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Slapton
Slapton maps
Historic maps of Slapton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Slapton maps
Slapton area books
Displaying 1 of 26 books about Slapton and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Slapton
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Devon memories
I Was Born There
I remember going to school at Strete in the Easter, up to the summer holidays, as a 4 year old in 1964. When we were due to return, we had to go to Stoke Fleming primary because Strete primary had closed. All the Rowdens, Ewings, Harises and Yabsleys blamed me for the school closing. I was totally gutted! I lived in at No 3 Severns Corner, where I was born, with my mother and four sisters. Our next door neighbours were the Skinners, the father's name was Bill. I remember one son's name was Richard, who used to scare me while wearing a WW2 gas mask. I had many wonderful memories of Strete as a child and remember many locals names. We moved from Strete to Dartmouth in 1970, where a new chapter in my life started.
Childhood And Marriage
I went to Sunday School here from 1949, and I sang in the church choir from 1950 until 1960 alongside my Nan.I was also allowed to learn to play the organ, the church has (had?) a wonderful organ, 2 keyboards and foot operated keyboard pedals, plus more stops than I could ever get used to. An uncle also sang in the choir, and he and my aunty ran the Church House Inn.
Uncle often used to sing 'Bless This House' in the pub and I used to play the piano for him.
I came home and got married in the church in January 1963, with full choir and bells. It was SO COLD, that was a really bad winter. The reception was at The Torcross Hotel and there was even ice at the edge of the sea.
Widdicombe Children's Home
Anyone who knows or went to Widdiecombe Home, can you get in touch, do you have some photos, or memories. I went there as a young boy 6 years old, hope to hear from someone, hoping to visit all around south Devon shortly. I remember goingto the beach, and seeing the lighthouse as it always shone in the home.
Widdecombe House
I and a few other chidren were sent from Portsmouth authorities to this school which was for malajusted children. Mr Benions was the principle and it was run on the lines of a Rudolf Steiner School. We had no schooling and were made to work scrubbing and cleaning all day. The punishments were tremendous. We tried to get letters out to tell our parents but they were all censored. When Portsmouth Authorities found out we were all removed. The next thing I knew was the headlines of a Sunday Paper stating "The School to shock Britian". If any one has a cutting of this paper could they please let me know the date. It was around 1959. I remember Norris who has posted the other memory. I remember a shed on the road from Widdicombe House to Torcross in which cattle were slaughtered and we helped. I can also remember Mr Benions taking a car load along Slapton Sands to help build a house on the top of the hill.... Read more
Sailor Boyo!
I remember my parents swinging me between them along a fir tree'd lane to the sea, singing 'Sailor Boy-oh'. We were camping at a site run by a man called 'Roly' (Rowlandson perhaps). Imagine my parents' delight at camping under the stars after the Blitz and London. Their happy memories stayed with them always. And I remember my first experience of the smell of the pine trees - I was three!
Best Holiday Ever !
My family come from the East End of London. My mum and dad took us on holiday from Chingford on a Grey Green coach to Stoke Fleming for two weeks, we stopped en route in Yeovil for tea.... My parents had booked a caravan (one of three) behind the London Inn in the gardens, the landlord had a daughter who my brother and I used to play with. There was also a dog.. and a little spring outside the pub where we caught a newt which we kept in a bucket under the caravan until the dog ate it !!... We used to go winkle picking down in the mud at Dartmouth. I remember playing outside in the pub garden whilst mum and dad went inside for a meal, mum told us that they had had lobster !!! I'd never even heard of it before ! The sun shone continuously throughout the holiday and we all got burned! We would walk down to Blackpool sands during the day and I taught... Read more
HALLSANDS HOTEL
I'm currently researching for a forthcoming book on the former (now demolished) Hallsands Hotel. If you have any memories of it from any era that you would like to share, I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Many thanks
Nick Gilman
hallsandshotel@hotmail.com
07904 449982
