Edition 43 - August 1996

Sing a song of hollow logs,
Chirp of cricket, croak of frogs,
Cry of wild bird, hum of bees,
Dancing leaves and whisp'ring trees;
Legs all bare, and dusty toes,
Ruddy cheeks and freckled nose,
Splash of brook and swish of line,
Where the song that's half so fine?
 
Sing a song of summer days,
Leafy nooks and shady ways,
Nodding roses, apples red,
Clover like a carpet spread;
Sing a song of running brooks,
Cans of bait and fishing hooks,
Dewy hollows, yellow moons,
Birds a-pipe with merry tunes.
 
Sing a song of skies of blue,
Eden's garden made anew,
Scarlet hedges, leafy lanes,
Vine-embowered sills and panes;
Stretch of meadows, splash'd with dew,
Silver clouds with sunlight through,
Call of thrush and pipe of wren,
Sing and call it home again.

J.W.Foley

Illustrated by: Paul Swailes

12

CONGRATULATIONS!

To Ben Fanner who has been awarded a 2:1 B. Eng. Honours degree from the University of Surrey in Civil Engineering. Ben spent his professional training year with the M.J. Gleeson Group in Stafford, who have now offered him permanent employment, which he takes up in September. Good luck, Ben!

Good luck, too, to sister Elise, who after her set-back last year has been off on her travels again, working for the last six months in Sydney and now moving on to Canberra, Melboume, Adelaide, Alice Springs and Ayres Rock.

Congratulations are in order for Nicola Richards of East Hagginton House on her recent Althletics successes:

• Gold in the 400m Hurdles and Silver in the 400m Flat Race at the Devon County Championships
• Gold in both the 400m Hurdles and 400m at the North Devon Schools Championship
• At the South West Schools' Meeting, Nicola won the Silver Awards in both these events, with personal best times, and competing against the best athletes from eight counties in the South West.

Well done, Nicola!

Warmest congratulations to Shaun Cooper on his promotion to Director of Entri, part of the Bray Leino Group.

13

COMBE MARTIN TOURIST ASSOCIATION

Members running hotels, guest houses and self-catering establishments in Combe Martin and Berrynarbor are now on Internet. Brief details have been listed free, with the option of paying for more extensive information and a coloured picture.

This year our Local Guide print-run was increased to 25,000. So far about half this quantity has been distributed, in this country and overseas. We hope this will result in many more visitors with beneficial effects on the community. Next year's Guide is already being planned and we shall be writing to members about advertising at the end of the summer.

Following on from this, we are looking forward to receiving some worthwhile entries in our photographic competition [see June Newsletter for details]. However, it is possible that villagers have in their possession photos which they do not wish to enter but which would make excellent illustration for the Guide. We should be very pleased to see these and consider their possible use. Please contact the T.I.C.

We wish everyone a good and worthwhile summer season.

Don Taylor - Secretary

14

WEDDINGS

Saturday, 18th May, was the BIG day for Lisa, eldest daughter of Laurel and Celia Draper, and Mark Willis of Combe Martin. The ceremony was at the Registry Office in Barnstaple and the honeymoon spent in the Canary Islands. Lisa, a Supervisor at Sussmans, and Mark, who works for Rawle, Gammon and Baker, live in Combe Martin. Congratulations and best wishes to you both.

June 29th was the Golden Wedding Day of Arline and Bemard Lewis of Alberta, Barton Lane. Congratulations to you both from your neighbours and friends in the Village.

15

HATCHED

Jill and Rainer Jost are delighted to announce the arrival of their first grandchild, a daughter for Tanya and Mark [Hill]. Courtney Talei was born in Fiji General Hospital on the 14th June, and weighed in at 3.27 kilo. Congratulations and best wishes to you all.

Congratulations to Jason and Tracey [nee Yeo] on the birth of their daughter, Vashti Rose, on the 17th May, just tipping the scales at 6 lbs; a sister for Dylan, a grand-daughter for Marlene and Dave and great granddaughter for Ivy and Walter White. Best wishes to all.

Best wishes and congratulations to Alan and Alf of Bowden Farm on the birth of their daughter on 11th July.

