The Francis Frith Collection.
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Beesands, Devon

Beesands photos

Displaying 1 of 1 old photos of Beesands.   View all Beesands photos

Beesands, 1924 photo

Beesands, 1924

Beesands photos
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Beesands maps

Historic maps of Beesands and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Beesands maps

Beesands map

Historic map of Beesands

Devon map

Illustrated Victorian map of Devon

Beesands map

Historic Map of any Beesands postcode

Beesands maps
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Beesands books

Displaying 1 of 2 books about Beesands and the local area.   View all Beesands books

On Sale! 70 off

North Devon Living Memories
Paperback
rrp £10.99  £3.30

On Sale! 70 off

Tiverton - A History and Celebration
Hardback
rrp £14.99  £4.50

Beesands books
View all 2 Beesands and Devon books

Memories of Beesands

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Devon memories

Childhood and Marriage

I went to Sunday School here from 1949, and I sang in the church choir from 1950 until 1960 alongside my Nan.I was also allowed to learn to play the organ, the church has (had?) a wonderful organ, 2 keyboards and foot operated keyboard pedals, plus more stops than I could ever get used to. An uncle also sang in the choir, and he and my aunty ran the Church House Inn.
Uncle often used to sing 'Bless This House' in the pub and I used to play the piano for him.
I came home and got married in the church in January 1963, with full choir and bells. It was SO COLD, that was a really bad winter. The reception was at The Torcross Hotel and there was even ice at the edge of the sea.

Shared on 03 March 2009 by Amanda Newson-Webb.

Early teenage fun at The Salcombe Hotel

The Salcombe Hotel was at one time owned by the formidable Mrs. Ryder. She could be seen in her latter years being escorted to and from The Ferry Inn by Mike Philpotts, a long-term hotel employee. Mrs Ryder had a bulldog, wore a silver bulldog brooch and it is remarkable how some people are said to resemble their pets.......
The Hotel used to hold an afternoon party in the ballroom on Christmas Day and my friend Michael H and I went one year as two girls from St.Trinians. We borrowed gymslips, hats and hockey sticks from the Mulligan girls and made plaits from coarse tractor twine.
As we paraded around a daring gentleman pinched my bottom - a dubious thrill!

Shared on 20 January 2009 by William Lapthorn.

Customs Quay Salcombe

This view shows Customs Quay and out of sight on the right is the Customs House. Mrs Florrie Gasson and her husband lived in the building and she would make a great show to the visitors of feeding the swans. A flock of 20 or so would swim in the water looking for her and she called each one by a different name.
I can remember sitting here with my friend Michael H when film-makers arrived to shoot a washing powder commercial. I never saw the finished ad but a friend told me that the happy family descended the steps to the fore of the photo to soft golden sand! Such artistic licence! More like shingle and mud ... AND the film crew  used large silver discs to reflect the sun on to the towels making them appear snowy white. I have never trusted commercial advertising since.

Shared on 31 July 2007 by William Lapthorn.

Courtenay Park Salcombe

This view of Courtenay Park is quite poignant for me.  It shows houses at the lower end of Devon Road and also the land on which Egremont Terrace was later built.

My parents lived in no. 10 Egremont Terrace from the late 1930s until they moved to St Dunstan's Road in 1970. We had a splendid view over the estuary from the balcony of no. 10 and sitting out there in the summer was like having and extra room. Courtenay Park could be reached by a long flight of some 50 wide steps from Devon Road. I tripped over a cat rushing down them one day and still bear the scar on my right knee.

The Park was a delightful place in which to play and I have wonderful memories of rolling in the freshly-cut grass with the Tucker family who were great friends and climbing the trees playing games and travelling the world in our young and impressionable imaginations. We used a pebble to bang on the old bomb-shell at the bottom of the Park. Every summer we would have a great time catching cabbage white butterflies in jam jars and sometimes my cousin David would lean over Daisy Brooking's garden wall to nick some very sour gooseberries with an old tennis racquet for us all to share. Great times!

Shared on 27 May 2007 by William Lapthorn.

Extracts From Beesands & Devon books

Displaying a selection of extracts from Frith books about Beesands, inspired by Frith photos.

Paignton Photographic Memories

This photograph shows pavement artists’ squares ready for Children’s Week competitions, and new Promenade lighting. The pier is somewhat changed, and now houses pin-tables, ghost rides and go-karts.

This is an extract from Paignton Photographic Memories.
Read more and see photos from this book.

Paignton Photographic Memories

The last of the old apple orchards can be to the right of the photograph.

This is an extract from Paignton Photographic Memories.
Read more and see photos from this book.

Paignton Photographic Memories

A welcome to Paignton was still apparent when in 1955 a replica of one of the town’s many 19th-century windmills was used as the rock garden centrepiece. To the left of the garden is the ageing tent-cum-Summer Pavilion, where John Berryman’s ‘Evening Stars’ started to twinkle.

This is an extract from Paignton Photographic Memories.
Read more and see photos from this book.