WINSHAM AT WORK

The story of Winsham over the last millennium has been that of a community which has been able to sustain a satisfactory, if poor, way of life. Until a hundred years ago it had an economy largely based on agriculture, and was well away from the nearest town, Chard. Because of this, Winsham needed to be largely self sufficient. It was not until after the end of the First World War (1914-1918) that this requirement began to become less important. A way of life that had survived for hundreds of year began to alter. Change that had started with the growth of railways and the national economy in the 19th Century,  gained momentum with the arrival of vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine. At the beginning of the 20th Century, and especially after the Great War, motor cars, lorries & tractors steadily replaced the horse-drawn carriages and carts as a means of faster transport. Local towns became easier to reach. This gallery attempts to record the effect of these changes on the way of life, by illustrating the growth and decline of village businesses since the mid-nineteenth century up to the present (2013). It records the  businesses that supported a remarkably stable population of about 750 people . It deals in the main with the last 150 years of the last millennium, relying on the Millennium Book to reflect the decade or so leading up to the present. To find out more, just click on the links below:-

 

WINSHAM SHOP The story of over 150 years of service to the Winsham community

 

WINSHAM PUBS, INNS & HOTELS

 

WINSHAM'S OTHER BUSINESSES

OTHER RELEVANT GALLERIES 'Winsham in 1861' is an analysis made by John Gapper of statistics based largely on the 1861 census returns for the parish.  The figures give an insight into the way Winsham operated as a community, and places the accounts of life around that time that can be found in the Winsham Web Museum into a context no doubt very similar to many villages in Somerset. The story of farming is covered in detail in the gallery ‘Farming in Winsham’. The story of the ‘big houses’ and their estates that for so long played a vital part in the Winsham village economy are to be found in the ‘Winsham History’ Gallery, as can Winsham’s Domesday Book entry. Winsham’s spiritual sustenance is dealt with in ‘Winsham at Worship’. The Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages also contain some interesting commentaries. The Millennium Book is a good source of information about firms that exist at present. Click  on the above links   or click HERE to return to the Home Page to access these other Galleries via the Browse Index or the Site Map.