There are over 350 listed buildings in Frome, more than any other town in Somerset. The town centre and Trinity have a high density of listed buildings, a fact that has not escaped the notice of the BBC who recently used Gentle Street in its’ Poldark production.
Frome is on the international map with newspaper articles appearing in the New York Times and The Guardian. It has also been voted one of the best places in the country to live according to The Sunday Times and The Telegraph, however it hasn’t always been this way, a fact that has not escaped the attention of Colin Sampson.
Colin is a young father to a three month-old son, he is also a busy chef in a nearby pub. When most young father’s are trying to get some rest Colin invests his spare time in his popular ‘Frome Past and Present’ Facebook page. With nearly 3000 followers already Colin acknowledges that what started as a hobby is growing into something of a photographic archive of our town.
The page is a gold mine for anyone interested in Frome and its social history. Over a three year period, Colin has trawled the internet and other sources to find old photographs of our town. He also goes the extra distance and takes to the streets with his camera to show the page followers just how much things might have changed since the days of old.
Colin talks about his passion for gathering these old photos, it all started for him when one day he looked at the building which is now La Strada cafe on Cheap Street (pictured), he remembered seeing an old image of the building and was struck by how little it had changed.
Growing up in Midsomer Norton he had never shown any particular interest in History or school for that matter, but in the intervening years he realises that a love of social history is something that went untapped during his years of education. This is something that he would like to set straight for the kids today by taking the archive into schools to bring the town history alive for the next generation.
When I ask what his plans for the ‘Past and Present’ page are in the future Colin says that he will continue doing what he is doing, building the archive as he goes, however he would love more people to share images with the page. He stresses that the photos do not have to be old, they can just as easily be photos of the town today. Over the coming years I’m looking forward to finding out more about this town that I love so much and I can’t wait to visit the exhibition of Frome Past and Present. Keep going Colin, we love what you are doing!
For the full Humans of Frome article please visit the Humans of Frome Facebook page. For more info on Frome Past and Present please visit the page at www.facebook.com/fromePP
