Paniccia's van knew my name and always said 'Good day Master Mitchard' however old I was. They had a shop and factory down Naish's street. It was very stylish in an old fashioned way. A friend went there to do a student photography project intending to snap their retro stylings but managed by saying something he thought complimentary about their archaic style and they got offended and chucked him out. Lovely ice cream we used to get a slab of ice cream that was wrapped in paper for the journey.

Frome's Kate Bush flashmob

 

Frome Selwood Road

 The building on the left is the Selwood Printing works which is now flats. This is the Trinity area. Was rough in the old days - nicknamed Chinatown. During the War Black servicemen in Frome were only allowed to drink in Chinatown. There was a mini race riot when they tried to drink in the centre of town. 

Frome Past Carnivals

 A local woman with a passion for Frome Carnival has created a website showcasing photos of past carnival entries and royalty. Sue Latham has launched Frome Past Carnivals, featuring more than 2,100 images from the town’s annual event, which celebrates its centenary

Father of the chapel (FoC)

 In print this was what Union shop stewards were called. The title harks back to when printing was done by monks I believe. I must admit in my experience FoCs were 'firm's men' effectively chosen by management. When I got into trouble which was often they would be there and say something like 'I can only agree with X - young people would give their eye teeth for a job like yours'. Disappointing. 

Frome 1970

 Frome Museum posted this. When Woodmancys were on the Bridge. I got all my first records from there. Not from the racks but they had a big book like a phone book with all the in print records so I used to order initially Beatles records but later Rock'n'roll and blues. I got Robert Johnson from there. The only drawback to the system was you didn't know the price till it arrived, but a good system. I mostly got EPs.

Batman road safety advert

 I was in an accident around then. I went to a friends after school and on the way home it was dark and I   got knocked down by a man on a bike at the Butts (named after the place where they practiced archery). I remember running across the road and woke up with a crowd around me and someone asked me 'do you want us to tell the police?' Had concussion and was off school for a few days. Had to read lots of road safety leaflets.

Longleat Lions (1966)

 Longleat Safari and Adventure Park - Wikipedia

Opened today in 1966.

Longleat Safari and Adventure Park opened in 1966, making it the world's first drive-through safari park outside Africa. The park was established on the grounds of Longleat House, which 

became the first privately-owned stately home to open to the public in 1949.

Saying from my apprentice days.

 They had this saying about young people doing a job. 'One boy is a boy. Two boys is half a boy, three boys is no boys at all.'

Bos in the Frome Times

 

New wildlife mural brightens Vallis Road

A new mural is taking shape on hoardings at the top of Vallis Road.

Commissioned by Frome Town Council and created by local artist Paul Mutartis Boswell, the mural depicts birds and other wildlife, plants and industrial buildings, reflecting the surrounding area and its history.

The mural, near the junction with Wallington Way, is a response to requests from residents of Wallington Way and the surrounding streets to improve the hoardings’ appearance and the view people see when they arrive in Frome from the north west.

In 2025, Paul Mutartis Boswell and Shared Earth Learning led workshops with young people to create a collage of images on the residential side of the hoardings; the new mural faces the road, with the remaining section to be painted in in a plain colour sympathetic to the mural.

Read more here: https://buff.ly/0NW9BPv

Badcox in Frome

 Photo Frome Museum. We lived near this mini centre.

2000: Rode Bird Gardens home video VHS

 We were talking about Rode Bird Gardens near Frome and I thought I would look on Youtube to see if there was anything and found this. Our African clawed frog ended up in the reptile house there. Kids loved going there.

Terraplanes aat the Caxton Club Frome 1983

 This wass the local printer's social club. Started out as a canteen but under my Dad's guidance had it installing a bar with all the amenities of a social club. We chose this for our photos. Now it is housing as the printers is no more. If you are wondering what we sounded like at that time go here

Church steps Frome by Karolyn Rose

 

Animals & Men there in 1979

Susan and my brother about 41 years ago

 Location is the canal at Midford when they were restoring it. Susan has a baby bump.

Wesleyan Methodist Chapel Frome

I went to Sunday school and so forth here.
 

Inns of Frome 1985

 Frome Museum posted this. They say

A print from 1985 showing 17 of Frome’s 22 pubs that existed at the time. A few of those featured are no more but can you recall the 5 that are not included?