Facing Budleigh's Past and Present






Photo by Lynne Lovatt‎, Christmas Eve 2011 from the Rolle flats in Budleigh and posted in Facebook's Budleigh - Past and Present

Well, the sun has risen on a new year and it’s time for a change!

I’ve been in the habit of emailing lists of news items and features of local interest on a regular basis. The Raleigh 400 blog has done its work to mark the 400th anniversary of the Great Devonian’s death and has closed - though I'm likely to tinker with it from time to time!  

 You can view it at leisure by clicking on http://raleigh400.blogspot.com








Budleigh Salterton, William Payne, 1790   Devon Archives.  Posted on Budleigh - Past and Present by Yannick 'MrMunro' Munro‎

Budleigh and Brewster United has come back to life, and I'll be contributing to that, together with the new Facebook group Budleigh – Past and Present. Details about that and how to join are at the end of this post.

 Budleigh – Past and Present has attracted lots of interest, with some remarkable pictures of life in the local area over the last few centuries and beyond, like this image of Budleigh Salterton in 1790. 









This postcard produced by F T Blackburn, a photographer based in Budleigh Salterton in the early 1900s, shows the original Rosemullion Hotel.  Posted by Allison Rourke on Budleigh - Past and Present











The cold buffet at the Rosemullion Hotel. The boar's head was real.  Former Rosemullion staff member wrote: 'The boar's eyes were replaced with blue marbles, I seem to remember. Hated going into the cold room when the boar's head was being prepared. I felt his gaze always followed me'.












More former staff at the Rosemullion out of uniform. Great shoes! The two above images were posted on Budleigh - Past and Present by the hotel's former chef Nigel Arnold 









This historic photo of the fire at St Peter's CofE Primary School in August 1987 was posted on Budleigh Past and Present by Pete Prew.  He was living in Clinton Terrace and was one of the first to arrive at the scene. 

Keen interest is being shown in local shops and businesses of the past, and memories of World War II in the Budleigh area – which includes some of the villages.








This photo was posted by Alison McFall‎ on Budleigh - Past and Present because it includes two local authors: Joyce Dennys is in the back row (4th from left) and Jean Blathwayt (3rd child from the left in the front row). 









Shane Luscombe‎ posted this photo of a Christmas Day swim in the early 1980s on Budleigh - Past and Present.  'Do you recognize yourself in maybe the first swim back in the early 80s,' he asks. He is third from the left.


Here’s a typical quote from an enthusiastic Budleigh - Past and Present group member: ‘Brilliant! We’re seeing some amazing historic postcards and photographs. Loving being part of this group. Thanks for starting it’. 

And another: ‘Hope you find a moment to put your feet up. The activity on the new Facebook page is impressive!’






So if you like looking at photos of Budleigh as it used to be, as well as modern images like that amazing photo of a sunrise from The Rolle you may like to become a member of Budleigh - Past and Present.  

 To join and find out more, click on https://www.facebook.com/groups/1263602983802611/?ref=group_header






And to end on a seasonal note, I put the above message together using alphabet letters from pages that I found in the 1912 drawing book of William Walter Quick, a pupil at the tiny Bicton school, just outside Yettington. 

He was the younger of two sons of farmer Walter Quick and his wife Elizabeth, of Washmoor Farm, East Budleigh.  

The book is dated 24 July 1912, when Walter was 12 years old. It’s one of the items in the collection of Fairlynch Museum.

I wonder what became of this talented young artist. 




Bicton School is listed in 1902 as having 60 boys and girls.  Pictured here as it appears today is the former Bicton School House, built by Louisa, Lady Rolle in 1847 at Yettington ‘in the Swiss style of architecture’. It was converted into cottages by the London-based architects Rogers, Bone and Coles in 1923, when it was named Yshuar.   

If you are not familiar with Facebook, but want to keep in touch with my local history scribblings, do talk to someone who does use it. Or contact me and if convenient I would be happy to give a demo.

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