Fire

If there were to be a fire in a building in the Square at Stoke, we might be lucky enough to have a fire engine on sight in as little as ten to fifteen minutes. In days gone by it might have taken ten minutes to get to the nearest telephone to make the alert call. And before the telephone, a fast rider might have been dispatched to raise the alarm. Little wonder, thern that all the locals could do was to evacuate the house, remove what furniture they could, and try to protect neighbouring properties, as in the newspaper report below.

Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser - Wednesday 04 September 1861

"STOKE ST. GREGORY. A destructive fire broke out on the premises of Mr. Kiddle, of Parsonage Farm, on Friday morning last, and before the fire-engine at Langport could be procured, the dwelling-house, barn, a portion of the household furniture, and several hogsheads of cider, were destroyed. The fire originated from the flue of a furnace. The house and barn were the property of Mr. House, of Cothelstone, near Taunton."

Parsonage Farm

Twelve years later the Western Gazette was reporting a more sinister fire. "STOKE ST. GREGORY. Incendiarism. Three ricks of hay, the property Mr. James Small, of Stoke St.. Gregory, situated near Stanmore-bridge, were set on fire by two boys, one aged nine and the other six years, on Wednesday afternoon. The fire was first discovered at two o'clock, and then it was extending very rapidly. A messenger was despatched to Langport with all speed, and the largest of the fire-engines, with staff of men, quickly galloped off to the spot. There was a plentiful supply of water at hand. The whole the outsides of the ricks were burnt, but, through the continued exertions of the firemen, the flames were mastered, and large portion of the hay was saved. The weight is computed to have been about 50 tons, and insured in the Manchester office, Mr. J. D. Blake, of this town, being the agent."

During the 19th Century many insurance companies ran their own fire engines from major towns. The West of England Fire and Life Insurance Company was one of these, who sent a machine to Stoke in December 1888: "STOKE ST. GREGORY. Fire.—A fire broke out yesterday (Thursday) morning in a carpenter's shop in this village. The property is owned by Mr. Musgrave. The building contained withies and lot of material, which quickly burned, and the place was gutted. The West of England fire engine from Taunton was fetched."

An Early Watercolour of Stoke Vicarage

The last recorded major fire in the village, before horses were replaced by the new Dennis Motor Fire Engine, was in 1913, when the Vicarage caught fire. The Devon and Somerset News reported on the 29th of May: "STOKE ST. GREGORY. FIRE AT THE VICARAGE. HOUSE COMPLETELY GUTTED, An outbreak of fire occurred at the vicarage on Saturday afternoon, and resulted in the house being completely gutted and a good deal of the furniture destroyed. . . . While the family were at dinner a neighbour came in and told them that the roof was on fire. Mr. Gurney immediately ran to the Post-office and telephoned for the Taunton Fire Brigade. . . . The brigade was despatched by Captain Palmer, and reached Stoke within thirty-five minutes, which was remarkably good time for the horses on a hot day. The full equipment was taken, and when the scene of the fire was reached it was found that there was no chance of saving the house. The roof had by that time fallen in and the place was like a raging furnace with the flames rising to a great height. The water available was very limited, and had to be obtained from the new parish main by tapping the pipes and digging a large hole to pump from. . . . They succeeded in overcoming the flames, and by midnight were able to return to Taunton, leaving all secure."

AND FINALLY, let's go back even further, to 1832. Lot Watts, one of several Victorian village blacksmiths, was born in Mark, Somerset, in 1793. He had married Stoke girl, Jemima Cummins, in October 1823. In 1832, Lot’s house (where the old shop and bakery are in The Square) suffered a devastating fire, caused by a spark from the chimney of his forge next door. The Taunton Courier reported on the incident on 13th June and gave a warning to all rural blacksmiths: “It is hoped that this will be a caution to country blacksmiths who, for the most part, have thatched houses adjoining their smiths’ shops, and which, in dry weather, so very much endanger not only their own houses and property, but those of their neighbours. The expense of substituting tiles would be a mere trifle when compared with the damage to which they are daily and hourly exposed by the use of thatch.”