Dartmeet, Devon

Seventh of the seventh

All the sevens - the seventh of the seventh of the seventh. 7th July 2007 was the lucky sevens date chosen by Amanda and David for their wedding. Family and friends were invited to The Two Bridges Hotel on Dartmoor for the ceremony, reception and evening dance.

It was a beautifully sunny day at long last as we have been having rain nearly every day for a fortnight! This view taken in 1955 is little different from the hotel in 2007. There are no longer deck chairs at the front, the cars are more modern and there are geese roaming free in the grounds to the delight of David and Amanda's daughter Anna.  We had a happy and successful day, a beautifully decorated wedding venue, lovely Pimms on the front lawn and photos taken by the river edge and on the old bridge nearby.

In the evening a band played and the happy couple and their guests danced. One year old Anna was tired out and went to sleep in a cot - sharing a bedroom with Grandma and Grandad (me!). A wonderful day and lovely memories for ever!

The Duchy & Princetown

The Duchy Hotel brings back many fond childhood memories, at that time it was run by a gentleman called Joe, Uncle Joe to me and my sis. Yes, the staff were all convicts. I remember being pushed around on a large floor broom by one of the convicts working there, my dad was a prison officer at Dartmoor Prison at the time, Samual Bibby. I remember having a huge birthday party at the mess and Sunday dinners!, I remember the leet and how much fun we had swimming in it, the church, the old vicarage, and the wonderfull walks my mum would take us on across the moors with the dog, (we were the family with the Pyrenean Mountain dog!!). In those hot hot summer days, golden childhood memories I will cherish forever, I plan on returning for a visit in 2009, a long awaited return as I have not been back since leaving many years ago, an amazing place to have been part of.

Bowdens Cafe

The second building down on the right was Bowdens Cafe (now Fox Tor Cafe).....My Grandparents, George and Clare Moss had the cafe from 1946 and my parents took over in 1958 Eric and Clare Cragg....My Grandparents then moved to Duchy House and started a B&B. I remember a great childhood growing up in Princetown, playing by the leet and riding the ponies. I now live in Australia and have been here since 1963. Thank you for the lovely memories and photos of Princetown

Duchy Hotel

This is a photo of The Duchy Hotel. This later became Dartmoor Prisons' "Prison Officers Mess". It has now become The Dartmoor National Park Visitor Centre. My dad was an officer or "screw" at Dartmoor Prison for many years and we used to have our Sunday lunch here. The kitchen and waiting staff were all convicts!