Good neighbours watch over museum













PC Simon Evans flanked by the two recently recruited Fairlynch stewards Hanneke Coates and Catrine Waller along with some of the Museum's loyal team of volunteer helpers

"It's one of Budleigh's treasures, and we're proud to support it," say Hanneke Coates and Catrine Waller. "We're looking forward to welcoming visitors and telling them something of the area's fascinating history." Local residents Hanneke and Catrine are among the newest recruits to a stewarding scheme at Budleigh Salterton's Fairlynch Museum which has been supported by Devon & Cornwall Police.

With its displays of local geology and natural history, mementos of Budleigh Salterton's railway and volumes of researched information on local events, developments and personalities, Fairlynch - the only thatched museum of its kind in the UK - is a precious repository of much of the town's heritage. The building is also one of Budleigh's best known landmarks, and celebrates its bicentenary this year.

Fairlynch is staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers. It is home to one of the finest collections of costumes dating from Georgian times through to the 1950s, although only a small part can be displayed at any one time. There is also a beautiful display of local lace.

Now thanks to a local police initiative the museum's team of stewards is being enlarged by publicising their role through the Neighbourhood Watch scheme. "We know that Budleigh Salterton people see the museum as one of the town's valuable assets," says Police Community Support Officer Chantalle Major.

"We've been more than happy to help ensure proper security at Fairlynch by encouraging residents to volunteer as stewards. The town has a strong community spirit and we've been delighted to have the opportunity of contributing to it by using the Neighbourhood Watch scheme in this unusual way."

If you would like to learn more about the Fairlynch Neighbourhood Watch steward scheme please contact Sylvia Merkel on 01395 446493. The museum opens for the new season at 2.00 pm on 10 April.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WW2 100 – 3 July 1941 – ‘Our beloved son’: Private Stanley John Holloway (1914-41) 12th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment

Image
Continued from 11 June 1941 ‘A German platoon fired a salute of honour over the grave’ FLYING OFFICER PETER HAROLD HOWARD PRITCHARD (1921-41)   https://budleighpastandpresent.blogspot.com/2021/11/ww2-75-11-june-1941-german-platoon.html   Image credit: www.FindaGrave.com Stanley’s sad death at the age of 27 stirred various thoughts in me when I first read about it. He is not listed on Budleigh Salterton’s War Memorial, yet his grave is in St Peter’s Burial Ground on Moor Lane. His family were not local, yet he seems to have been killed while engaged in the highly hazardous work of protecting Budleigh against invasion.   The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records him as a member of the 12 th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment with the Service Number was 5627659. According to the same source, his parents were George and M. Holloway, of Hounslow, Middlesex.   Tackling this WW2 project chronologically as I am, it was clear that Stanley had died on the same day as Private Clifto
Read more

People from the Past: 3. Reg Varney (1916-2008)

Image
Reginald Alfred 'Reg' Varney was an English actor, most notable for his role as a cheerful Cockney bus driver in the 1970s TV sitcom On the Buses . For ten years he lived at Dark Lane House on picturesque Dark Lane in Budleigh Salterton, seen above.  Millions of television viewers remember him with affection. He has been described as belonging to the old school of comedians, with his dislike of much contemporary television and his pride in never using swear words to get a laugh. Varney was born on 11 July 1916 in Canning Town, which was then part of Essex but is now part of East London. His father worked in a rubber factory in Silvertown and he was one of five children who grew up in Addington Road, Canning Town. He was educated at the nearby Star Lane Primary School in West Ham and after leaving school at 14, he worked as a messenger boy at the Regent Palace Hotel, pictured above.  
Read more

A home that Hatchard-Smith built: Lavender House

Image
Lavender House, one of no less than 50 houses in Budleigh Salterton designed by Hatchard-Smith   Instantly recognisable with their red and white decoration and their front doors set within brick arches, the houses built by architect William Hatchard-Smith (1887-1987) are still sought after and appreciated by their owners for their elegance and comfort, their sturdy construction and their attention to practical detail. Plans for one of the houses designed by Hatchard-Smith Lavender House, on Moorlands Road , is a four-bedroomed detached family residence built by Hatchard-Smith in the late 1920s when it was originally named Lavenderhay.   Set within what are described as beautifully landscaped gardens of approximately an acre it has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment programme while retaining much of the original charm and character. The stained glass memorial in Budleigh Sa
Read more