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Goodleigh
Goodleigh maps
Historic maps of Goodleigh and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Goodleigh maps
Goodleigh area books
Displaying 1 of 26 books about Goodleigh and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Goodleigh
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Devon memories
Landkey Childhood Memories
I was born at home at 2 Church Lake and had 2 older sisters, Jo and Barabara. Even as a baby they would take me off on long walks across the church yard and over to Bucky's Meadow towards Venn. Crossing the stream in flood, and crawling around the sides of the flooded quarries with them has left me with a discomfort of deep water. When I walk there now, I'm glad it hasn't changed too much, the grave yard where my cousin Phil Smale and I used to play is much the same except now some of our family are there. We used to stand beneath the tower on summer days and look straight up and it appeared the tower was falling due to the movement of the clouds. Our Granddad, Bert Smallridge who lived at Basis 2, on the main road used to walk us for miles, he could always find an owl pellet or a sleeping winter doormouse, and knew all the plants. Basis 1 was owned... Read more
Railway Info.
This view shows the junction line which linked the GWR Victoria station with the Junction station - running from left to right and opened in 1887. It must have been almost new when the photo was taken and the earthworks are still bare.
Railway Info.
The building on the left is a carriage shed, used for holding spare passenger vehicles under cover. It is from the North Devon Railway in the 1850s and still appears to have broad gauge track (7ft gauge - not removed until 1877) laid into it. Access was by means of a small turntable just off the picture to the left. The Ilfracombe Railway is being built - the low embankment can just be seen with what appears to be temporary track on it - and the girders of the river bridge are in place but work is continuing on the line - see the works yard at this end of the bridge. There are no signals in place, so the line is not open, and the Quay station has been built but looks unfinished. This means that the photo was probably taken in about May 1874 - 13 of the viaduct girders were undelivered in February and the first engine did not cross the river... Read more
Railway Info.
Date of this photograph is c1874/75 as the railway viaduct is complete.
Railway Info.
The furniture van to the left will have been carried to Barnstaple by rail. There were special low 'road vehicle trucks' onto which these vans could be loaded and moved long distances around the country. and it is standing next to the end loading docks at this end of the station.
The parked car is outside my great uncle's cobbler and shoe shop. When I was eight, I spent time 'working' in the shop for a few pennies The church opposite was where the local Brownies met weekly of which I was one.
School Swimming Lessons
I remember well going to the swimming baths once a week during the summer for swimming lessons. We used to walk from Pilton School to Rock Park, or those of us with bikes were allowed to cycle and wait at the park for the others. I cannot imagine that being allowed today. By the time we gained access to the pool it was about 9.30 a.m. and it would be like a mill pond, but being so early it had not had time for the sun to work its magic, so it was also very cold. Many a weekend was also spent here when it would be packed with people who were unable to get to nearby beaches.
