Axminster
Axminster maps (2 available)
Map of Devon
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
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Axminster books (17 available)
Axminster memories
Read and share memories of Axminster and Devon inspired by Frith photos
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You can also read memories of nearby places in Devon below.
Devon memories
The post office
I grew up in Combpyne but I remember that we used to have a van that came up to the village from Musbury 2 or 3 times a week with everything any body might need from paraffin to bread. I remember the man who owned the post office then was called John Fenner. My Mum and Dad always had a friendly banter with him. I recall my mum teasing him and calling him butter fingers because he was always dropping things. Nobody was more distressed than Mum when he came and said he was giving up the round because he had M.S. But they remained friends until John and his family moved.
A memory of Musbury contributed by anne symons
one of my many schools
I went to Uplyme school from about 1958/59, I was about 8 years old, we lived in Combpyne and came to school by bus which we caught at Rousden. My memories of the school are three sisters by the name of Taylor, one I think was Belinda, and a girl called Ruth. I also remember two brothers Frank and Ralph I think they were from Africa. I thought the teachers were frightening at the time. I remember we were taken to someone's house in the village to watch something on television, something to do with the royal family I think. I have not been back to Uplyme or Combpyne since I left, hope to one day though. My brother also used ...read more here
A memory of Uplyme contributed by sally cundall
School days
My first school was at Uplyme. I started when I was 4 which was nearly 54 years ago now. I remember the headmaster was a Mr Denham and he lived in a house on the top of the hill opposite the Church. I remember being quite scared of him. The teacher who I also remember with great fondness was a Mrs Hurst, she was a very kind and caring lady. I also remember that at Christmas we always held the Nativity Play inside the church.
A memory of Uplyme contributed by anne symons
St Mary's School, Uplyme 1960 and 1961
I was at St Mary's boarding school, the summer terms 1960 and 1961. I came from Gothenburg, Sweden. I was just 12 and 13 years old and I couldn't speak much English.
I am now looking for girls that spent their school days at St Mary's. My best friend was Heather Dobell and she came from Whitestaunton, Chard. I have lost contact with her but would like to get in touch with her. Is there anyone who knows something about her?
What about the school? Is it still there? Is the house still there?
I am now 60 years old. Please write to me!!
A memory of Combpyne contributed by elisabet kaudern
Extracts From Axminster & Devon books
This view was taken from the building at the very end of Morton Crescent. To the immediate left is the Imperial Hotel,
seen in its original architectural design, changed now after the fire in the 1970s.
An extract from from"Exmouth Photographic Memories".
By the middle of the 20th
century we see something
resembling the modern
scene. There is the more
familiar red telephone
box on the traffic island,
a modern post box, and
Belisha beacons to aid
pedestrians wishing to
cross the road. In the
centre of the photograph
is the white tower of the
Pavilion Theatre. Much of
the street furniture was
removed by the start of
the 21st century, leaving
a more traffic-dominated Esplanade.
An extract from from"Exmouth Photographic Memories".
The construction of a substantial
sea wall, seen here in section to the
right, led to Exmouth’s prosperity
as a seaside resort. Before the
wall was built, much of the sea
front was marshland and sand
dunes, and subjected to constant
flooding. The first section of the
wall was completed in 1842, paid
for by the local landowner John
Rolle. It was 1,900 feet long and
constructed from Devon limestone.
The designer was John Smeaton, a
veteran engineer and the designer
of London Bridge.
An extract from from"Exmouth Photographic Memories".
This fine view looks across the
clock tower and Morton Crescent
to the estuary of the River Exe, with
Starcross and the Haldon Hills in
the distance.
An extract from from"Exmouth Photographic Memories".
The wall was designed to deflect the waves that so often come up the English Channel from the south-west on stormy days.
This scene has changed little in fifty years, though now a shelter from the wind stands on the position of the nearest bench
in the photograph. It was donated by local resident William Frederick Stokes in 1964.
An extract from from"Exmouth Photographic Memories".