Temperance Hotel
(as I knew it) by Audrey Tarrant |
In 1940
when I was billeted there, the
Temperance Hotel was in The Square and
was owned by Mr Ned Masters and his wife
Lillian. Ned was at the time the village
blacksmith, and Lillian handled all the
day to day running of the 'hotel' with
the assistance of daughter Christine
(who later married Den Treleven).
I don't
know when the building would have been
erected but the photo taken with
Christine and her brother Tom standing
in the porch was in the 1920's.
As one
entered the front door there was a very
small hall with stairs going straight
up, the main living room was on the
right, through which access was to a
small sitting room and kitchen. (Mrs
Masters would call this something other
than kitchen, but I cannot remember what
it was). The main room had a large
kitchen range with an oven in it, where
all the cooking was done. A big black
water container (which was known as a
'fountain') would always stand on the
top. This had a tap on it and would
supply all the hot water needed -
(constant hot water!). Christine did
most of the cleaning and all the baking.
Mrs Masters did most of the daily
cooking also on the range, and this
would be increased on Market days when
farmers would gather around the large
table for the home cooked meals. I was
always intrigued by the very long table
in this room, (which most of the local
houses had at the time), this was a
plain wood side for everyday use and
turned over on Sundays to reveal a dark
polished surface. |
Temperance Hotel 1940 |
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I was always intrigued by the very long
table in this room, (which most of the
local houses had at the time), this was
a plain wood side for everyday use and
turned over on Sundays to reveal a dark
polished surface. |
Mr & Mrs Masters with some evacuees and
Christine |
The small
sitting room at the back was for
everyday use and was a very happy place
to be on a cold evening as it was so
snug there with always a roaring fire.
As well as us residents using it,
soldiers from the army camp, which was
in a field on the Goscott road, would
come for 'home comforts' in the form of
hospitality, cups of tea, home baked
cake and games of cards. It was always
crowded in there!
As the
Temperance Hotel was the only caterer
for the farmers on market days, I assume
there must have been extra rations given
for this, because we never seemed short
of food of any sort.
Also I
think many a horse would have new shoes
fitted for the price of a side of pork
from a home-slaughtering pig farmer, or
for a big bag of apples etc. There was
always plenty of milk and cream which
was fetched daily from Bill Haydon's
farm in jugs and dishes. We ate very
well especially with Chris doing 2
bakings each week of Saffron and Yeast
Cakes, Pasties, Fruit Pies, Scones and
Biscuits there was always a full table.
Preparation
of all food took place in the kitchen
where there was an enormous dresser
loaded with china on the shelves and in
cupboards. Washing up was carried out in
an enamel bowl on a large table with a
tray as a draining board, eventually the
waste water was thrown down the yard
from the top of the back steps - no
drains! We were lucky to have a water
pump outside the back door, because so
many others around the square had to
fetch it from the village pump. As did
the men from Sandercock's bakers, who
fetched it twice daily in a large barrel
on wheels. |
Upstairs
there were 5 bedrooms, one had a section
off it which accommodated a chemical
toilet. This was another of Chris's jobs
to empty the pan daily - there was an
outside toilet in the back yard for the
use of the men (and me when I came in
covered in mud!).
Electricity
was in the downstairs rooms only, we had
to take candles with us when going
upstairs, and I believe the downstairs
installation was quite recent. There was
only one centre light in each room, no
sockets for table-lamps, electric irons,
vacuum cleaners etc... All the ironing
was done on the 'everyday' side of the
long table, and flat irons were heated
on the stove.
Market Days
were always very busy inside and
outside. All around the Temperance was
the cattle Market, and the 'office' for
the auctioneers was the back sitting
room. Meals were served by Mrs Masters
and Chris to all the farmers on market
days, which seemed to be once a month
with grading days fortnightly. So you
see, there was always a lot of 'comings
and goings', not only inside the
building, but out in the square and
market place with cattle trucks bringing
the animals and putting them into the
pens, especially when the pigs were
squealing in protest. The sheep pens at
the back were a good meeting place for
us children and we had many 'clubs'
formed and abandoned there.
As Ned
Masters was the village blacksmith, he
was kept very busy shoeing horses and
mending equipment for the farmers. He
was very popular with us children and we
would rush down from the school most
days to help him by working his bellows
for him. His son George (who I believe
took over from him eventually) was
working away near Launceston during the
weeks, but came home every week-end to
help Ned out.
After the
death of Mrs Masters in 1947, Chris
married Den Treleven and moved to Steele
Farm. In the meantime the Temperance was
taken over by a Mrs Charlick who in 1949
started to provide lunches for the
village school children each day. After
about 6 years there was to be another
change when the ownership passed to
Doris Edwards (neé Smale) and her
husband, John (Jan), who continued with
the farmers lunches and the school
dinners. This was to finish when the
school closed in 1973 and the Cattle
Market was finally closed in January
1987. The whole site was then developed
into the modern houses seen there today. |
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