More memories of Seavington House and the Pooles
Visiting Seavington House As one went through the front gate up the garden path, you would be faced with a three storey house with a large wing out to the left on to the Exeter Road. On the right was an extensive barn building stretching from the back orchard down to the Church lane. Facing one was the Georgian front door and the path was flanked from the iron front gate to the front door with hydrangeas on either.side of the path. When the front door was opened there was a door to the rear of the house immediately opposite the frontt door. Slightly to the left of the front door was an impressive mahogany staircase which my cousin regularly slid down. The floor was of large slabs of natural stone mined from the nearby Ham Hill. In fact the house was constructed of Ham stone. On being welcomed into the house as we always were by my Aunt Bess (my grandfather’s sister) one would walk past the staircase and five reception rooms to a junction in the passageway. To the left was the butler’s pantry and the annexe. To the right was a huge breakfast room with a cider press and my grandfather’s sea chest by the large fireplace with a range in it. In the centre was a large round mahogany table big enough to seat ten people. Carrying on through this room it lead down a passage to a small kitchen with paraffin stoves for cooking. Opposite the kitchen door was another door to the back of the house. There was a large covered area here with a large pine table with drawers in it. These drawers contained leather working tools. Leather working especially glove making was a local industry at that time. I think it was just expected that any leather work that needed doing would be done. A hangover from the time when horses were kept. As my Grandfather was in his 70s when I was there and his brother, sister, and sister ¬in-law who lived with him did not go out to work, but needed an income to maintain the large house they rented out the top floor of the house and the annexe. I cannot remember the family name of the people who lived on the top floor, but I do remember that the husband was a little strange. He would not allow his wife to use the cooker because he wanted to keep it as new. They had a daughter called Connie; she was a withdrawn girl about 11 years old when I was five. In the Annexe there were two sisters one of whom was married to a chap called Ned. Ned was disabled and needed a lot of care, he spent all his days in a wheelchair. He may have done some outworking glove making. Both the women worked in the local factory glove making. They also did some cleaning in the big house. I was totally discouraged from spending time with the Stuckeys (the people in the annexe) they would play cards with me - gambling games like Newmarket. They were lovely homely people but certainly not the sort of people I should be mixing with socially. Contributions from: Ellie and Annie (granddaughters) and Alex (great granddaughter)