A presentation to The Rev. Norman Johnson upon his leaving as Vicar of Mere and W. Knoyle in 1965. From left, Mrs. Kersten, Mrs. Johnson, Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Matthews and Mr. F. Stone (Churchwarden).
Mr. & Mrs. Jack Paul on the day of their golden wedding anniversary. Jack was a native of Mere, a Mere Parish Councillor and former Salisbury District Council Chairman.
Andy Young, local tradesman, Mere Parish Councillor and Chairman of Salisbury District Council at the time of his death in 2002.
Christopher Coward, Mere farmer and Chairman of Gillingham, Mere and Shaftesbury Lions in 1987.
John Farley Rutter of Dewes House, Mere in the latter part of the 19th century. He was a Quaker, a solicitor, father of Dr. F. B. Rutter (the Mere doctor), a supporter of the Temperance Movement and founder of Mere Lecture Hall.
Bert Avery, a builder of Hazzards Hill, Mere. This portrait was by Frederick Holmes of Mere and is dated very early in the 20th century.
William Barnes, poet, formerly a Mere schoolmaster and priest, as an old man, at Winterbourne Came, Dorset, 1880.
The Rev. Thomas Blundell, vicar of Mere and Zeals in the latter part of the 19th century.
George and Jane Burden and their children, c.1893. George Burden was the founder of Burden & Sons Nurseries, Mere which is still a thriving business.
Dorothy George, a former Mere Parish Councillor, and member of Mere Dramatic Society in the 1960s – 80s.
Mr. Arthur White of Charnage Farm, Mere. He was a Parish Council Chairman, Churchwarden and a prominent member of farming organisations.
Canon Francis Trotman, vicar of Mere from 1909 to 1927.
Miss J. M. Hooper, a much loved and respected teacher at Mere Infants’ School, Mere, in the early 20th century.
Miss Julia Chafyn Grove of Zeals House, 1825-1891. She was a great benefactress to numerous charities in Mere, Zeals and Salisbury. There is a monument to her in St. Michael’s churchyard.
Dr. Francis B. Rutter, general practitioner in Mere between 1900 and 1926. He was a Quaker and supporter of many good causes in Mere. His father built The Lecture Hall.
Mrs. Arthur White of Charnage who was superintendant of the Mere Red Cross Hospital (in the Grove buildings) during W.W.1.
John Glover, the Mere Town Crier with his bell, c.1880
David Chalke, director of F. J. Chalke, motor engineers of Mere, as a young child, c.1935, standing behind a W.W.1. German gun which was on the lower slopes of Castle Hill, Mere. It was removed for scrap metal during W.W.2.
John White of Charnage Farm, Mere; this portrait dates to c.1915. His family still farm at Charnage.
Thomas H. Baker, the farmer at Mere Down and his wife, Catherine, on their golden wedding day, 1907. Thomas Baker was a local historian whose hand-written notes are a rich source of information about 19th century Mere.
William Barnes, the Dorset poet, schoolmaster and priest. He had a school at The Chantry, Mere from 1827-35 and in this picture, painted by John Thorne in 1845, he is wearing a blue dressing gown which he habitually wore when teaching.
Duncan Walton, son of John who founded John Walton & Co. Duncan succeeded his father as Managing Director of the company in the early years of the 20th century.
John Walton, founder of the departmental store “John Walton & Co.” of Mere. He came to Mere in 1864 and the business thrived for some 100 years, serving a wide area around the town. There is still a business carrying that name in Mere.
The Gray family of Rook Street, Mere, in 1927.
William Lander the brazier of Mere, 1763 – 1843. Apart from making domestic goods he devised all sorts of machinery such as pumps for wells. In his retirement he wrote several religious books, and this portrait is the frontispiece to one of them.
Mrs. Christine Wallis, founder and secretary of Mere Historical Society. The picture shows her at her retirement party in 1992.
A coloured drawing of the brass of Sir John Bettesthorne. The brass is dated 1398 and is in the floor of the south chantry chapel of St. Michael’s Church, Mere.
The Rev. J. A. Lloyd, vicar of St. Michael’s Church, Mere, 1890-1909.
A family group photo of Henry Edmunds, pharmacist and printer of Mere in the early 20th century.
Ewing Edmunds, son of Henry, in army uniform during W.W.1. He succeeded his father in the pharmacy and printing works.
Cuthbert Lander of Lordsmead House, Mere. He was blind but was a highly skilled furniture and toy maker.
The visit of H. M. Queen Elizabeth II to The Hill Brush Co., Mere in 1952. She is seen with Fred Coward, managing director of the company and with one of the staff.
Bill Coward, one of the founders and a director of The Hill Brush Co., Mere.
Miss Marion Jupe, a member of an old Mere family.
Mrs. Alice Rutter, widow of Dr. F. B. Rutter, on her 90th birthday.
Mere residents and old friends, Miss Joyce Rutter, Miss Liley Clemens and Mrs. Ada Hooper, in 1977.
Thomas Norris, 1742 – 1790. He was a native of Mere and became a famous tenor.
Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Coward and family. Mr. Coward was a carpenter, plumber and man of many skills whose two sons, Fred and Bill founded The Hill Brush Company of Mere in 1922.
Robert Sawyers, a Mere artist, with one of his self-portraits, c.1988.