CD4

(41 mins)
 

4/1

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT / DULVERTON CIVIC SOCIETY / LOCAL HISTORY / MODELLING DULVERTON STATION / MASTER MODELLER / VOLUNTEERS

When he was at Brushford CN was church warden for 15 years until he left. He was also on the parish council in Brushford for a short while. When he moved he thought he had enough of doing things for other people and that he would do something for himself. Eventually that doesn't happen because if you have been used to doing things for other people, or working in the community you go back to it. So subsequently his other interests have involved the community.

He thought in 1992-3 that he would join the local Civic Society for Dulverton and District as he was interested in history. So he went on the committee and they were running the Heritage Centre at the time. It was the time that they had just opened up. So he took great interest in that, then of course, lo and behold, he was made chairman. So although he thought he shouldn't be as involved as he was at Brushford, he has become doubly involved because being chairman means a lot more work than it was going to be. So they have run the Heritage Centre and the Civic Society. Now there they are in 2002 nearly 10 years later and he is still there. He feels he has put something back into the community. He tries to keep all the local history going because all their stuff disappears. He's always been interested in old things. So that perhaps why he is on the Heritage Centre and with the Civic Society.

This has had an offshoot, off spin in that someone suggested that they should try and model Dulverton station. Modelling was a little thing he did back in his teen years. So he took that on board and got some people together and they are now building a model of Dulverton station in 1935 which is going to be working and they will open to the public.

They have sunk quite a lot of money from the Heritage Centre because it's fairly high tech. in so much that its going to be run by a computer. It's not very well known for model railways to be run by a computer. So they have had to put in a lot more work than they thought they were going to do. He thinks he started the project in 1996.

First they had to find a place to put it, which they eventually found in the old cheese store. It is adjacent to the Heritage Centre, which is very convenient, but isn't quite big enough, so they had to adapt everything to fit. They are going to make it in 4mm to the foot. Then they had to convert the building which was really an old stable, although it was called the old cheese store. So they had to refurbish the whole of the inside. They had to do the outside. They had to put a loft in and a loft ladder so they could work upstairs and put the model downstairs. So it took them pretty nearly two years to get the building going.

Ever since then 1998, they have been building. Because it's all voluntary and only one evening a week, and you can only get a limited number of people to build a model like it, its now 2002. They've probably done all the wood work , the under base, the frames and now they are doing the track work. There is still all the scenery all the buildings to build, the backcloths to do, so it might be another couple of years yet.

It's taken up a lot of his time because there was a lot of historical planning to do. There was a lot of work to get people together to do it, and getting materials and finding out information. It's an interesting project and he will go on with it. They have kept a nucleus of 6 people working on that through those years of more or less the same people. You cannot work with more people than that now.

He has a master modeller who is very good, who has not built a model of this size before. He's the technical man and CN is the co-ordinator, but they are all builders as well. They meet every Tuesday and they decide on a course of action for the following week, and they order materials or what ever they need to come the following week. As they are all volunteers and doing different things it doesn't always happens as it should. He has to say it's slightly haphazard but it works! So they are looking for it to be finished shortly. [Back to top]
 

 4/2

CIVIC SOCIETY FUNDS / HERITAGE CENTRE

The Civic Society is funding the model station at the moment. They agreed to fund it to the tune of something like £4,000 over the years. They haven't reached anything like that yet. Once they get into expensive electronics they probably will. They are doing some of that now. He has an electronic engineer working on it. That is quite technical. It's quite something.

The society gets grants from various places. The National Park is one of the main sources of grant. They don't call it a grant. They call it a rent, because that's the way it works. It's only funded by donation. People enter and put money in a box. It isn't great money so they have to look elsewhere. They do have one or two fund raising things throughout the year. If he had more time they would have more. They don't really get enough money. They have considered charging, but its not an easy building to charge to enter. Anyway the government are now suggesting they shouldn't charge for historical places. They did charge latterly but now they have gone off that idea. It will probably have to stay on a donation principle.

