2024 01 Spring with bleed V4 - Flipbook - Page 55
Wren Folk Choir meets on Wednesdays at South
Molton Assembly Rooms, 11am41pm. Suitable for all
abilities!
More details at wrenmusic.co.uk
01837 53754
Or from Jennie Ingram (Swifts) 01769580517
The Wampford Tree4Pippa’s update : Following
on from the article on the Wampford Tree (and with
special thanks to Anthony Tucker for his additional
information on how that tree met it`s end in January
1974), another neighbour, Kevin Latham, came
forward with another interesting fact. He said that
the path, which is now classified as a "footpath,"
was in fact originally a "postal path." Postal paths or
routes were shortcut paths between farms and
were used by the postmen on foot, horse or bike
from the 1930s until 1970. They could be routes of
up to 15 miles or more and often provided
deliveries of bread, papers and medications etc
along with the post, to the remote farms along the
way. The postie could also check on the wellbeing
of the inhabitants of these dwellings as well as
perhaps delivering the local gossip! Then, as cars
became more common, the roads improved and at
the same time, telephones superseded telegrams
and mail. Consequently, postal vans were then
adopted in 1970. So could it be that the Wampford
tree was a marker to guide the postmen in days
gone by. There are still some postal paths in
existence on Exmoor that are now used as
footpaths for ramblers. For more information on
these, check out the postal museum online
postalmuseum.org/
The map shows the existing road to South Molton in green, and the old
postal routes to Venn and Down Farms in orange.
To read online—www.kingsnymptononline.com/latest-edition
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