Budleigh Past and Present

A Christmas party for evacuee children during World War II. In the first four days of September 1939, approximately 3,000,000 people - mostly children - were moved from the cities to places of safety in small towns and villages in what was known officially as Operation Pied Piper No, not World War I for once, though maybe all this talk of the Great War centenary has stirred up childhood memories of the disturbance to family life that conflict can cause, wherever and whenever it occurs. Beverly, from Paphos in Cyprus, has emailed me on behalf of her father who will be 80 in February 2014. With his home threatened by enemy bombing raids during World War II six-year-old Royston Harry Williams was evacuated in 1940 together with his brother to Budleigh Salterton and remained there for four years. Many former evacuees still have bad memories of that time. Enforced family separations took place in an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty with most children unaware of their destination and n...

The Boyhood of Raleigh is one of the Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir John Millais’ most celebrated works,   painted during his stay in Budleigh Salterton in 1870    With the quatercentenary of Sir Walter Raleigh’s death only four years away you could guess that at least one Fairlynch volunteer might be recalling the famous years of 2000 and even 1969. Those two high points in the Museum’s history were reached when Sir John Millais’ celebrated depiction of East Budleigh’s best known personality went on show. To greet the arrival of ‘The Boyhood of Raleigh’ at Fairlynch in July 1969 three members of the US Marine Detachment from its 6th Fleet HQ in London’s Grosvenor Square joined forces with three Royal Marines from Lympstone to stand guard over the painting, a military band played and Tudormania broke out. Visitor numbers at the Museum shot up. For the management of such a small institution as Fairlynch it was an amazing achievement.   ...

  Above: Bystock Fishponds   Image credit: Derek Harper  The first of the 2014 Otter Valley Association walks takes place on Saturday 11 January at 10.00 am.   Led by Friend of Fairlynch Steve Hagger and lasting 2.5 hours it’s described as a circular undulating walk of 5.5-miles over the commons to Bystock Fishponds with varied topography including woodland and heathland.  The walk starts at Knowle Village Hall car park, SY052827, ending back at Knowle with an optional lunch at the Britannia Inn (otherwise known as the Dog and Donkey).    For more details contact Steve Hagger on 01395 442631.