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Hexworthy

Hexworthy photos

Displaying the first of 3 old photos of Hexworthy.   View all Hexworthy photos

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Hexworthy maps

Historic maps of Hexworthy and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Hexworthy maps

Hexworthy area books

Displaying 1 of 26 books about Hexworthy and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Hexworthy

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Devon memories

My Early Years

When I think of Devon, and in particularly Bellever I think of home.
I lived in Bellever from the age of 4 to 13, after moving with my family (dad Denis, mum Gracie, sisters Cyndy, Alison and Elaine, and brothers Bill and Steve). The thing I enjoyed most was swimming in the river, and going for walks on the moors and through the woods. In the summer my family used to spend every Sunday by the river. It's where my dad taught me to swim, I can remember saying to him "look I'm swimming" but secretly having my hands on the bottom. Our extended families used to come for visits. and we would pack a picnic and go whortleberry picking, up on Bellever Tor, and my mum and aunts would make pies and jam with the fruit. I can also remember going into bluebell wood with my sisters and brothers to pick bluebells and primroses for our mum.
We all enjoyed the snow, I think the main reason... Read more

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... Read more

Heather And Gorse Clog Morris Entertain at Widecombe-In-The-Moor

The Old Inn 1922
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It was a fine summer evening in June and the dancers and musicians of the Heather and Gorse Clog Morris team met at The Old Inn at Widecombe to put on an entertainment of morris dancing and music.

Although the village appeared quiet this was deceptive as no sooner had we all struck up some lively tunes in front of the Inn than a very large party of school children appeared! They were visiting from their junior school in Shaftesbury and gathered round along with their teachers to watch the dancing. The clog dancers looked splendid in their blue and white dresses and shiny black clogs and put on a good display of garland and stick dances. The Heather and Gorse band provided a medley of toe tapping jigs and polkas and I joined in the music making with my small piano accordian.

The school children applauded and asked to join in so we showed them the moves for a dance to include them all and... Read more

Duchy Hotel

Town Centre 1931
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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!

Bowdens Cafe

The Square c1955
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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

The Duchy & Princetown

Town Centre 1931
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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.

Princetown

I remember living in Princetown in Woodville Close, my dad worked at the prison, Paddy O'Neill. I started school in Princetown and don't have many good memories of the school, in fact on my first day I walked out and went home at morning playtime and was dragged back through the village by my mum. I really did not like Princetown Primary School, I recall having to ask the teacher if you needed toilet paper and you were issued one square of Izal paper. I remember the bilzzards and snow from 1963 and going down to the shop with our sledge to fetch the shopping for mum, also a lady being helicoptered out of the village in labour as the roads were all blocked with snow for weeks. The worst memory was of the teachers at school putting our morning milk on the radiators and then making us drink it all, God, was I sick, and I have never drunk milk since! I recall vividly all the freedom and all... Read more

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