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Bill Underwood, who was born in Sheep Street and had nine brothers and sisters, tells us of some of his memories of neighbours.
Harry Hunt had a butcher's shop on the left-hand side going towards Hare and Hounds Street. They had their own slaughterhouse.
When the Prince of Wales pub closed, which used to be between Handel Hose and the Baptist Church, sometime just before the War, he moved there. His eldest daughter, Melba, married Reg Turner who worked at Roundway Hospital and when he got called up in the War, he went into the RAF and was eventually reported 'missing, presumed dead' in the Far East. After about a year she remarried but after the War Reg came back again.
George Darley lived up at Selby's Yard and was marvellous with animals, he wasn't a vet, but he knew what to do if you had problems with an animal.
'Shuck' Edwards used to drive the dustcart. He came here from London, a real spiv of a chap when he arrived.
There was 'Gypsy' Smith and his family, all girls, who lived in Carmel's Court. He and his wife smoked clay pipes and he worked for Wiltshire County Council on the roads. He always had a lovely smell of tar about him when he came in for a haircut.
There was Cox Smith who was a chimney sweep and a very keen fisherman. I think he died while I was away in he army.
Next door but one to him was Ben Merritt, he was a chimney sweep too and we had them both to sweep our chimneys but on alternate visits. With all the coal fires you had to have your chimney swept several times a year. There were three sweeps altogether in Sheep Street at one time.
The Mays, a big family, were about halfway down the street. Some of them worked on the dustcart, and I remember seeing the children sitting in a row on the pavement at dinner time eating their bread and jam.
My last memory is of a fish and chip shop run by Mrs Trout. Her best-known saying was, "If you don't want the chips, take the baby's bottom off the counter!"
 | From:
Devizes Voices compiled by David Buxton
Tempus Publishing
ISBN 0 7524 0661 2
£9.99
For a complete list of local history books published by Tempus Publishing visit: www.tempus-publishing.com |
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