Manchester in Mind

With the historic FA Cup Tie between Yeovil Town Football Club and Manchester United tomorrow on Friday 26th January 2018, we have recently received a timely donation from a Yeovil source.

The copy of a black and white image shows a group photograph of a football team. The evidence of the kit and the football itself suggest this is early; perhaps even pre-dating our current earliest image of a Yeovil Football Team – The Yeovil Casuals from around 1905.

We would be grateful for any information, particularly if anyone recognises the location in the background – or any relatives in the team.

Interestingly, the gentleman on the far left has a medal of some kind pinned to his jumper and is holding a small cup or trophy and the gentleman on the far right is also holding a cup.

Please also let us know of any copyright claims.

The 2018 Yeovil Calendar is still available – now at £3.00 each!

 

 

 

A Game of Two Halves

We have enjoyed a busy and exciting time at South Somerset District Council’s Community Heritage Access Centre, (CHAC) near Yeovil, Somerset.

With the prospect of Yeovil Town Football Club playing Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA-Cup, this highlighted a few items from the CHAC Collection.

Interestingly, our volunteers selected ‘Football’ as one of the first themes for our new display case and this prompted staff to find a programme when Yeovil Town previously played Manchester United in the 2014/15 Season.

The FA Cup tie also revealed a 1948 aerial image of the famous sloping pitch at Huish and photographs of Yeovil Town Supporters “Up frum Zummerset” when Yeovil Town played Manchester United in the 1948 Season. Yeovil Town had previously beaten Sunderland.

One of our recent donations was also a great connection. This is a photograph of Robbins Gloving Factory Ladies Football Team, we believe around the mid-1930s. ‘Tink’ Robbins Gloving Factory was in Alexandra Road, Yeovil and Tink Robbins is in the back row of the image. We are grateful for this donation, particularly as it contrasts markedly with the Robbins Gloving Factory workers group photograph.

 

The Robbins Gloving Factory Workers, believed to be outside the Factory in Alexandra Road, Yeovil.

The Robbins Gloving Factory Ladies Football Team Group Photograph – note the attention to detail with the ‘Robin.’ Kelly’s Directory lists the spelling of the Company as “Robbin.”

The Ties that Bind

We have enjoyed a busy week of conservation at South Somerset District Council’s Community Heritage Access Centre, near Yeovil.

During our costume conservation, our volunteer helped us to photograph several notable gentlemen’s ties. These included a selection related to Westland helicopters (Now Leonardo), including WG30 and EH101.

This is an intriguing element of social history that with each new helicopter, an item of costume, namely, the tie was produced.

The ties are also an exciting addition to the story of Petter and Westland that we can show researchers when they visit the Centre, alongside the equally fascinating Nautilus Grate; Petter engine catalogues and small number of helicopter models.

We would be grateful to hear any further memories related to these objects.

Two of the ‘Westland’ Ties in the collection of the Community Heritage Access Centre