Budleigh Past and Present

Continued from https://budleighpastandpresent.blogspot.com/2021/02/stories-from-southlands-hotel-by-iris_28.html   Pictured above is Budleigh resident Iris Ansell. As a volunteer at Fairlynch Museum Iris looked after the Costume Department. In this article, the eighth and last in the series, she recalls more memorable moments from her time as proprietor of Southlands Hotel in Budleigh Salterton      About the late 1980s the economic situation changed in Britain. VAT was increased, stocks and shares were paying very little, and the cheap holiday abroad had arrived, with guaranteed good weather.   Southlands Hotel brochure After two years with bad weather, and guest occupancy down due to lack of funds of our older clientele, we decided to give up the hotel life after nearly 20 years.   The Jacuzzi: offering hotel guests a sensuous experience, it remained sadly empty!   Image credit: Pavel Ševela We sold to a young couple w...

Friend of Fairlynch Iris Ansell, who helps in the Museum’s Costume Department, recalls some memorable moments from her time as proprietor of Southlands Hotel in Budleigh Salterton Like most hotels of a certain size, to elongate the season, those of us that could, took a coachload of pensioners, early and late season. As we were newcomers to the hotel life, we employed a cook for the season. She was a treasure and stayed with us for many years. She did however enjoy a glass of sherry while waiting for everyone to be seated for dinner. (Pensioners who came on very reduced rates had fixed meals and times, so everyone arrived at the same time and took a while to be seated).  Peg, as she was called, enjoyed her sherry, stirring her lovely home-made soup and waiting. My husband bought sherry by the box, putting it on a shelf above the hatch where Peg was waiting with her soup. Unfortunately the tap came unattached and the sherry poured into th...