A time before health and safety


A time before health and safety

These photos are all from the No Health and Safety days.

None of the activities would be allowed today, how ever did we cope?

The first picture is one morning in 1971.

I was in my GPO van when I came across a herdsman leisurely walking his cows on the Chillerton main road near Highwood Lane.

I had my camera with me, snapped a shot through the windscreen ­— including my wing mirror ­— and thought no more of it.

Forty years later, when I used the photo in a 2014 book, Out Of Time Vol 2, I was amazed to received this email.

“My wife and I were delighted to find the photograph of her father in your book,” said Alan Leach.

“His name was Jack Downer, of Sheat Cottages, Chillerton ­— a farmworker for Sir Robert Hobart, of Gatcombe House.

“He is now deceased and there are few photographs of him.

“Jack, born in Chillerton, was a farmworker all his life.

“His widow, Bet, is still alive, aged 100.

“I hope these little bits of information give life to the photograph.”

They certainly did.

The second is a quiet Sunday afternoon in Pyle Street, late summer 1979, and these buildings, including Wray’s shop, are being demolished to make way for Somerfield and the multi-storey car park.

It’s a scene that would have ‘Health and Safety’ reaching for the smelling salts.

Just about everything is wrong ­— no barriers; an unguarded bonfire roaring away; walls that look as if the smallest puff of wind would bring them down­— and not a hard-hat to be seen.

The third is Canoe Lake.

This is the sadly missed Sandown canoe lake with ­— shock, horror ­— children, on their own, unsupervised, in rowing boats, on real water.

Whatever next?

Today’s authorities would need counselling just thinking about it.




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