The centre was originally a set of old cottages, which was the back of the ironmongers shop, when it finished, and the Dulverton Trust bought the building, which is administered by Lord Dulverton. He owns the buildings and they pay him a peppercorn rent. They converted the buildings into a Heritage Centre which comprises an art gallery upstairs, another source of income. They let it out for exhibitions throughout the year. The other part of the building was converted into rooms. They were then made into historical and photographic exhibitions, throughout the year. The committee is quite small and is changing all the time, because there is a substantial volunteer force who have to look after it during the open season. They open only from Easter to October to catch all the visitors. The volunteers keep it open and explain it visitors, what its all about and to answer questions. [Back to top]
 

 4/3

FORTHCOMING DULVERTON BOOK

[BJ asks about a forthcoming publication on Dulverton] The Dulverton book is a recent thing that they have been asked to do by Halsgrove publishing. They have produced books for various villages throughout the South West. They get the material from some person or organisation in each village. They asked CN and he declined for Dulverton. Then they asked the Dulverton and District Civil Society, with others, to do it. They have now taken that on board.

They are now panicking because they appealed for a lot of photographs. It's a graphic book rather than a text book. They appealed for material from local people and had a terrific response. He supposes there are in excess of a thousand photographs that have been loaned to them, to put in the book. There were also various accompanying stories which are going to be used. They are now nearing the date that they have to get it ready for proof. There is a group working to get it into some sort of format. They will publish it and produce a minimum of 300 copies which they require. They have to sell those 300 beforehand. So it's not an easy project! Halsgrove publishers have to decide on a minimum of copies before hand, before they will take it on board. So they have to produce a flyer that they sell it on before it's actually published. Once there has been a 300 run, they can produce some more for a fairly minimum amount. Then possibly make profit for the Civic Society.

They came to him first because they had a Nelder reunion in the Carnarvon Arms Hotel maybe last year or maybe the year before. Because the hotel was part of the family history and some of the members were getting on in years, they thought they would have it there. There are a lot of CN's family abroad in Canada. Several of them went years ago. So they wanted to get them here. His cousin organised it and they stayed in the hotel for two days. It was fairly widely reported in the papers. Halsgrove publishing probably picked it up, with him being the local organiser. Then they asked him to do the book. The reunion was interesting because they had a lot of interest from Nelders throughout the world who had seen some report of it and wanted to know if they were related. One of his other cousins is a family historian and is doing a family tree. So he put them in touch with her which widened the family tree. One woman wrote to him from Australia. She was either a Nelder or had married one. He had quite a lot of people contacted him afterwards. It was an interesting experience. [Back to top]
 

4/4

TOWN COUNCIL / IMPLICATIONS OF BEING CHAIRMAN / TOM TROAKE / TOWN CLERK ROLE NOW / CHURCH

He is involved with Dulverton Town Council. In 1996 the council was getting short of people to serve so another member asked him if he would like to do it. He said he would try it, with some reservation and he's found it quite interesting, although he had served on the parish council in Brushford before, this was a totally different thing. On the town council it's much more involved than a parish council. It's because they are the third biggest town in West Somerset and you get involved in various aspects which don't touch parishes.

He got really drawn into it. He became vice-chairman. He was asked to be chairman. He said no because of having so much to do. Then his chairman became ill, so the vice-chairman had to go into the chairman's seat. This was only in the last couple of months. So he's ended up chairman having said he would never do all this over again. In the last couple of months he has quite enjoyed it. His time is so limited now he doesn't spend enough time at home.

He doesn't think being chairman of two things effects how people see him in the community. If you have been about a long time he doesn't think that is the case. If you got into a position of strength they might. He doesn't know. He'll tell in a years time. He's still quite new at the town council chairman's job. They may see him differently.

