Budleigh Past and Present

Logging rather than blogging: a healthier alternative? Well, it's been fun finding out about Budleigh Salterton, Brewster and lots of other things but I've decided that I spend too much time on the computer. In these harsh economic times where time is a precious as money it seems that cuts are the way forward. Two things happened recently to help me decide. First, logs have taken over from blogs in recent days. With the approach of autumn it's time to sniff the air and guess what kind of winter we're going to have. I did read a year or so ago that early berries on the holly are a sign that Nature is providing extra food for the birds when the temperature will be dropping more than usual. And this autumn, I'm afraid to say, the holly seems to have even more berries than this time last year. So extra logs are needed. And stacking a load of logs, I found, is a creative task which I realised was appealing to many m...

As always I'm interested in the variety of events staged at East Budleigh's attractive Salem Chapel. The Salem Players pictured above are a group of writer performers who have made the Chapel an ideal home for their productions. For the last two years they have met regularly in the Salem Chapel schoolroom and regularly perform their work. "Our next show, 'Changing Times' is in Salem Chapel on Saturday 24 September, bringing together the Players with the singing group Nota Rioty," says Player Hilary Ackland. "With humour, drama and rhyme through poetry, song and story we explore changes in our environment, relationships and in our society." The show is at Salem Chapel, East Budleigh, on Saturday 24 September at 7.00pm. For tickets contact Hilary Ackland 01395 444406 or e-mail hilaryackland@btinternet.com

Fairlynch Museum is one of two unusual buildings in the Budleigh area which will be opening their doors to visitors in September to coincide with the English Heritage Open Days scheme. The Museum will be open on Sunday 11 September from 2.00 - 4.30 pm, with free entry to the public. Heritage Open Days celebrate England’s fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission. Every year on four days in September, buildings of every age, style and function throw open their doors, ranging from castles to factories, town halls to tithe barns, parish churches to Buddhist temples. It is a once-a-year chance to discover hidden architectural treasures and enjoy a wide range of tours, events and activities which bring to life local history and culture. Also open as part of the English Heritage Open Days scheme will be the Salem Chapel and Schoolroom in East Budleigh, welcoming ...

'Towards Colaton Raleigh', by Laura Boyd Since I mentioned sculptor Christine Lee's participation in the Devon Open Studios September event at http://budleighbrewsterunited.blogspot.com/2011/07/sculptor-christine-lees-work-on-view.html it's been pointed out that she's not the only artist in the village just a few miles north-east of Budleigh Salterton whose work will be on show. Two further Colaton Raleigh artists will be opening their doors to the public this September. Laura Boyd’s work was chosen for the leading page of the Devon Open Studios guide, as the organisers thought her work most represented the spirit of the organisation and Devon. Trained at Harrow School of Art Laura became known originally for her etchings which sold all over the world. She specialises in landscapes, mainly local and flower paintings and taught a painting group at Age Concern in Exmouth for three years. Her work be on show at Oakdown, ...

The main gate at the former Nazi death camp of Birkenau. Note that this is inside the camp looking back from the loading ramp to the 'Gate of Death.' Photo by Angelo Celedon Versatile, to say the least, is what I felt about those Imperial Productions people when I read of their latest stage plans. They've been coming to Budleigh Salterton for many years to entertain us with their wonderful shows, but of course we're not their only audience. Only a few days ago at http://budleighbrewsterunited.blogspot.com/2011/08/guys-and-dolls-in-budleigh-salterton.html I posted news of 'Guys and Dolls', their 2011 Budleigh summer musical. The last call is now going out for enthusiastic amateurs to help put together a rather different production. The director is the energetic David Phipps-Davis, responsible for last October's staging of 'Gigi', about which I wrote at http://budleighbrewsterunited.blogspot.com/2010/10/s...

