In late October 1922, 45 traders met in the Town Hall to plan for Tiverton ‘Shopping Week’ which was to take place in early December. There was already £150 worth of advertising pledged towards the production of a handbook to promote the week. Three sub-committees were formed: ‘Booklet and Advertising’, ‘Competition’ and ‘Window Dressing’. It is notable that there were no women involved in these committees!

The Booklet and Advertising sub-committee did their work and produced an 80 page handbook which sold for 6d (2½p). The Museum archive has a copy. The foreword of the handbook explains ‘It is a very common error to decry and underrate one’s own Town as well as its Shops and its conditions generally’. The main aim of the week was to promote the ‘tradespeople’ of Tiverton. The handbook is full of adverts but interspersed by text on Tiverton past and present and the details of the various competitions. The back cover features special train and bus timetables for the week.

The owner of handbook number 1651 obviously entered the spelling competition, the ‘coupon’ has been cut out. It demanded very careful scrutiny! In the first 40 pages I only spotted 3 definite and one possible mistake: ‘choclates’, ‘sachels’ and ‘hankerchiefs’ and ‘crepe de chene’ rather than crepe de chine. There are probably more!!

Written by Museum Volunteer, Sue