Chettiscombe, Devon

Devon - born and bred!!

What a great web site! I was born at Tiverton Hospital in 1948. My mother, father and brother lived in Market Street.
On a visit from Australia in 1995, my father and I visited Tiverton - to return to the place of my birth. We only had a couple of hours to spare but after seeing these photos would have loved to have spent more time exploring. Of course I knew of Blundells School from reading Lorna Doone as a child. I think we moved from Tiverton in 1950 and although I had visited grandparents at Paignton, we had never returned to Tiverton. Time is marching on and my Australian husband has no interest in visiting England!! Maybe I might be lucky.

An outing for a picnic by the Grand Western Canal with my granddaughter

Our granddaughter Anna Norfolk stays with us each Tuesday and Friday starting with breakfast and we try to keep her entertained with things to do around our home town of Tiverton. One recent February day felt like the first day of Spring so we planned an outing while making her favourite breakfast of fishfingers and tomatoes and toast.

We planned a sunny walk with her pushchair near the river view shown in this picture but first she wanted to play football in our lounge! Then we prepared Grandma and Grandad’s picnic. We got the “55 bus” from Tesco Express to West Exe then took Anna for a run around Heathcoats Factory shop with Grandma to choose material to make a pushchair blanket.  From there we walked to Country Babies shop to ask about nappies! Its all go with a 22 month old toddler!

We gazed down at the ducks from West Exe bridge - its a really beautiful view southwards down the River Exe. From there it was a pushchair ride past the dolls house shop (slowly !) to Tiverton Library. We returned all her books and then had some story time in the library's children's section. From there its a short walk to buy a sausage roll and juice for her picnic at nearby Marks and Sparks.  After getting these final ingredients for our picnic we walked over the road to the bus station and looked round the Tourist Information Centre while waiting for our “352 bus” to Tidcombe.  Anna had some giggles with other passengers!  The Tidcombe bus driver let us get off right by the entrance to the Grand Western Canal so it was easy to start our walk and picnic by the canal. We chose a bench in the sun right by the water's edge and enjoyed watching the ducks and swans and moorhens. Its not far from the view above. Anna laughed at the ducks and swans as they take off and land making huge splashes.

We had a pushchair ride back to the Blundells Road roundabout where she dozed off in the pushchair - so Grandma pushed her home and transferred her to the cot for an afternoon nap while Grandad shopped in Tesco and carried it all home! Anna slept much of the afternoon in her cot while Grandma & Grandad flaked out truly knackered in comfortable armchairs having had a lovely outing in Tiverton. A memorable day!

Heathcoat Community Centre

The Westexe Park sadly no longer has the beautiful flowerbeds featured in this 1955 view. I walked through this park today leading a party from the Tiverton Walk and Talk Group from the Heathcoat Community Centre. Even the grass has been neglected and has lots of mud and duck poo!

Our walk took us up Longdrag Hill and Patches Road on a circular route of around three miles. I found it pretty tough as I was pushing my granddaughter Annalise Norfolk in her pushchair! I was glad to get back to the level ground of the park where I could let her out of her pushchair - she loves to stand on the grass and be surrounded by inquisitive ducks!

Finally we went in to the Community Centre where I collapsed in a heap and enjoyed a deserved coffee!

Flying our kite at Knightshayes Court

Yesterday our family went for a walk around the parkland surrounding Knightshayes - a grand Victorian estate owned by the National Trust between Tiverton and Bolham and only a mile from our home in Hawks Drive. Although it was a damp January day, the views from the top of the main drive over the countryside were lovely. The house itself looks just like this picture apparently taken in 1896 ! The trees are bigger of course ! At the top of the grassy slopes we felt a stiff breeze so we tried flying our kite and our granddaughter Anna who is not yet two held on to the string and was fascinated by it!