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Instow
Instow maps
Historic maps of Instow and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Instow maps
Instow area books
Displaying 1 of 26 books about Instow and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Instow
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Instow.
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or of a photo of Instow.
Family Home
Ahh Instow.. Always in my heart. Gran moved from Plymouth to Bickleton (2mls inland from Instow) c1930. Mum (Nancy Rooke) went to Instow school. During the war years she met Dad (Ron) married (1942) and moved to Staines where I grew up. Every year, with my two brothers, Doug and Andy, we would have our holidays with Gran, Aunt Lila and Uncle Ray (Spiers). Travelling down by train, watching out for the derelict tower on top of the hill above the old village near the School. Uncle Ray worked at the REME camp. They moved into Instow c1960, gran passed away 1963. We moved to Newton Abbot, Devon in 1964. Mum, Dad, Doug and Andy moved in with Aunt Lila and Uncle Ray c1966. Andy went to Instow School. Andy now lives in the same house that Aunt Lila had. I particularly remember the beach, Norman Johns' ferry to Appledore, I think he went to school with Mum. So many memories.
Ladies Hairdressers at Instow
My mother - Hilda Florence Allen - worked as a hairdresser in Instow for a time during the Second World War. At the time she was married to Douglas Steer although the marriage did not survive long and she later joined the WRAF and was posted to Egypt for the remainder of the war years.
She had happy memories of Instow and took me there with my father for one of my earliest summer holidays probably around 1949. I revisited just this weekend in 2008 and tried to locate the hairdressers shop where my mother had once worked but there has been so much change that it proved impossible. I did walk along the sandy beach and thought deeply about having previously walked here almost sixty years ago! I looked across the water to Appledore and thought how beautiful the area is.
Devon memories
Meeting Street
I have a copy of the Meeting Street photo as the girl standing in the road (with the black sleeve) is my Grandmother SARAH POWE (nee Lesley). The family house was at 29 Meeting Street just out of view. Grandmother also ran the BELL INN in Appledore for a number of years and on retirement moved back into Number 29. Sarah and grandad BILL POWE had 2 daughters, Louise, my mother, and Ruby.
Sadly Sarah passed away in 1977 and my mother Louise in 1968. Ruby now lives in Bideford and I often visit them and take a trip to Appledore where some memories return. I remember the 3 docks, the Quay, Hockings ice-cream, and the ships, in patricular the Kathleen and May and the Irene. I also remember the tug boat the ROMA which would often moor up off the Bell slipway by the lower dock. Many changes have taken place in Appledore so it's good to have access to some old photos etc, especially where there is one... Read more
Meeting Street
looking at the picture of appledore my father in law was born in number 20 in 1907 his name was frederick cyril hobbs his father was fred hobbs and his mother was mabel (hooper) we visited last year what a lovely place our family has a lot of history in the town we carnt wait to return
The Postie
The postman was our great grandad, don't know his first name (I'll find out), but he was of the Fisher family.
I believe the small girl is the mother of a friend of ours, Mary Rogers- will have to ask her maiden name.
Rachel Anstis
Burrough House
My grandparents lived here from the 1960s until 1998, living in the flat. We used to spend our summer holidays here and had great fun!
Holidays
I lived in Bideford from 1944 till 1947 when we moved back to London, but I spent every Easter and summer holiday back in Bideford and nearly every day at the beach in Westood Ho!. Such happy times spent there.
