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Bishops Tawton
Bishops Tawton photos
Displaying the first of 8 old photos of Bishops Tawton. View all Bishops Tawton photos
Bishops Tawton maps
Historic maps of Bishops Tawton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Bishops Tawton maps
Bishops Tawton area books
Displaying 1 of 26 books about Bishops Tawton and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Bishops Tawton
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Bishops Tawton.
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or of a photo of Bishops Tawton.
Happy Days at Mill Bridge
Hi to anyone looking at this photo, I lived just up the road at Valley Cottages and used to play by the bridge, we all sat on the bridge wall and had our photograph taken. I am on the right with wellington boots on, and my sister Jean is on the far left. The girl beside her is Ursula Edwards and the boy beside me is Colin Hutchings. I remember a Mr Handcock living in the cottage on the right and a Miss or Mrs Day living in the cottage on the left.
I have a picture postcard of this photo which was posted to my auntie in Preston in Lancashire, which years later she gave back to my mum who then gave it to me. The postcard has a 3d stamp on it which is franked by the Post Office with date of 18th Sept 1958.
Devon memories
In The Hills of North Devon
Shovelled off to Boarding School, aged 7 (just), small boy, shorts, huge trunk, sandwiches and standing on the platform in London shivering and not just from the cold. School train huffing and puffing heading for Barnstaple feeling frankly miserable. All is new, all is not good and others sharing the same fate. Eventually arrived at St Michaels through huge gates, facing huge buildings and hordes of boys, cars unloading, parents fussing, boys blubbing and others tearing about. Write postcard home saying 'have arrived safely', using pen and make sure the blotches noted as tears in feeble attempt to get parents to change their minds and escape home........ That was the start, it got better. Posted to Cingalese and right at the back the great hall at back of long line of desks. 1st night in Orange Dorm a bit strange, woke up wondering where I was. Matron, a star. Most of the masters as well once you got to know them. Couple of scary ones like 'Toad' &... Read more
Schoolboy Memories
I was a boarder at St Michael's from late 1947 to 1953. The church was bordered by the Golden Valley on one side and woodlands on the other. I remember sketching Tawstock Church and getting a commendation for my efforts. We used to be taken to the church about once a month and added our treble voices to the congregation's praise. If one had to be away from home, the school did offer a different life; but only liveable to the full once one got over the sense of complete abandonment. I would love to hear from any of the local staff - such as Miss Waters or Miss Jenkins, or, Bridget Fitzpatrick who surely invested her whole life in those of others.
Seven Years of my Childhood.
I was at St Michael's from 1943 to 1950. The school had just moved from Uxbridge because of the war. Old gilded pictures, suits of armour stored. We weren't suppose to go there. Great friends with Barry and Copp. We were known as the three musketeers. Hill, Ireland. Would love to have any contact. We played in the woods, on the terraces. Cecil Cook was our headmaster but died. It was quite a good life especially as my parents were overseas some of the time. In the Earth Google it looks little different. Playing fields where the kitchen garden was, a new swimming pool and a large new building next to it.
Tawstock Court Now!
Hello there,
We are planning to hold a Reunion Dinner on 20 September 2009 for all St Michael's Old Boys circa 1940 - 1965. If you would like to come, please phone us on 01271 343242. Regards, Nick Edwards, Bursar
Landkey Childhood Memories
I was born at home at 2 Church Lake and had 2 older sisters, Jo and Barabara. Even as a baby they would take me off on long walks across the church yard and over to Bucky's Meadow towards Venn. Crossing the stream in flood, and crawling around the sides of the flooded quarries with them has left me with a discomfort of deep water. When I walk there now, I'm glad it hasn't changed too much, the grave yard where my cousin Phil Smale and I used to play is much the same except now some of our family are there. We used to stand beneath the tower on summer days and look straight up and it appeared the tower was falling due to the movement of the clouds. Our Granddad, Bert Smallridge who lived at Basis 2, on the main road used to walk us for miles, he could always find an owl pellet or a sleeping winter doormouse, and knew all the plants. Basis 1 was owned... Read more
Railway Info.
This view shows the junction line which linked the GWR Victoria station with the Junction station - running from left to right and opened in 1887. It must have been almost new when the photo was taken and the earthworks are still bare.