From a business point of view there is risk of making enemies. He's quite glad that he won't be in business much longer. He doesn't think it's a good idea to be in business as well. You can turn people against you. So from a business point of view it's not a good idea. You're better off not mixing the two. He may have to for the next year or two! You can have disagreements with people that puts their back up. He thinks that as[he doesn't like to call it this] a public figure you run that risk. It doesn't worry him particularly, but from a business point of view it would. You can loose trade by it.

He was on the council with Tom Troake. TT was on the parish council when CN was at Brushford. He thinks he was clerk then, because when he came to Dulverton he was clerk and then CN was asked to go on the town council. Tom has done an awful lot for local communities. He's a chap that CN has admired very much. TT's a good old chap. He ran it a bit like a private office. CN remembers going to his house and he kept a room absolutely bung full of council papers.

Although TT was efficient at the job, it was run pretty well off the top of his head. He made an excellent job of it. How he managed it CN does not know. He put in acres of time to being town clerk. He scurried round meetings going here going there. He was retired when CN knew him. When TT was at Brushford he was working then. CN didn't come into that much contact with him then but did latterly and CN thought he was a chap who really served the community. He did everything. He was one of the old school.

Nowadays a town clerk has to run it much more meticulously because there is so much question of law and liability that comes into town clerk. He has to advise the council. They are on a change of clerks now in the town. They are just about to change clerks again. Having become chairman he has become more aware of all that. He would like to see a town clerk running it much more like a public office. Tom did a wonderful job but legislation and paperwork well might have beaten him!

CN was churchwarden in Brushford mainly because his father was. When he died they asked CN to take on being churchwarden. He did for 15 years. It was a sort of family carry on. Now they only go on high days and holidays. They don't go regularly to church. He's not over-fond of Dulverton Church as a church, but they still go to Brushford church as a family. He doesn't know if this is a follow-on from being Churchwarden but they still attend occasionally. So church is not the big item that it was when he did his 15 years as churchwarden. He was expected to follow on his father. So that is that aspect of it covered. [Back to top]
 

4/5

COMMUNITY AND FAMILY COMMITMENTS / REPAIRS AND RENOVATIONS / WORKING ON OLD CARS / CALLS ON HIS TIME / RECREATION / BANISHING TELEVISION / IDENTITY / FAVOURITE SPOT

[BJ asks what he does when not out in his car or doing public duty] He is a reader. They don't have a television. Mostly his other interests take up a lot of his time. As you might expect running the car club, running the Heritage Centre, running the town council, he is always having to be looking up something, or writing something, which he is not all that good at. It needs a lot of background work attached to all these things. So that and his family is more than most people ever do.

He's not bragging. He thinks that if you have varied interests and you have a family, albeit your family has gone, they have families and they are part of your family, and your past family, cousins that you don't see all that often, they are still part of your heritage, and you put time to that, to keep it going. He's not a letter writer. So with family commitments, and repairs, he has always done his own repairs to everything, like repair the house and paint it, he still repairs his own car, and he does all his old cars himself, whether its upholstery, paintwork or mechanical, he has a shot at it, it takes up his time. If you've got a daughter running a catering establishment on your doorstep, there is always 'Dad will you take this and Dad will you mend this and will you clean that!' He is at the beck and call of many. That's what he does. In conclusion if you compared what his household does, he wonders how many do what his household does.

He only takes a Saturday Telegraph. It runs him at least half the week. He listens to Radio 4 and the local radio. So it keeps him up to date with the news. He doesn't have a television. The choice was made when the children left home. They had a television then. He was a compulsive watcher, he admits. Then you go to sleep in front of it. He didn't feel that was the way to do it. His wife isn't interested in television. So if there is something he really wants to see he goes and scrounges a seat from one of the family of some friends. It was before video when they got rid of it.

If he wants to go and see a film, he goes and sees a film. If he wants to see 'Harry Potter' he goes to Taunton to see it. He goes to the theatre probably once a month. They usually got to Bristol or Plymouth or Taunton, Exeter or Barnstaple. It's a form of recreation. Something to switch off on. He would have liked to have been involved with the theatre. His father was; he was a great amateur dramatic man. But CN has just not got the time. So he's not going to think that he is going to do it!

