Budleigh Past and Present

  Primroses on a grassy slope With cattle near the brook. That’s how it was a century past If you just take a look. A look into the archives Will prove beyond a doubt That Fairlynch had a different name, If you just check it out. Our newsletter reflects the name That Fairlynch had at first. And so I hope you do approve My explanation versed. Our County Council chose this Flower to stand for conservation. That seems a note appropriate, To end this conversation.

  The first-ever blue primrose has appeared, and it’s growing in Budleigh Salterton. I’m talking about The Primrose , the newsletter for the Friends of Fairlynch Museum, which has just been printed in full colour for the first time. Over the years the newsletter has grown steadily, and now consists of 18 pages devoted to local heritage matters and news from the Museum. The Primrose is published three times a year; all Friends of Fairlynch receive a copy. The title acknowledges the fact that the historic building in which the Museum is housed was originally named Primrose Cottage.  Museum President Joy Gawne remembers the building as it was, with cattle grazing on the slope around it and primroses growing along the edge of the brook.    You can read the Spring 2015 edition of The Primrose here but why not join the Friends of Fairlynch and have your own copy sent to you? You can download ...

The primroses came out early this year, heralding the arrival of spring. And now with May Day we enter a new season.   It’s no surprise that this pretty plant has been adopted as our county flower,   decorating as it does, in the words of the official website “countless miles of Devon's hedgerows and roadside verges in the early months of the year.” The flower has been chosen also for its value as a symbol of conservation.   “Common species such as the Primrose are often useful indicators of the world around us,” I read a little further on the site.   “Unless we succeed in maintaining the status of such common plants, we stand little chance in saving those habitats and species that are already rare or threatened. By promoting the conservation of the Primrose, we can help to look after the many habitats in which it is fundamental for growth and the many species that are typically found along side it.”   ...