Sidbury
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Sidbury books (12 available)
Sidbury memories
Read and share memories of Sidbury and Devon inspired by Frith photos
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Devon memories
Heather and Gorse Clog Morris at the Sidmouth Folk Festival
Each August huge numbers of dancers and musicians head to Sidmouth for the annual folk festival - a week long event which celebrates our national heritage of music, dance and song.
This year I was able to play my piano accordian at the festival for the first time for many years as our local morris side - Heather and Gorse Clog Morris from Combeinteignhead - went along to dance on the "prom" on the traditional Sunday outing for local performers.
We were so lucky with the weather as our dancers began at 11 am for a morning session, followed by a lunchtime break in the pubs, and then an early afternoon seesion soon after 1pm. It ...read more here
A memory of Sidmouth contributed by John Howard Norfolk
Whitethorn Morris dance at Sidmouth
This view is little different from the one seen by Whitethorn Morris at the Sidmouth International Folk Festival on several occasions in the 1980's. We danced and I played my accordian for the Whitethorn Band on the prom and in "The Arena".
On the last Friday night of the festival we danced our way through the town in a torchlight procession and extinguished our flaming torches in the sea. Thousands of spectators lined both sides of the streets and it is a magical memory that I shall always treasure.
I revisited Sidmouth in August 2006 and watched dancers at the Festival performing on the prom more or less exactly where this picture was taken all those years ...read more here
A memory of Sidmouth contributed by John Howard Norfolk
Evacuee
My name was Evelyn Smith "Eve". I was evacuated to my uncle and aunt's home during the war. My uncle was Sidney Smith - he was station master. We lived at 3 Coombe Lea. Miss Richardson was our school teacher - a really beautiful lady and an excellent teacher. My best friend was Nancy Leach - she lived in Dawes Cottage. I remember the gypsies who came through the village - the eldest girl was named Caroline. There were twin boys who lived on a farm - can't remember their names. Skinner's farm was just down the lane from 3 Coombe Lea - they brought fresh milk to our house every day - or maybe we fetched it from the farm ...read more here
A memory of Tipton St John contributed by Eve White
Carter family of Harpford
My forebears came from the village of Harpford. In the Tithe schedule of 1839 Joel Carter rented the small cottage in the centre of the photo and also the cottage on the far right (which had a workshop at the back.) Joel was born at Podbury's Cottage (then a farm) which I think is at the back of this photo - certainly Podbury's is the main subject of the other Harpford photo. In the 21st century all these buildings are still there, little altered externally except that there is now more vegetation - trees/bushes etc. Joel Carter farmed at Harts which was on the outskirts of the village and has long been destroyed. Joel and his wife Mary (nee Paver) had ...read more here
A memory of Harpford contributed by anne speight
Extracts From Sidbury & 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".