The businesses of Princetown
An un-dated view of Lord's shop. Now the Princetown Post Office and Shop.
Lord's Cafe in what is now Moor Beads - Formerly Lloyds Bank.
An interesting view of the frontage of the original Bolt's shop taken some time around 1905.
It's interesting to compare this with the picture on a 19th century paper bag produced by Bolt's:
It looks as though the proprietors name has been updated from A. Bolt to Bolt & Son.
This looks like it may have been a staff outing.
A Chapman card S/N 10983 posted in 1910 to a Miss Maud Packer c/o Mr. Foster Bone, Belmont House, Stoke, Devonport.
A late 40's or early 50's picture of Bolt's shop. Can anyone identify the somewhat battered soft-top car? Card produced by E. A. Sweetman & Sons, Tunbridge Wells.
A view taken prior to the reconstruction of the Duchy Hotel in 1908. W. E. Tooker's Series Princetown.
A Valentine's Series card. Posted to Miss L. Worth, Governors House, H.M. Prison, Exeter in September 1908.
A slightly different viewpoint of the Duchy Hotel on this card from an un-named publisher. Date approx 1905.
A card produced by W. Northmore, Princetown. A note written on the rear of the card indicates that it was purchased on a motor trip to Princetown on the 4th September 1911.
An excellent W. R. Gay's series card of the Duchy Hotel, Princetown. The rear of the card is dated August 16th, 1912.
Although this W. R. Gay card is undated it is evidently of a similar date to the one above.
A hand-tinted view of the Duchy Hotel and Princetown square. The low wall seen behind the motor-car indicates that this view was taken before the West extension of the hotel was built. Frith's archive dates this view to 1910.
A Kingsway (W. H. Smith) view of the Duchy Hotel in the 1920's approx.
A Chapman card showing the interior of the Duchy Hotel.
A sadly undated Chapman View of the Duchy Hotel. Note that the 'pagoda' structure in the center of the roof was not removed until after the addition of the extension.
A card produced by Walter Tooker, Claremont Tea Rooms, Princetown.
A card produced by S. B. Wadge, Barn Studio, Tavistock. Probably dating to the late 20's. Signs on the end of the Hotel are advertising AA and RAC approval and that the Hotel is now part of the Trust House chain.
The first of two almost identical Chapman cards of the Railway Hotel. This one, S/N 11779 taken a few minutes before...
S/N 11780, the carriage has moved on a few feet and more onlooking children are taking an interest in the photographer.
Courtesy of Dave German. The Plume of Feathers, decorated in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee of June 1897. Victorian celebrations often involved greenery being used as a decoration, hence the dense shrubbery which seems to have rather taken over the entrance to the Duchy Hotel. The sign on the Plume of Feather reads "God Bless Our Queen VR Long May She Reign" and below in rather smaller letters "Well played for 60 and not out." a rather intriguing cricket joke. Was the landlord of the Plume a particular cricket fan, or was this a widespread saying at the time?
I am indebted to H.H. Benning for this fine study of the front of the Plume of Feathers taken in the 1960's.