16

LOCAL WALKS - 37

"Here the singing lark,
The gliding kestrel and the
Wandering honey-bee..."

["Dandelion Days" by Henry Williamson]

Below the ridge on which we stood was Landacre Bridge. Two miles from the village of Withypool this handsome bridge, with its five arches and sturdy sandstone piers, was the scene of John Ridd's friend Jeremy Stickles' escape from an ambush set by the notorious Doones.

On the slopes of Great Ferny Ball, across the valley, were little groups of Exmoor ponies, with their distinctive oatmeal coloured muzzles. A foal sheltered beside its mother.

At intervals the river widens out to form clear green bathing pools. The path above the Barle coincides with a section of the Two Moors Way [linking Dartmoor and Exmoor and starting and ending at Ivybridge and Lynmouthl].

We watched a skylark as it soared and eventually hovered so high that we could barely see it, but singing all the time its liquid, loud and trilling notes. It can sustain its song in flight for up to fifteen minutes without a pause. No wonder the collective noun for skylarks is an 'exultation'.

However, this bird, the inspiration of Vaughan Williams' beautiful music, "The Lark Ascending", and Shelleys "Blithe Spirit", is now the cause of concern. In the last twenty-five years, skylark numbers on farmland have reduced by 50%, so this year the British Trust for Ornithology launched its "Save our Skylarks" campaign.

As it was mid-May, we were not surprised to hear cuckoos, but we had not expected to see any. The birds landing on low bushes, fanning out their tails and calling, attracted a lot of curious and fascinated attention from walkers out on the the moor that day.

Cuckoos are 13" long with blue-grey upper-parts and whitish under-parts, barred with dark grey. The tail is slate grey, spotted and tipped with white and legs are yellow. It is not often seen and when not actually uttering its famous call, can be mistaken for other birds. In colouring, it resembles a sparrow hawk, but its head is smaller and its wings longer. Its flight silhouette is falcon like.

Sue H

17

THANKS

Send a Grannie to Oz

This has to be one of the best kept secrets ever! I have been totally oblivious to any 'goings on' apparently for six months! A card arrived the other day with a cheque for £800.73 telling me this was a gift from my friends of Berrynarbor to enable me to visit my daughters, Wendy and Rachel, and my little grand-daughter, Molly, whom I have yet to meet - I shall in fact be there to celebrate her 1st birthday.

I am so touched [many of you will agree with that] and overwhelmed by this wonderful gesture - I cannot begin to thank all of you who took part in this subterfuge - I know some of you, I am finding out about others and some of you I shall never now, but you have all made me a very happy lady. My flight is booked and I am off to Australia for a month - two weeks in Darwin with Rachel, John and Molly, and then I fly down to Brisbane for the remaining time with Wendy and Jon and my brother, David, and his family. It is like a dream come true and for the first few days I thought I should wake up, but now, as my plans are falling into place, I feel it is really happening, and so to all you wonderful people of Berrynarbor, this time for me has to be one of those lifetime memories - thank you.

Sally B.

27th June saw the sun shine and the coffee flow! The Annual Coffee Morning at Fuchsia Cottage garden raised £273 for the Chapel. A special 'thanks' to everyone who came along and supported this event. We did have a great time, didn't we?

Joy Morrow

The 'Stars of the '50's', and all those involved in the staging of this event, thank the Ozelton Family and staff of the Sawmills for all their kind help and support.

Thank you, first to Debbie, and then to those of you who ordered prints of her cover illustrations, resulting in the Newsletter funds being swollen by £50 and allowing the village to send a donation of £55 to the local branch of the R.S.P.C.A.

Ed.

Ron Toms thanks all the friends and relations who attended his 80th Birthday Party in the Manor Hall on Saturday, 13th July, arranged as a surprise by daughter, Sheila, and son, Raymond. A special thank you to both of them for all the work involved and to their willing team of helpers; thank you, too, for all the presents and cards.

