HIGH STREET - South side
Apart from a picture of the blacksmith's at Stoneacres there are
not many pictures of the south side of the High Street. The first
shows the roof of Crieff House in the distance with the diminutive
cottage, known as the Old Boot Shop, in front -
demolished in
around 1965. The high end-on gable has been severely modified
in the 1980's as the wall was threatening to fall into the street. It
is now known as Tudor Cottage. The second picture is of the
front door, two doors towards the Elm Tree from Tudor Cottage,
being the house with the well-known, but not well-remembered
at night, steps which nearly spanned the whole pavement. The
parish council eventually got the steps modified to be more safe.
The gentleman in both pictures is Charles George Hillyard
(1878 - 1970), nicknamed "Wag". His brother-in-law, Aubrey
Sturdgess, ran a dental practice from the house.
Charles Hillyard was keen on football in his day.
So was his son
Freddie Hillyard who is pictured on this
website sporting a pair of
personal trophies.
Both pictures are by Walter Alexander (a contemporary
of Charles Hillyard) who entitled his second picture -
"Where there's a Will, there's a Way" - it won a national
photographic competition. Wag lived here with his wife
Daisy (ne Sturdgess).
This charming picture is from a 1908 postcard. Taken
from near Crieff House, it
shows the street to the east. The cobbler's shop is lost in a 'hollow' to
the right but
the building shown before with its protruding steps is visible, as is the
blacksmith's
shed and his house beyond (Stoneacre).