Embedded Files
Unfortunately, early photographs of the village are very rare !
More would be very welcome - they can be scanned and returned ! Please see Home page for my contact details
Above : Photo lithograph from John Pouncey's "Dorsetshire Photographically Illustrated" published in 1857.
(Volume 1- Plate 3 - taken June 1857) - 73 lithographs made from photographs. It is thought that this publication was the first in the country to use photolithography printing process. NB Plate 75 is Steepleton House but this in Iwerne Steepleton in north Dorset.
(This appears to be the earliest photograph of the village . I was lucky to find this in a Sherborne print shop just after I moved to Steepleton in 2000)
John Pouncey (1818-1894) was born in Dorchester the son of a labourer. He worked as a house decorator and glazier whilst experimenting with photography. He perfected the lithographic process which printed photographic images from a metal plate. He was a modest man and there was some problems with patents. Later, he lived near Lambert, the owner of Manor Farm in the foreground and the builder (in 1870) of the present day Steepleton Manor now on the site.
Above : This is an enlarged section of the above lithograph, showing the Old Rectory, Old Manor Cottage and The Cottage with farm buildings in the foreground on the present site of Steepleton Manor (Care Home) which was built later in1870.
Above : The same view approximately - taken by RC in April 2020 A lot more trees !
Steepleton Water (c 1900 ?)
There are several photographs of the cottages to the east of the Steepleton Ponds area.
Below : This is Steepleton Ponds when still used as a mill pond judging by the amount of water. The modern concrete road bridge and slip road up to the present main A35 road do not exist.
The outlet from the pond is the mill leat just to the left of the cottage in the distant. The trees no longer exist but the surrounding bank to the pond would appear to bound the existing road through the village.
Below : A view of terraced cottages in the west end of the village with the upper mill leat running in front.
Below : Two more photographs of the same cottages (kindly donated by Mr James Coles in January 2012)
James believes that in 1881, his great grandfather, Frank Coles married Elizabeth Trevett who had lived in this cottage.
Above : A view of the same cottages but taken from the opposite way from the photo above (ie looking east)
Above : Another interesting photograph but later say c1930/40's ?. The cottages have been largely rebuilt with a new slate roof in place of the thatch and dormers. New windows and porches. Another copy of this photo has "Winterbourne Stapleton" on it
Above : This the same cottages in 2012 (RC photo). Another major rebuild has been carried out with new windows and the east end gable chimney removed. It is thought that the local builder George Allen undertook these works.
Threshing at Manor Farm, Winterbourne Steepleton c1928 using a traction engine and belt driven threshing machine. Sparks from such engines often caused thatch fires. The engine is an Aveling & Porter and may have been on hire from Eddisons of Dorchester.
Names of men in the photograph are, as yet, unknown.
Below : These two photos were scanned from originals that the late Mr Cedric Mould of the Cottage, Winterbourne Steepleton had in his possession.
(Perhaps handed down with the Cottage itself ?)
They appear to be photos taken from the west end of the cottage (now part of the garden of the adjoining Manor Farm) C 1920 / 1930 ??
Below : Another photo also from the late Mr Cedric Mould - not certain where this is !!
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