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Georgeham
Georgeham maps
Historic maps of Georgeham and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Georgeham maps
Georgeham area books
Displaying 1 of 26 books about Georgeham and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Georgeham
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Georgeham.
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School in Georgeham
I was evacuated to Croyde and would walk to school in Georgeham every day. I stayed at a house called Watersmeet with a family named Rogers, daughter Pat. I remember at school we would listen to the radio. I particularly remember Bunyon's 'Pilgrim's Progress' being read on the BBC. The introductory music was 'The Trumpet Voluntary' by Purcell. I do not remember the name of the school.
Devon memories
'Holiday House'.
I was born and lived the early years of my life in South Molton. My father had his own building firm there. In 1958 we moved to Croyde Bay my father having bought this large house on the cliffs above the bay for £1800. This photo shows it before it became a motel. He put a new roof on the property in tiles rather than the slates which were normally used at that time. He then converted the top floor into our new home and then still had the two floors below spare. He had seen films about the American motels and set about converting these floors into one bedroom units with combined living area to let to holidaymakers. He invented a system where a double bed base and mattress would fold up into a wall cupboard so creating more space for daytime living. The single beds were the forerunner to bed settees. The families who rented them were mainly from the Midlands and some from London. They absolutely loved... Read more
Saunton Sands Hotel in WW2
The hotel was used by the Duke of York's Military School which had been evacuated from Dover - on the cliff tops. Wooden huts were erected along the cliff in front and alongside the hotel to be used as classrooms - each with coke-operated stoves leading to outside chimneys.
All doors were taken off the hotel rooms [to create space?]. Bunk beds were installed. The sands had been used for Commando training and, since we were allowed down, we were able to acquire large stocks of discarded or lost ammunition from cartridges to grenades and 'gelly'!! A small amount of gelegnite and a hot coke-stove chimney makes a satisfactory bang!! Since we were mostly Army 'brats' whose fathers were serving or had been killed we were 'aux-fait' with the use of such as we found. Grenades were a little too noisy, causing school staff to react so were rarely used! Little booby traps -found on the beach. These could have a rifle round fitted and be delicately placed.
The House I Lived in
I lived in the white bungalow on the right of the picture with my parents from 1953 until 1959. My father was Secretary of the Saunton Golf Club and the house was owned by the Christie Estates at that time. I have many happy memories of holidays at Saunton during that time.
This Farm I Worked on as A Student
I worked on this farm as a young lad before going to Agricultural College. I lodged with a family in the cottage in the picture.
MY CHILDHOOD IN BRAUNTON
I've put this date for want of something better. I was born in Ilfracombe in 1955 and lived with my parents, Charles and Marjorie Thomas, until I left to come and live in Spain in 1973.
Our home was a house called Cherry Cottage, Coril Head, Braunton. To get to it you had to walk up SIlver Street.
I remember the Summerfields, who lived in the house you can see on the left hand side of the photo. Anne Summerfield who is a year older than I. They used to live in the cottage on the other side of the street. I don't remember the name of the house.
My father used to raise ducks on some land to the left of the bridge over the river running through the churchyard of St Brannock's church.
Cherry Cottage was sold in 1982 when my mother left England to come to Spain also.
I haven't been back to visit since 2003 but I don't remember many changes in the street. ... Read more
Lovely Braunton
My parents, my aunt and myself moved to Braunton in 1971. We lived next door to the Clarkes who were very kind to us. Although we had moved from a large town house, this house seemed large too - it had a wonderful view right across the Taw/Torridge estuary and west across Braunton Burrows. I may have missed my friends at first, but I very soon came to love the North Devon countryside and the beaches close to us. We were very lucky to be able to move to such a lovely place.
