Culmstock memories
Here are memories of Culmstock and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Culmstock or a Culmstock photo.
Climbing The Hill
I have memories of climbing the beacon and sitting on top around the hole. Looking at it now, that was a feat in itself.
My Family
My father's grandfather Mark Gadd Lowman was the landlord of the Railway Hotel now Culm Valley pub in 1917 which stood to the right of these crossroads. Mr Evans the station master used to let my dad, Frank Wheller, open the gates for him.
There is a picture in the pub of Mark and Florrie with a horse and cart standing in front of the hotel - you can see the name Mark Lowman over the front entrance.
Mark Lowman was married to Elizabeth Vickery Parker (my great grandmother) and later to Florence Brown. After my great grandfather, Mark, died Florrie had the cottage next to the hotel. My father has wonderful memories of the times he as a lad used to play around this area. My father Frank is now 89 and still alive (May 2010) with a very active mind full of memories and tales to tell.
Suzie Wheller
My House!
OMG!!! Wow, I was amazed when I saw this picture! The house I grew up in is the one on the right of the two stuck together, behind the cottage at the front of the picture! My bedroom was the top right hand window, I even remember my brother climbing out of it on to the wall to go meet his mates! I broke my finger in that graveyard, ouch! I loved living there, the local Illminster pub is on the right, shame you can't see it!
I Remember
Wow, I remember that pub. When I moved there the track had been covered in tarmac, what a shame! But me and my sister went down into the forest on the left and found the rest of the track! It was brill! Shame the pub has become fancy, they even closed the bowling alley, what madness!
The Railway Inn
This is a photograph of the railway crossing gate, the line has been long closed (blame Dr Beeching!) The white building on the right is the Culm Valley Inn, prev The Railway Inn. My father Sydney Dennis was licensee, my brother was born here, my bedroom window can be just seen on the 1st floor........What fun days they were for me as a 12 year old! We later moved to Cullompton. The Kings Head.
Memories of Devon
War Time in Holcombe Rogus
Hi everyone. I lived in Holcombe Rogus during the war years. My Father Leeming Greaves and Kathleen Korner had leased the Prince Of Wales Hotel. My brother Joseph and I attended the local School, I was 9 years old at that time. My Teachers name was Mrs Berry. Mrs Berry had a son Roger who spent a lot of time with my brother. It was a very busy time in Holcombe Rogus as the American servicemen had arrived, and were stationed there, I think there were about 200 at the time. The Americans were very good to us as children, and were always giving the children their chocalate supplies. The Prince of Wales Hotel was very busy, with Jeeps turning up day and night. Now living in Australia, I returned to Holcombe Rogus in 1990 and found the Hotel was still trading, even the Bowling alley at the back of the hotel was still operating, with the same old Bowling balls that... Read more
Rock
Underdown was a magical place, a narrow island of rock left by quarrying at some time in the past. This photo is taken from the western end. At the eastern end there was a copse and the top of the island merged back into the side of a hill. The south side was a vertical cliff with trees growing along the top edge and out of the face. The trees started a little to the left of the photographer in this picture. The end in the photograph could be scrambled down or slid down through a natural helter skelter formation in the rock. The north side (to the right) was steep but with a path running diagonally down the face, and largely climable by us children. A lot of my childhood was spent here, climbing, making dens, etc. We called it "Rock".
The first time I went there, with my dad and before Myxomatosis, I can remember looking up across the field and seeing a line of rabbits looking back... Read more
The Rock.
I was a resident of St Boniface Home, Sampford Peverell, from 1943 to 1946. Our Scout and Cubscout group used 'the Rock' (although we had a different name for it) for many of our scouting activities. The large mound to the west was ideal for semaphore practice and due to a large population of rabbits was referred to as 'Connie Warren'. Many proficiency badge tests were passed using the Rock as a base camp. Perhaps someone can recall its alternative name.
Kart Club
Hi there all you Karters. Just sitting here in Queensland, Australia and thought I'd pass on a bit of history regarding The Dunkeswell Kart Club. The club started as an 'offshoot' of The Torbay Motor Club of which I was a member, as were Allan and Gordon, Jim, Tony and Paul. One evening over a beer at the 'local' the conversation got around to Kart Racing, and an approach was made to the T M C to see if we could come to an aggreement to run some sort of activity involving Karts? 'Not interested' was the reply, so it was decided to go it alone. Over the next few weeks we raced at 'Denbury', looked at a possible circuit in the Ivvbridge area, and then owing to some sterling work on behalf of our small 'committee' by a couple of drivers came up with Dunkeswll. We raced there for a number of years very successfully. We of the Dunkeswell Kart Club also attended the T M C Odicombe Hill... Read 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 centre of the village. I went to the village school in Mr. Hesketh's time and my friends were George Chidgey, David Diggle and Fred Osmond . I am writing such memories as I have at greater length than is possible here, so if anyone of my generation is around and able to contact me I'd be grateful. Phone is 01502 712366 and e-mail peterlabdon@supanet.com I'll add some more later. Thanks for the memories.
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