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Goodrington
Goodrington photos
Displaying the first of 25 old photos of Goodrington. View all Goodrington photos
Goodrington maps
Historic maps of Goodrington and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Goodrington maps
Goodrington area books
Displaying 1 of 26 books about Goodrington and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Goodrington
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Goodrington.
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First Holiday
My first holiday was when I was 9 years old (in 1958) and my parents and I came to Goodrington. We stayed at Beech Hurst which if I remember correctly was in Youngs Park Road. It was lovely. I made friends with a girl who lived next door, whom I still have contact with today! Obviously my parents loved it too as the following February we moved to Paignton. I lived in Elmsleigh Park and mum and dad opened a family guesthouse. I attended Curledge Street Primary, and had the benefits (?) of being taught by a Miss Vincent, whom we all loved, a Mr Chamberlain, we all didn't, and a Mr Powell, who if I remember rightly was ex RAF. Mr Reeves was the head and Mrs Price his secretary. Mrs Toop was in charge of the playground. I made several friends there, some of whom I keep in touch with, others I have lost contact with. After Curledge Street, having failed the 11+, I went to the Marist Convent in Fisher... Read more
Goodrington
This is the best place in Devon to be. I still get excited when I hear and see the steam train. My sisters and I came to Goodrington when we were very young and I still come every year. We love this place so much we have a beach hut here and am hoping to move here in the near future. The park use to be packed with flowers and lights in the trees with all colours red, green, orange, yellow and blue. The same used to happen to the cliff walk. It's a bit disappointing to see the only colour now (2008) are green. The plants and flowers on the cliff walk were beautiful and well looked after. Due to health and safety gone mad I would imagine the reason why the cliff plants aren't maintained and looked after better is due to that. I still can't help but be delighted with Goodrington and have so many photos of it from when I was a child and now. Anyone... Read more
Devon memories
Marriage Between Ivy Alice Gillard to Robert Alexander Bent
This date Oct 6th, in 1945, while serving in the RCAF, I was married to Ivy Gillard in this olden church. It was a bright sunny day. Ivy came to Canada with our daughter Barbara in October of 1946. She loved Canada very much, and even though she returned to her homeland on a few occasions, she was truly a Canadian. Ivy was taken from us in 1979 at age 56. She was born with a defective heart. It will always ben the second most important date in my life. My birth was of course the first. I loved Paignton while there. God Bless you all.
Cream Tea Festival in Paignton
Saturday, April 19th was "Morris Day" on Paignton Green and a celebration of all things Morris. More than 150 Morris dancers from all over the country demonstrated this traditional and colourful form of folk dancing in a marquee on the Esplanade.
Among the many dancers were Heather and Gorse Clog Dancers from Combeinteignhead who performed half a dozen morris dances in the "North West" clog tradition for 20 minutes or so - accompanied by their band of melodeons, accordians and drums. Although it was very poor weather, a great many people crowded into the marquee to watch and listen to the performances - and also to enjoy the craft fair and beer tent!
Sadly it was just too wet and windy to venture outside to enjoy a walk on the sea front or along the pier. However, the lovely music and dancing made it a memorable day out.
Loyal Order of Moose
I would very much like to catch up with any members of the L O o M from the Paignton branch of that time, also any members of the Federation of Master Builders Torbay branch of which I was president in the mid 70s, in particular Joe Beaglehole, Ron Upham & Stan Archer and the many others that I knew.
Tony
Paignton Was my Crucible 1947
My mother gave life to me in Paignton hospital (now a hospice I believe) in July of this year (1947) and I spent much of my early years in and around this lovely little town. Not so lovely or little now but still grand to me. My memories of Paignton are too many and various to account for them all but one or two will do for now. We lived at various times in Conway Road, in Headland Park Road, Preston, in a house called Poldhu, and up at Marldon in a lovely detatched house called Hilcot. My sister and I were pupils at the Sacred Heart convent school in Cecil Road and as we often attended the church there, in later life I became for a while an altar boy, a duty for which I dont think I was well suited. My enduring memory of that school, apart that is from the 'orrible school meals, is writing an essay called "Lost in the Snow", which my teacher liked so much... Read more
Past Schoolmaster
My Gt grandfather, William James Hawken was a certified schoolmaster at Galmpton between 1875-1880. His youngest child, Frances Marian, was born there on 10th October 1875. She went on to marry William Henry Birch, who was a son of the iconic Betsy Birch who founded the London omnibus transport system, after the early demise of her husband William in 1846.
