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Westleigh
Westleigh maps
Historic maps of Westleigh and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Westleigh maps
Westleigh area books
Displaying 1 of 26 books about Westleigh and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Westleigh
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Devon 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.
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!
Springfield Terrace
This view shows my house. It is the one at this end of Springfield Terrace - you can see a number of the terrace chimneys peeping out over the top of the hill to the left. We overlook the River Torridge. You can see the old medieval bridge in the background. Our terrace was built around 1850 for the managers of the railway company (the old Torrington to Barnstaple railway ran just in front of our house until 1965. For the last few years the old track course has been converted to a new use - for cyclists, and renamed the Tarka Trail. Our houses have wonderful views from the middle and top floors over the river and the town of Bideford opposite.
Memories of A Choir Boy
Seeing the pic of the font in St Marys brought back memories of my time as a choir boy there, part of a tradition in our family. Our choir master was Mr Sellers a teacher at Geneva School also known as 'Jumbo' because of his large ears!
New boys were intitated into the choir with a ritual (including me) in which you had to run around the church outside, then hit on head with bell rope and finally thrown into the holly bush!!! It sounds cruel I know but was done and taken in good humour by all and I enjoyed my time in the choir immensely.
