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Downderry
Downderry maps
Historic maps of Downderry and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Downderry maps
Downderry area books
Displaying 1 of 16 books about Downderry and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Downderry
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Downderry.
There are 9 shared memories to read.
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Fishing With Billy
Billy was a hero to we boys. In the daytime you could go crabbing with him; at night, out drifting. He drove an old open jeep and at times you would see five, six or even seven boys clinging to parts of this ex-US vehicle as it bounced its way up the slipway, or tore through the Cornish lanes on the way to Looe, where he kept his bigger boat, the "Ella".
A shake, or an alarm clock at 5.00am. Pull on my boots and a thick woollen jumper. It would be pitch dark, nothing stirred in the village. As I made my way the five hundred yards to the centre of the village, my heart would be in my mouth; every shadow a threat, every noise a danger. Then, through the night, the clumping of heavy sea boots: "That you D'Arcy?", the comforting sound of Billy.
As we launched the boat, using his jeep and a clever device that lifted and lowered his open boat into the... Read more
Good Times
I used to live in the little cottage you can see there, It was a very beautiful place.
Downderry Coastguard
I first visited Downderry fifty years ago on my honeymoon. My husband's (Bill Polwin Baxter) father William Henry Polwin had been coastguard there towards the end of the 19th century - my mother-in-law was born at the coastguard house in St Mawes. It was a beautiful day and we swam in the sea at the bottom of the garden. I am a Shetlander used to colder waters and found it very surprising that the sand beneath the water was almost too hot to stand on.
I have two photographs I will look out of the 19th century Polwins at the house. I will look them out for here when I have more time.
Rosemary Baxter
Wide Sea Hotel, Downderry
I last stayed at the Wide Sea Hotel in 1966. Margaret Eliott the owner was to marry my father, Hilton Devitte in 1967. I wondered if the hotel still existed today, and what had happened to Margaret Devitte nee Eliott. We also had wonderful holidays at Whitsand Bay Hotel in the 1950s as a family and I was glad to see that it is still there, and hope to re-visit it one year. I live in Vancouver, Canada now. I hope someone can reply to this letter?
Holiday And Family Tree Research
I stayed at the Wide Sea Hotel in the mid to late 1950s when I was about 8. My grandparents were also staying at the hotel and probably they had stayed several times before. My grandfather came from Cornwall which is probably why he went holidaying there from Chingford in Essex/London.
Threeways
I was born in a house called Threeways in the centre of the village. I think it used to be an Offficer's mess during the war and then became a Country Club long after we moved out. The building no longer exists and has been replaced by a small cul-de-sac (also called Threeways). The local shop was run by the Toms family and the Chemist's by Mr Wenmouth. Butcher Ward had a shop opposite the Working Men's Club (now the village community centre) and next door to him was a Hairdressers called "Lucille". Prowse's ran the Dairy and Charlie Edwards the taxi service. We have visited Downderry over the years and it is nice to see that though there has been some development, a lot of places remain the same.
Holidays in Downderry
Uncle Tim owned the left side of Tremmor Cottage, next to St Nicolas Church, as a holiday home. He would let it out privately to friends and family. Subsequently he changed his holiday venue to the house next door - Firside Cottage. Unfortunately he took up permanent residence there a few years ago.
Thus my last family holiday in Downderry was six years ago. However, some of us did visit Downderry for a day this summer while staying in Dartmouth. It was great to be back after six years.
Downderry will always be a great figure-head of my nostalgic childhood memories as we used to go there for family holidays almost every summer.
HOLIDAY MEMORIES
I have many happy, if rather boozy, memories of Downderry! I first went there in 1983 until my final visit in 1996, where I had 12 fantastic holidays there, most of the time in glorious sunshine. I went with my parents each year (apart from one) and I was amazed by the beauty of the place. That stunning sea view as you take that sharp hairpin bend on the road from Torpoint is just purely magical, and is something I never grew tired of. The most, most stunning view I have ever seen.
We stayed at Eddystone Cottage, the home of Jim and Elsie Mercer where they ran a wonderfully friendly guest house. The views from the patio and from the sun lounge of the sea were awe inspiringly beautiful. At night, the flickering light of Eddystone Lighthouse could be seen. On a clear day the lighthouse was visible even though it was some 8 miles off shore. Our last visit in 1996 brought us bad news - Jim... Read more
