Oddicombe memories
Here are memories of Oddicombe and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Oddicombe or a Oddicombe photo.
A KID'S HEAVEN AND HELL
A St Marychurch boy, I lived at Hampton Farm Cottage, St Marychurch... and I can still smell the tar and the salt from old fisher and other boats pulled up on Oddicombe beach... and I can still feel the beautiful shining pebbles.... Together with my friends Brian and Roy - just two of many wonderful pals - we would spend school holidays at the back of Hampton Farm, scrumping apples, making camp among the trees, eating wild strawberries and loganberries... and at various times of the year picking bluebells and mushrooms and trying to catch a rabbit (money for the skin)...collecting waste paper (pocket money again).. Oddicombe beach was my favourite... I could swim in rough water at the age of 4.. would I do it now... I don't think so. Would I try to hang on to the back of the cliff railway to get a lift down to the beach... I don't think so... and then the days of hell. I can still see us running like mad... Read more
Memories of Devon
Golden Holidays
From our home in Kent, we went every year on holiday to Babbacombe during the 1950's and early 1960's. We stayed with my 'Aunty Amy' and 'Uncle Matt' at their boarding house, 18 Perinville Road. It was the most magic time imaginable. I can't remember it ever raining! It must have done, of course, but it seems as if the sun was always shining. We would spend the morning on the beach - usually Redgate Beach (now sadly closed because of landfalls) or Oddicombe and have such fun, splashing about in the sea, exploring the rockpools, etc. We would then go back to the house for lunch, stopping off on the way at the Mason's Arms for a pre-lunch drink in their garden overlooking Wallshill Downs. The smell of cider still takes me back there every time! Then, after lunch, back to the beach again for the afternoon before high tea at about 6 p.m. Once - and only once - during each holiday we were allowed a knickerbocker glory... Read more
An Outing to Babbacombe Model Village
My wife Elizabeth and I went to Babbacombe on 1st April to give our granddaughter Anna a treat on her second birthday. We spent almost the whole day in Babbacombe Model Village which is close to the top of the cliff railway in this photo.
She loved to walk and run along the narrow paths between the model houses. She enjoyed gazing at the koi carp in the pond and kept going back to look at them. We took lots of photographs as we really enjoyed a happy day's outing.
There is a terrace at the top of the slope where we ate our picnic and looked down over the entire village. Its a beautiful place for young children to enjoy - and their grandparents too!
Dancing on The Downs in Front of Babbacombe Theatre
I spent a lovely sunny July evening with my morris dancing friends at Babbacombe providing a musical and dancing entertainment for the holidaymakers on the Downs.
The entertainers were the Heather and Gorse Clog Dancers from nearby Combeinteignhead and we arranged to meet in front of The Buccaneer Pub at 8 o'clock to dance until sundown. We could look over the railings at the edge of the cliff and gaze down the zig-zag path and the view over the bay. Some of our dancers thought we could see as far as Sidmouth. The view is pretty much the same as that shown in this photograph.
A surprisingly large number of holidaymakers sat on the benches and the grass to be entertained with our Morris Dances - I played my piano accordian to provide the jigs and polkas the dancers needed. I was greatly amused to see some coaches pulling up nearby and the passengers waving at us! It was a lovely evening to remember.
Babbacombe in The 1950s-60s
I grew up in Babbacombe in the 1950s and 60s and it was such a friendly busy place with the local shops Stephens and Bowdens the two greengrocers, Canns the fishmongers, the butchers and of course the fish and chip shop in Princes Street - so much nicer than the present one even though it has won so many awards. Also in Reddenhill Road there was a small Nat West Bank and a Creamery and also Babbacombe Library which was at the back of a gift shop. In the summer the place would be heaving with visitors. My parents owned a gift shop here and we were so busy but now it is dead in the summer. I would love to hear anyone else's memories too.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
I have been coming to Babbacome for 20 years or so. My husband and I loved this little gem of a find. Sadly he passed away 4 years ago and I returned on my own to visit a couple of years ago, it's a long way from Glasgow, but was always very much worth it. I love my cream tea in Angels tearoom on the Downs and my strolls in St Marychurch precinct, the views from the Downs are stunning. It was very difficult visiting on my own but I could never imagine not visiting again, Alex would want me to go back and enjoy.
Memorybank total
We're very pleased and excited by your response so far to our "Share your Memories" community.
You've shared 28,893 memories of 5,952 towns & villages across the UK - keep them coming!
Find Memories
Simply search for your favourite places to read others' memories and share your own.
Tips & Ideas
Not sure what to write?
It's easy - just think of an important place in your life and ask yourself:
How does it feature in your personal history?
What are your best memories of this place?
How has it changed over the years?
How does it feel, seeing these old photos of your favourite place?
Do you remember stories about the local community, its history and people?
Start now!
It's easy to add your own memories and reconnect with your shared local history. Search for your favourite places and look for the orange "Add your Memory" icon to begin.
Places this week
Here are some of the places you've shared memories of this week:
- Dan Y Parc, Powys
- Stanhope, County Durham
- Greasbrough, South Yorkshire
- Port Bannatyne, Isle of Bute
- Hornsey, Greater London
- Tenby, Dyfed
- Worcester, Worcestershire
- Boston, Lincolnshire
- Barking, Essex
- Beeston Castle, Cheshire
- Chiddingfold, Surrey
- Romford, Essex
- Parkgate, Merseyside
- Burnopfield, Tyne and Wear
- Golders Green, Greater London
- Bexley, Kent
- Forest Row, East Sussex
- Bethesda, Gwynedd
- Knaphill, Surrey
- Pyrford, Surrey
- ... and lots more - Browse this week's memories now.
Your memories
To jump straight to the memories you have added already to the Community, click here
I Remember When...
This stunning compilation highlights some of the best stories selected from the thousands contributed here on the
Frith website. The result is an absorbing chronicle of British life from the Second World War to the mid 1960s.
A colourful treasure trove of memories, "I Remember When" is an
irresistible mix of personal stories and recollections that affectionately reveal the detail of everyday life in Britain.