18

+ PRESS RELEASE + PRESS RELEASE + PRESS RELEASE +

ILFRACOMBE TO PLAY HOST TO THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

Ilfracombe College are delighted to announce that they will be hosting the RSC/Nat West Regional Tour of 'The Comedy of Errors' later this year. The Company will be in residence at the College between 10th and 14th December, during which time there will be five evening performances and two matinees in addition to an exciting workshop programme. Directed by Young Vic Director, Tim Supple, the play, which shows off The Bard's unique blend of hilarity and humanity, makes this an ideal first visit to a Shakespeare play for young and old alike.

19

OLD BERRYNARBOR - VIEW NO. 42
Berrynarbor Post Office [Part II]

 

In this view of "Lower Town Berrynarbor.98." taken by Garratt, we can see clearly the new Post Office, 62 Silver Street, shortly after it had opened in 1921. Sub-Postmaster, Tom Hicks, died at the age of 61 in August 1922, his wife Sarah took on the position and Kelly's Directory of 1923 names her as " Shopkeeper and Sub-Postmaster with letters via Ilfracombe". Mrs. A.J. Huggins took over around 1926 and was still listed in Kelly's of 1939 as "Draper and Postmaster" and Keith Walls recalls stories of three Huggins girls helping at the Post Office at the start of the War, and talk of delivering about 100 telegrams a day!

My sincere thanks to Vera Pearse [nee Rudd] who wrote to me from her home in Buckfast, South Devon, with the following information:

My father and mother moved to the Post Office early in the war, about 1940-41. They had previously had a business in Ilfracombe. Both Devonians, Bertram and Mabel Rudd ran the Post Office for some years; I was married from there - to an Air Force pilot [also a Devonian] - and our first child was born at Briar Cottage in 1947. I can remember my father taking telegrams around the area and mother trying to fill the shop with things for children - it was a difficult time then! My mother was friendly with Miss Street, who lived with her brother in the Sterridge Valley. They went to Chapel in the village and mother joined the W.I.

Just a few thoughts, sorry I can't recall correct dates.

Vera Pearse

Keith Walls speaks of a Captain Snoddy then taking over as Postmaster, followed by a Mr. Scrivener. Mr. and Mrs. Roland Squires, I believe, then took over for about four years before handing over the reins to Betty Davis [c1958-61]. The next incumbents were Keith and Margaret Walls who ran the Post Office and shop for some 16 years until about 1977 when Keith and Maureen Cooper took over. Maureen was the Postmistress until 1982. They were followed by Dennis and Sylvia Barton who left in 1986 to move to Tonbridge. For the next two years, Colin and Nicky Purdue delivered the papers and dealt with the post. Maureen and Graham Jones took over and ran the business until September 1994 when the present owners, Nora and Alan Rowlands moved in.

I apologise for any inaccuracies and should welcome any corrections to dates and names and any other information relating to our Post Office.

Tom Bartlett
Tower Cottage, July 1996

20

GET WELL

Following our report that Dick Barten was recovering well from his fall, he has had another spell in hospital, but it is good to know that he is home again and progress is good. Walter White also continues to progress - but too slowly for him! - following his eye operation. We look forward to seeing these gentlemen out and about soon.

Sympathies go to Peter Hiscox who had the misfortune to break his leg not at the best of times, Peter, with the summer holiday approaching. We hope you are feeling more comfortable now and will soon be around and about again.

Best wishes to Sheena Bowden who is now home again following an operation. Make the most of your convalescence, Sheena, and get those menfolk of yours to wait on you for a change!

The best wishes of all the village will go with Betty Davis when she travels to Oxford for heart surgery in August. We shall all be thinking of you and wish you a successful operation and a speedy recovery.

21

BERRYNARBOR PRIMARY SCHOOL

The summer term has been full of activities outside the 'normal' curriculum. Our children have been on visits to Croyde and Combe Martin beaches as part of their project work; there have been numerous sporting events, including a 'Tag' Rugby competition in Barnstaple, and tennis coaching at Ilfracombe College. There was also the Small School Sports at West Down School, at which we won lots of certificates!

Thanks to the generosity of the staff, there were after-school athletics clubs in which the children tried lots of different events, and were awarded certificates at the appropriate level for their performances. Well done, all of you! By the time you read this, we hope the weather has been kind enough to allow our own school sports to have taken place. Good luck, of course, to all those who are starting at their new schools in September - another milestone in their growing up!