They always take [local papers] the Free Press and the 'Tivvy Guts Ache', the Tiverton Gazette. Now he's on the council he feels he's got to take the local papers to know what is going on elsewhere. He's interested to see what other people are doing with council work, even though its only reported, it does give you an insight to what is happening elsewhere.

[BJ asks how he identifies himself, if someone asks him where he comes from] He always says Exmoor because that's the biggest identity where he lives. Exmoor is the word that you would use. If you said West Somerset and you were in Yorkshire they wouldn't know where that was. If you say Exmoor they do know where that is. If you talk to somebody in Ireland they know where Exmoor is but they don't know where Dulverton is. So he always uses the word Exmoor. He always thinks of himself as an Exmoor person. He knows he's a Dulverton person but he associates with the area.

[BJ asks which is his favourite spot] The one he would visit most often, because it's the nearest is the Punch Bowl. His favourite is Cloutsham. He wouldn't like to live there, it's just a nice area to be in. He thinks when you were born on the fringes of Exmoor, you still feel it's part of you. It's one of the last bits of England that's not touched and it's not going to alter a lot. Not only from a scenery point of view but from the feel of it. It's got to go on as it is. He thinks that if the Exmoor Park Authority holds it now, it will stay. It won't alter in the next 100 years. It might alter economically, it might alter farming-wise, but not in itself. [Back to top]
 

4/6

REFLECTIONS / BRUSHFORD SUMMER FAIR

[BJ asks what he does to cheer himself up] CN says he doesn't go to the pub! He likes to think he's not a miserable person. He flies off the handle once in a while but it's not very much. He doesn't need cheering up. He's got what he wants. He doesn't think he needs anything additional. He can look after himself all right.

[BJ asks if there is anything he wishes he had done or would have liked to have done differently] It's a selfish thing but he wishes he had been able to make money. He never could make money. He thinks its not within him to make money. He doesn't think it's in his make-up to make money. He knows money isn't everything. Although his father was reasonably well off and everybody would say that he had all the chances, he probably has, but he really would like to have had enough money to be quite well off. It's not in his make-up and where he lives not many people have made money. His wife goes on to him saying he puts too much store by money. He just wishes he could have made it. He's made a living but he always wishes he had made a bit more.

He wouldn't have done anything with it specific. He would like to freely buy a better house, give more to the community, and give more to his family. He could have helped his children a bit better if he had been a bit better off. If he thinks about it, until he was asked the direct question, he hadn't thought about it. He thinks his family would have benefited a bit better if he had had a bit more cash in hand.

While he was in Brushford, they used to run summer fairs to make money. He can't remember what it was for. He thinks the church did it. It was a village event. He thinks they called them summer fetes. They had wonderful fun organising these village fairs. One little thing comes to mind as a highlight. They frequented the bar a bit down there where they were building and doing things, putting up tents. They were held down in the field next to the Carnarvon. There were people like Leonard Burton, Bob Needs, and all sorts of people in the village who helped. Brushford is much more community minded than Dulverton, and probably still is. As it's a smaller community its easier to get them together to do things. They organise these things and run them for only a day.

One thing that stuck in his mind was that they set up the bar and they would buy the drink and then they would have to account for it. He and Leonard Burton, had probably had a few pints too many towards the evening. It used to annoy CN like anything, he was older than CN (CN was 35 or something), he always remembers that LB would say that he could climb those tent poles. CN would say that he could too, but he never could do it, but Leonard Burton could. It annoyed CN no end. It was a stupid little thing to stick in his mind. There they were with a few pints too many, and him saying he could climb the tent poles and he could and CN saying he could and then he couldn't! It's just a funny little incident, but it sticks in his memory. Absolutely of no consequence at all. It was all part of village life.

[RECORDING ENDS] [Back to top]