You are here:
Tipton St John
Tipton St John photos
Displaying the first of 5 old photos of Tipton St John. View all Tipton St John photos
Tipton St John maps
Historic maps of Tipton St John and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Tipton St John maps
Tipton St John area books
Displaying 1 of 26 books about Tipton St John and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Tipton St John
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Tipton St John.
Add your memory of Tipton St John
or of a photo of Tipton St John.
A Lovely Devon Village
We moved to No. 6 Tipton Vale in 1950. Maureen a baby, myself (Valerie) and parents Eric and Joan White fom Fenny Bridges. The house was a new council house, pink and blue. Dad dug out a bank at the rear and we found hundreds of flint arrow heads, knives and tools which we collected in Oster Milk tins and left in the garage. They should have gone to Exeter museum. I started at the school in November 1950. We played in the big trees of the Angela Home where children with T.B. were sent for treatment and took them comics and toys. In springtime the whole school would walk up to the hills above the Sidmouth Road and pick primroses, violets and bluebells to send to schoolchildren in London. I loved these beautiful days. I remember making the Easter Garden in the church. One day I found a hissing adder in the school sandpit. Miss West took the Infant Class and Miss Richardson the senior's. She was... Read more
Evacuee
My name was Evelyn Smith "Eve". I was evacuated to my uncle and aunt's home during the war. My uncle was Sidney Smith - he was station master. We lived at 3 Coombe Lea. Miss Richardson was our school teacher - a really beautiful lady and an excellent teacher. My best friend was Nancy Leach - she lived in Dawes Cottage. I remember the gypsies who came through the village - the eldest girl was named Caroline. There were twin boys who lived on a farm - can't remember their names. Skinner's farm was just down the lane from 3 Coombe Lea - they brought fresh milk to our house every day - or maybe we fetched it from the farm in our little churn - not sure - but it was always warm from the cow - LOVERLY!! My cousin Josie and another cousin from London (Ettie) were land girls in Tipton.
Buster (last name skips my memory at the moment - was connected with the Great Train Robbery... Read more
Devon memories
My Grandfathers Cottage
Podburys Cottage was my Grandfathers cottage. (William Cooper). It was then named Ginko Cottage. My grandfather was a gardener at Harpford House and I believe that this was a "Tied" cottage.
I personally lived in Ginko cottage from birth in 1940 to my grandfathers death in 1946.
Carter Family of Harpford
My forebears came from the village of Harpford. In the Tithe schedule of 1839 Joel Carter rented the small cottage in the centre of the photo and also the cottage on the far right (which had a workshop at the back.) Joel was born at Podbury's Cottage (then a farm) which I think is at the back of this photo - certainly Podbury's is the main subject of the other Harpford photo. In the 21st century all these buildings are still there, little altered externally except that there is now more vegetation - trees/bushes etc. Joel Carter farmed at Harts which was on the outskirts of the village and has long been destroyed. Joel and his wife Mary (nee Paver) had 15 children of whom 9 lived to adulthood.
The lane is still very narrow and the area of the River Otter valley best appreciated on foot.
The Old Railway Station
My friends and I spent many happy hours playing on the old platform and under the old railway bridge before they were both demolished.
We used to play hopscotch on the platform and had a camp amongst the trees at the back.
We made a rope swing there and used to take a packed lunch down on school holidays and spend all day there messing about.
We had a secret club and had to give a password before you could enter it like children do.
The old bridge was shored up with peices of wood and we would climb up and down it racing each other to the top.
I remember there was an old tramp lived under there at one time.
Good Times
Some of my first memories were picking the daffodils which my family grew, my great grandfather being the Walter Hill who grew the first King Alfreds. We lived in Ova-Yonda in Back Lane, my grandparents lived in Waterleat, now the tea rooms. It was in the brook that ran through the property that I watched my grandfather tickle trout and I caught minnows and sticklebacks.
My great-aunt lived in a cottage further down the High Street and my great-uncle lived a house near the Cannon.
My parents were Percy and Betty Hill. They entertained many, Dad playing the piano, Mum singing and eventually me doing 'a turn'. Dad had a dance band during the 1950s and in the 1960s going into a pub with a piano and tinkling away so people could have a good old sing-song.
The fun we had in the village hall, fancy dress parties and games, later on dances. Christmas time was when the school would put on a concert. I was Angel Gabriel... Read more
Growing up at Newton Poppleford
I was born in London, moved to Oak Tree Villas at Newton Poppleford in Devon at 9 months. Jean Bastin lived on one side and Brian Pring on the other, with Mrs Harrison the church organist in the fourth house, next to the Turk's Head pub, run by Arthur and Mrs Devereux. In Factory Row lived Mr Down, a war reserve policeman. Moved to 3 Otter View, aged 7 or 8. Mum, Iileen Page, and dad, Reg, who was recalled to the colours in May 1939, and died in 1944. I attended the primary school, under Mrs Hawkins, Miss Burrows and E Warwick Cox. Later I schooled at Exmouth, with June Force and Jean Radford. June's parents ran the paper and general shop next to the church where I was in the choir, vicar was Reverend Greenslade. Jean's father was a farmer, and I spent many happy hours on his farm. His family with his wife included Ken, Kitty and Marion. The Exeter Inn in the centre of the village... Read more