We hope you all have a good summer, see you in September.

 

22

A LIGHT-HEARTED LOOK AT GARDENING!

Vi Kingdon

23

24

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I was interested to read in the Newsletter No. 40 February 1996, the report of the presentation to Mr. Clift on his leaving as head teacher at the National School.

My mother, Ellen Barnes [nee Harding] was one of his pupils, aged 14 at that time. She also left school and went on to Landkey where she served as a pupil teacher and lodged in the village. I believe she continued there until she was 18 years old.

Mr. Clift went to Oaklands Park, near Weybridge in Surrey, where he took over as Headteacher at the Church of England School. My mother later moved to Oaklands Park and joined the staff in Mr. Clift's school. She continued her studies, including attending courses in London, so that she qualified as a Certificated Teacher. She taught at the school until she married, when at that time married women teachers had to leave.

My elder brother attended the school and was taught by Mr. Clift until about 1921, the year in which I think Mr. Clift retired and went to live in Combe Martin. I don't know the name of the place where he lived but it was one of the houses in a row on the left of the road as you near the top of the hill coming out of Combe Martin towards Sandy Cove. I also went to school in Oaklands Park but when I joined the Juniors from the Infants in 1922, Mr. Clift had just left.

A few years later my parents and the family went to Berrynarbor on holiday, to stay at 55 The Village, and we called to visit Mr. Clift - I well remember his garden and his bee hives!

Stanley Barnes, York

Information has filtered through on two other queries raised in previous Newsletters:

The lady in the hat attending the funeral of Captain Bassett [June 1995 issue] is believed to be Mrs. Penn-Curzon. Captain Bassett was her brother, and he was killed in a riding accident when he was thrown from his horse.

The picture thought to be of Bowden Farm [October 1995 issue] is, we are told, just that, drawn from the Cockhill area with a lot of artist's licence! But who was the artist?

25

BERRYNARBOR
HORTICULTURAL AND CRAFT SHOW

SATURDAY, 7^TH SEPTEMBER, 1996
MANOR HALL, 2.00 p.m.

 

OPEN TO RESIDENTS AND NON-RESIDENTS OF BERRYNARBOR

PRESENTATION OF CUPS: 3.45 p.m.
AUCTION OF EXHIBITS: 4.00 p.m.

[Times are approximate]

ENTRIES CLOSE: WEDNESDAY, 4TH SEPTEMBER 1996

SCHEDULES AND ENTRY FORMS AVAILABLE FROM

FRIDAY, 16TH AUGUST, FROM:

THE POST OFFICE, BERRYNARBOR
WILLIS & SONS, COMBE MARTIN
GLENBRIDGE, STERRIDGE VALLEY
DEVON COTTAGE, HAGGINTON HILL

26

NOTES FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL

Berrynarbor Community Enhancement Projects

The Parish Council would like to express its thanks to all those who responded to the consultation letter delivered to all households. 168 replies were received, which is a response of over 50%, far better than most questionnaires receive. Note has been taken of all the comments made, and various matters which are outside the control of the Parish Council have been referred to the County and District Councils or other bodies concerned.

Other comments will be considered by the Working Party dealing with the Enhancement Projects, and will be incorporated wherever possible.

Some respondents commented on the lack of facilities for young people, and the Parish Council is concerned also at the anti-social behaviour of another generation of youngsters, who congregate in the village during the evenings, with little to fill their time or challenge their energy. The Council is not in a position to make judgements on the reports and complaints received, but is willing to address the problem by listening to the youngsters concerned, and their parents, with a view to discussing any constructive ideas which will keep the youngsters safe and out of trouble.

The natural exuberance of youth is something we have all experienced, and needs to be viewed with a special sense of humour and a great deal of tolerance. On the other hand, the "exuberant youth" need to practise self restraint and behave in a manner which can be tolerated. The Council invites any youngsters, or parents, to contact any member of the Council, or the Clerk, with any suggestions for consideration. If you prefer to put your ideas in writing, they can be sent to the Clerk at Holly Lodge, Horne Park Road, Ilfracombe.

