Woodman's Cottage, Wellington ,Somerset. Then and Now

My brother and I investigate rural sites most Fridays and have been doing so for many years. I also collect old bottles and am constantly looking for Victorian rubbish tips.Until I came here my images went to Geograph website and I never retained original copies.I kept these though as I also collect old postcards . In this case it was good to match the original postcard with the ruin.As in most cases of these remote rural dwellings so little is left now.

C 1908 postcard of Woodman's Cottage.





c 1900 OS Map.



Pretty much the standard map together with modern maps and Google Earth that we use to plan walks.
Sad to think that within what is now a pile of rubble. People eked out a living , were born and sometimes died.

Not sure there's a report in there to be honest.

Yeah this report is a little too minimal really Vurley, a report needs at least 8-10 of your own photos.

I collect old maps and these three images provided a couple of hours entertaining 'digging' in my map draws. Always have been interested in the before and after - especially when the before is really old. Beats a set of 'Arty' images of bottles on a mantle any day. Still 'horses for courses'.

Dirus_Strictus said:

I collect old maps and these three images provided a couple of hours entertaining 'digging' in my map draws. Always have been interested in the before and after - especially when the before is really old. Beats a set of 'Arty' images of bottles on a mantle any day. Still 'horses for courses'.

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Let me know if you need a hand rummaging thru your draws DS

Dirus_Strictus said:

I collect old maps and these three images provided a couple of hours entertaining 'digging' in my map draws. Always have been interested in the before and after - especially when the before is really old. Beats a set of 'Arty' images of bottles on a mantle any day. Still 'horses for courses'.

Click to expand...

Do you think that maybe a keepers cottage DS?

It hardly merits a " report " as the interest is in how it was originally and how it looks now. Three images suffice for that. I can add that behind in the distance is Wellington Monument clearly seen from the motorway as you pass Wellington.

If your intent is only to show then and now then there is a thread for that here:

https://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/general-stuff/11377-thread-22.html

smiler said:

Do you think that maybe a keepers cottage DS?

Click to expand...

The cottage is referred to as 'Woodman's Cottage' on the OS and not 'The Woodman's Cottage' and this is the clue as far as I am concerned - after seeing similar wordings on very many old OS maps. A Woodman was a type of Land Agent in charge of large areas of woodlands producing timber and he was also granted shooting rights over said land by the land owner / Lord of the Manor. Where one finds references to 'The Woodman's Cottage', exploring the area concerned has always revealed very small ruins or foundations for a very small dwelling - i.e. a workers dwelling within his area of work. The cottage shown on the postcard looks too large for a normal worker and was probably the habitation of the Landowner's Agent or Overseer - chap with bowler hat on in picture (perhaps?), the bowler being a 'badge' of authority in those times! The inclusion of the Monument in all the images leaves no doubt that the 'then and now' images are related spatially and aids the fact-finding. Being a Spaniel person, I do like the inclusion of the dog as it gives one an idea of what the actual Breed Standard was like 'on the ground' in those days.