Released On 12th Jul 2021
First Fiveways Baby
First Birth – New Start
When we were asked to select an object for our first news item on our new Visit South Somerset website, one in particular sprang to mind.
We recently received a special christening cup from the Late Phillip Bulson, a former pupil of Yeovil School, Mudford Road.
This was rather good as we already had Philip Bulson’s written memories in the collection, in which he describes the christening cup.
“By chance I was the first baby born in the Corporation New Maternity Home, which was created from the former Hospital buildings when the New Hospital was built in Higher Kingston. The Maternity Home was at the ‘Five Cross Roads,’ where Ilchester Road, Mudford Road, Preston Road, Kingston and Higher Kingston all met. It was taken down to make way for a roundabout.
Because I was the first baby born there, I was presented with a silver christening cup. What a fortunate way to start a life! The inscription on the cup, which I still own, but which may one day be donated to Yeovil is as follows:
“Presented by the Yeovil Corporation to P.S. Bulson May 27th 1925 being the first baby born in the Corporation New Maternity Home.”
This is certainly one of our new favourite objects and we look forward to showing this and other intriguing objects with bookable visits in the future!