Sport and Recreation for 8-14 Year Olds

On the mornings of the 2nd, 9th and 23rd August, the North Devon District Council will be holding Sport and Recreation sessions for 8-14 year olds in the Manor Hall, from 10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. There is a charge of £1.50 per head, but a reduction of 50p for additional members of one family. Sessions will take place both inside and outside, depending on the weather, so please wear trainers and suitable sports clothing for running around.

Garden Refuse

If you have difficulty in disposing of your garden rubbish, there is a special skip for this at the Recycling Centre at Killacleave in Ilfracombe.

Fouling By Dogs

Certain areas of the village seem to be more affected by this than others. The Council would be grateful if dog owners would clear up after fouling by their dogs and would also remind owners of the Dog Exercise Area at the top of the Recreation Field in Pitt Hill.

Telephoning the Police

If you have difficulty contacting the Police through their 0990-700400 Helpline, or the 0990-777444 Police Switchboard, there is now a direct number for the Ilfracombe Police Station between 9.00 a.m. and I .00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. and 7.00 p.m. The number is 863634.

 

St. Peter's Church, Berrynarbor by Hetti, Year 1

27

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

28

OFF THE GROUND

Walter de la Mare

Illustration by: Debbie Cook

29

ACTION PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

This summer the Heritage Coast Service launches its public HERITAGE consultation document entitled 'Action Plan for the Future'. The North Devon Heritage Coast covers 32 kms of coastline in North Devon covering the parishes of Combe Martin, Berrynarbor, Ilfracombe, Mortehoe, Georgeham and parts of Braunton, and was defined for its fine stretches of undeveloped coastline.

The Service was set up in 1993 to manage the area and is a partnership between D.C.C., N.D.D.C. and the Countryside Commission. Its aim is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area, to protect and encourage wildlife, to promote public enjoyment and an understanding of the countryside, whilst having due regard for the local community.

The future of the Service is currently under review, and a Management Plan is being drawn up to help guide the work of the Service over the next five years. When produced, the plan will compliment the Hartland Heritage and Taw and Torridge Estuary Management Plans, currently being drawn up to cover the North Devon Coast.

To assist the Service in drawing up its Management Plan, it is vital that you have the opportunity to have your say. Although the Heritage Coast is a national definition, it is very much about local issues and local people.

To help the Service in its work, we would appreciate you sending us your comments and thoughts by 30th September 1996. To do this you can obtain a consultation leaflet from your local council offices, tourist information centres, local libraries and post offices. You can also obtain a leaflet by writing to the Heritage Coast Officer, Council Offices, Northfield Road, Ilfracombe. EX34 8AL, or by phoning Ilfracombe 867496.

We look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks.

David Edgcombe - Heritage Coast Offcer

30

PICTURE POSERS - 1
Terry Babbington

 

This picture is of a group of stone-masons outside the lych-gate of Combe Martin Church [you can see the masons' tools in some of their hands]. The picture is an unused and undated photographic postcard, with no information at all. Can anybody tell me the date, identify any of the masons or say what they were doing? It looks as though some work has been done around the base of the lych-gate, but it may have been just part of the restoration.

Any information about this photograph would be gratefully received.

Please contact Terry - 38 Park Road, Thundersley, Essex SS7 3PP [01268-758757] or Judie Weedon [883544].

31

AT-A-GLANCE DIARY

32

COUNTRY CRAFTS

The Hoop Maker and Travelling Window Mender

Before todays modem storage methods, the wooden hoops that bound the 'stack barrels' used for storing dry-stuffs were needed in their thousands.

Hazel, oak or ash, soaked in water, produced the best hoops. The soaked lengths were clamped into an unusual and ingenious device known as the "Hoopers Brake", the Hooper would then shave the wood with a draw knife before forming the finished hoops on a circular frame.

With the cold winter winds finding their way through every cracked or broken window pane, the Travelling Window Mender, carrying his heavy tools and materials on his back, would be a regular and welcome visitor to the larger villages and towns.

Necessity usually guaranteed work for this opportunistic but hardworking tradesman, but if business was slack, a halfpenny apiece to the local children - followed by a spate of stone throwing in the next village - usually ensured better pickings the next day!

33

34

 
Artwork by: Helen Armstead

35