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Coombe books (12 available)
Coombe memories
Read and share memories of Coombe and Devon inspired by Frith photos
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You can also read memories of nearby places in Devon below.
Devon memories
Sparnham House, 36 West Street
I was living in Sparnham House in 1960, but don't recall the umber mine you mention, though my father (Brian Baker) did say there had been one, once. Outside Sparnham there used to be a tap which was supplied by a natural spring and during the long winter of 1963 it was, at times, the only piece of plumbing that wasn't frozen. There was a tunnel under the garden which I was never allowed to explore; I always assumed it was something to do with this spring, but perhaps it was the umber mine? My father died when I was nine, and we moved away from Ashburton shortly afterwards, so that tunnel has always been a tantalising mystery to me.
The ...read more here
A memory of Ashburton contributed by Lerida Arnold
Our Honeymoon
These pictures bring back delightful memories!
We spent a week of our honeymoon in the 16th century mill at Lydia Bridge. Across the lawn was a view of the brook and early spring flowers. We stepped outside to the sound of the waterfall across the narrow, winding road. From the bridge on closer inspection the waterfall was spectacular. A path along the brook led to the ancient church where we wandered around the cemetery and the historic interior, and then explored the village of South Brent, little changed since these pictures were taken. No tourist traps here! At the local pharmacy, we bought Hummel type, Leonardo Collection, figures as souvenirs and gifts for our wedding party; we ate at the ...read more here
A memory of South Brent contributed by Elizabeth Goehringer
Staverton Elizabethan Fayre
Staverton Playing Fields was the location for the Staverton Elizabethan Fayre on August Bank Holiday Monday. Lots of entertainment was arranged including a jazz band, the Babelfish Ceilidh Band, Dog Racing, Punch and Judy, the South Hams Dog Agility team, and the Heather and Gorse Clog Morris Dancers. I was there with my piano accordian to provide some music for the dancers and I think my job providing music was a lot easier than the effort needed by the dancers to perform on the soft grass!
It was a huge event and the tea tent seemed to have queues all afternoon. Fortunately there was no rain so many people chose to sit outside on straw bales with their teas ...read more here
A memory of Staverton contributed by John Howard Norfolk
Childhood in Broadhempston
I was born at St Joseph Cottages. I remember my first day at the village school, spam fritters, and Mr Matthews from the pub, with his dog called Measles, Marks from the shop, and butcher Lang in his van, who always gave the kids a slice of hogs pudding, happy days, poor but carefree.
A memory of Broadhempston contributed by First Name Last Name
Extracts From Coombe & 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".