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... [more]

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.
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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... [more]

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... [more]

The Norfolk family move to Tiverton

Tiverton is an attractive market town in mid-Devon but I have to confess I had never heard of it until the first of the family moved here in 2005! Elizabeth and I were spending a weekend in Exeter with our son David and his partner Amanda and thought it would be nice to call in to have tea with cousin... [more]

When I was a boy

My name is Peter Labdon and I lived with my father Wilf, my mother Ruby and my brother David in Halberton from 1933 to 1943, between the ages of two and twelve. We lived first in Norway House, at the top of the road to Lower Town, and then around the corner in Rockville, fronting the High Street in the... [more]

Morris Dancing After the Fair at Bampton

I went along on Saturday 1st November and watched Devon based Grimspound Border Morris perform outside "The Swan" along with three other teams of dancers including Sweet Coppin clog dancers from Taunton to mark the close of the 2008 Charter Fair.

Sadly the landlord, Robin, died just this year. It was his wish that the traditional music and dancing... [more]

"After the Fair" at the White Horse Hotel, Bampton

This view is exactly the same as the hotel now looks in 2008 - although sadly the landlord, Robin, died just this year. It was his wish that the traditional music and dancing that follows the Bampton Fair should continue outside his pub after his passing.

I went along on Saturday 1st November and watched Devon based Grimspound Border... [more]