Totnes, Devon

MY HOME AWAY FROM HOME

I arrived in Totnes January 1944 and lived up at Dartington until a day before the invasion at Normandy. Totnes became our "hometown." I returned for the fiftieth anniversary and honored for being the first American to come back. Bill Bennett arranged for us to be given the "keys to the city." Back then at age 19 it was a... [more]

Morris Dancing and Clog Dancing at The Steam Packet Inn

This is the view from the Steam Packet Inn where there is a splendid large patio area which we used for morris dancing recently. We chose an early Summer's evening in June but were disappointed with the unexpected rain! However there were plenty of seats under the pub's umbrellas for the large crowd to take shelter!

Three "sides"... [more]

Christmas shopping in Totnes

Totnes provides lovely late night Christmas shopping evenings each December when the High Street and Market Square are decorated, the shop windows have illuminated Christmas displays and stay open late and the place is transformed into a fairyland of old-fashioned entertainments and street traders.  There are hot chestnut and mulled wine vendors, arts and crafts for sale and entertainments provided by... [more]

Heather and Gorse Clog Morris entertain in Totnes

Tuesday 11th December was a frosty clear night but the crowds of late night Christmas shoppers filled Totnes town centre to enjoy the candlelight, carol singers, buskers and stalls lining both sides of the streets.  

At the top end of the High Street by the Market Square a large crowd gathered to watch the Heather and Gorse Clog... [more]

Bridgetown Bridge

The consensus in the Albert Inn is that the gent with a folded coat under his arm is Owen MacLening, with his nephew Bill behind him. The youngster with the bicycle could well be Andy MacLening, also nephews to Owen.  Andy is currently (Jan 2009) barman in the Albert Inn.

Down the Dart Photographic Memories

The Mount is still largely undeveloped today, its tree-clad slopes rising to the south west of the town. The valley of the Dart runs behind the church and diagonally leftwards across the picture. On the far left, the church at Dartington can just be seen through the haze.

Down the Dart Photographic Memories

The island was opened as a pleasure park in 1844. In 1971 Totnes was twinned with Vire in Normandy and the island was renamed Vire Island. On the left is a trading ketch, possibly loading cement from London onto the waiting railway wagons; on the return journey the cargo was often Symon's cider.

Devon A Century Ago Photographic Memoiries

Up the hill is an early example of a covered shopping area - the Butterwalk, parts of which were known as piazzas. In 1880 P F S Amery wrote: 'until very recently the piazzas were occupied by the stalls of various traders whose right to their 'standing' was independent of the owner of the house before which it was situated'.