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.

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