A transatlantic partner for Budleigh Salterton's Fairlynch Museum Most Devon people know about Sir Walter Raleigh as a pioneer of transatlantic links between their county and the US. Fewer know about the 18th century army officer brought up in Exeter, owning a holiday home in Budleigh Salterton, who spent only a few years of his life in Canada but became one of the country's national heroes. There's even a Canadian town named after him. A portrait of Simcoe by the French Candian painter George Theodore Berthon Such is the veneration in which John Graves Simcoe (1752-1806) is held across the Atlantic that Wolford Chapel, his last resting place on the family estate outside Honiton is now officially part of Canadian territory, having been donated to the people of Ontario in 1966. As Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada for five years from 1791 Simcoe, founded what is now the city of Toront...

A still from 'The Ghost', the political thriller directed by Roman Polanski. The film is one of nine films being shown by Budleigh Film Society between this September and April 2012 Budleigh Salterton Film Society tell me that they have a new website. And indeed they have. A smart affair designed by local firm Otter.IT to match the very smart choice of films that they're offering for the 2011-12 season. Since it started three years ago Budleigh's own home-grown cinema has proved a massive hit, with membership soaring to nearly 400 within 18 months of the venture being discussed by a small group of film enthusiasts. The Town Council's purchase earlier this year of new more comfortable seats for the Public Hall will have helped to make it a more attractive venue for the Society but it's what the Society screens that is the real draw. "Choosing our programme is an annual and ongoing challenge," the Society's chai...

Budleigh Salterton's Fairlynch is one of six East Devon Museums taking part in a Treasure Trail linked to 'Smuggler's Gold' a play for people of all ages being performed at the Museum on Saturday 27 August 2011. The performance times are 11.00 am and 2.30 pm on the lawn at Fairlynch; if wet indoors. Admission is free, and there's the chance of winning an i-Pod for young people who attend the performance. The show with live music, and performed by the Common Players, is a Jurassic Coast Heritage Touring Project. It's centred around the character of Bill Widger who is refusing to leave his East Devon cliff-top cottage, which is falling into the sea because of erosion. In a style similar to Dickens’ 'A Christmas Carol', night-time visitors take Bill on a farewell trip through time to explore the ancient Jurassic Coast landscape, stories of historic fishing fleets, and the Great Landslip of 1839. But, the cliff could collapse at any minute. Will Bill find t...

With more and more homeowners in supposedly rather conservative Budleigh Salterton taking advantage of green energy by installing solar panels and the like it's no surprise to see that wind turbines like these are back on the agenda in Brewster. My last post on this issue at http://budleighbrewsterunited.blogspot.com/2011/04/not-just-storms-in-tea-cups.html drew attention to the storm of protest that erupted in our Cape Cod sister-town when some Brewster residents decided that wind power was not for them. The initial planning board decision seemed to go in their favour. But many of Brewster's selectmen - the equivalent of our town councillors but with somewhat more power - have no intention of giving up on the issue. A deal has been worked out with the Cape and Vineyard Electric Cooperative and according to a local press report at http://www.wickedlocal.com/capecod/features/x2014919790/Brewsters-wind-deal-in-a-nutshell#axzz1U2S6dp3y the town could have its two 410 ft turbines ...

The nice young people from London's Imperial College Operatic Society are back in town to entertain us with another sparkling production. They actually call themselves Musical Theatre Tour and have an excellent new website at http://mtsoc.co.uk/tour/ They've been faithful to Budleigh for over 40 years. This time, as they say, "Gangsters, gambling and glamour are coming to Budleigh Salterton with their production of 'Guys and Dolls'." This celebrated Broadway musical set in the prohibition era is based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon, and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrowes, and has music and lyrics by Frank Loesser. Here's director Seb Junemann's helpful synopsis: "Nathan Detroit is running out of places to run his secret, underground, floating craps game. Only a crazy bet with a high roller like Sky Masterson will earn him the cash he needs in time to set up the game. But when Nathan bets Sky that he can't woo the pure-hearted, l...