It is openness, receptiveness, the desire to look at something new, that helps to keep societies and their methodologies healthy.

Who Lies Sleeping?

HELLO from Frome!

Contents Updated: Thursday, 26 October 2006

S Johns Church Crucifixion

While there are excellent special interest Frome sites like Bill Hockton’s News Site, as far as we know we are the only up-and-running website devoted to the town. Vague proposals for “professionally produced” sites can be made forever but professionals have to maintain their Porsches. Even if they only run Polos, sooner or later someone has to stump up their bill. This site has been constructed at no cost to anyone except ourselves.
On this site, 23 August 1998

This note now seems strangely prescient. Bill Hockton has retired and his shop and website closed, but instead the town now has a plethora of professionally designed sites, which do look good, as they ought, but how much has it cost the public purse? How much is it costing? AW! has just had a circular offering us grants totalling £2000 to go online, but as we have been here since the mid 90s presumably we are not eligible. We hear web designers earn £35000 a year. Ten years ago, a hundredth of that would have been helpful. Politicians give away public money too easily when it is too late to be useful to help the innovators.

“A Town Saved by Neglect” and a Map of places of Interest near Frome
Map of the Frome Area.
The Frome Web! Points of Contact and a list of Frome links.

People/Places

Scenes and People
The crucifixion at St John’s Church, Frome
Annual Events in Frome’s Calendar
Old Calendar of Events in Frome.
Take a short guided tour walking around the centre of Frome.
Harvest Moon: BBC on location in Frome for mid 19th century period drama.
The Dreadful Murder at Rode.
Mary Hill afflicted by witches at Beckington
Frome Home and Away.
Frome Rotary Club publishes a celebration of Frome for its 70th anniversary.
Traditional Cider
The Apple Tree
Ancient Oaks
Exotic animals in the Frome area from Marcus Matthews

History

Fascinating places to go for a day out from Frome. Note that the information given here is unlikely to be up to date so CHECK CHECK CHECK with the attraction before you visit

Frome Town Bridge in Bloom
Blooming Bridge

Impressionistic Frome

Here are three excellent pictures from the AA Interactive Britain and Ireland CD ROM, a “must have” for anyone interested in our little islands.

King Street Frome from the church steps showing the Three Swans Inn
The Blue House Frome
Rook Street Chapel Frome showing the 1707 date stone

Galleries

Some Random Images and Frome Carnival Pics
Same pictures as a slideshow
Impressionistic Frome
Wessex Gallery
Cornish Gallery
SupplementArt Gallery: Mike’s paintings

Batcombe Vale, just a few miles from Frome to the South West

Frome Expatriots E-mail Booth

Send us e-mail with your comments, experiences or interests in Frome. Former Fromies can e-mail to let us know how they are going on and leave an e-mail address here.

Carey M Vigor MD writes: I am seeking a family by the name of Vigor. My grandfather's grandfather wrote in a family journal that he was born in Frome, Somersetshire, in 1820. He married Joanna Cary in Mendham NJ in 1840 and was the first doctor in Ohio. He wrote that his mother's family were weavers, originally nee Lawrence from France. The Mormons give the history as St Gauguin de Vigeur> Nonetheless, would love to hear from anyone who might be related.

Geoff Swaine writes: My family had a tailoring business on The Bridge for nearly a hundred years. My grandfather (J F Swaine) was the last encumbant of the business which closed in 1936. He was a councillor and also a member of the volunteer Fire Brigade before the first World War. My father (Bill Swaine) was brought up in Frome and went to School at Sexeys in Bruton. He left Frome to make his career in the City of London where he met my mother. He was in the RAF during the war and I was born in 1942. We came to Frome for the war years and lived at Conigre House. After that I visited Frome for every Easter and Summer holiday until my grandfather died in 1962. He still lived on The Bridge at number 5 and this is where I stayed.

I have now written a book called Onto The Bridge and this is to be published next year. It is about my life in Frome during the forties and fifties, and also chronicles life in the times of my father in the town. (He is still going strong). Another section follows the history of the Frome woollen industry.

I have written a book called Up the Line about steam railways. It is available at discount, �9.99 at Good Buys in Bath. See you next year. See my review on Amazon.

Chris Butler writes: I am trying to find any living descendants or the closest living descendants of Robert Edmund Dickinson born 1862 or 1863, son of Edmund Henry Dickinson of Berkeley House in Frome. Edmund Henry was second son of William Dickinson MP of Kingweston. Robert died 16 November 1947. He was the MP for Wells between 1899 and 1906. Also there seems to be some connection between the Dickinsons and Kingweston House, later to become part of Millfield School. It would be helpful to know if there was a link between Robert and Kingweston House. Any help or guidance would be helpful.

Roland Sheppard’s family is from the Frome, Somerset area. There was a story that the family owned a mill of some sort and since there was a place called Sheppard’s Barton he would like to find more information on this area especially the Sheppard family that lived there. His 2nd great grandfather was Thomas R Sheppard born in 1820, England. Thomas had a son called James D Sheppard who might have been named after a uncle by the same name born Jan 16 1798 in Frome, Somerset, England. This James had a brother named George that came to America with him in 1827 to Buffalo, NY. Can anyone help?

Trevor Ledbury is feeling hot in the USA where it’s 100 degrees outside. Trevor left Frome about five years ago but still has family here.