Memories Of A Four Year Old

A Memory of North Molton.

My memories of Court Hall School started in 1955 when I went with my brother from our London home, at the tender age of four and five. My father was told not to visit us for 3 months and so we were left. The head was Mr. Owen Reidel, and his wife Simone, who was French. They had two children, Nicole and Anthony. I remember the school as huge and rambling, and the ground equally so. There was a kitchen garden and Mr Reidel kept bees. There were two classes, Mr. Reidel taking the older group, and another teacher the younger ones. I don't remember her name unfortunately. There can only have been at the most 20 children in the school, probably in the primary age range. Many of the children had parents working abroad. I do have some photographs. We went for walks in the surrounding countryside, and collected natural history objects which were made into museums. I am still an avid collector today, and also love primroses which must come from early days spent in Devon. In about 1957, I think, the school moved to Tyspane House in Braunton, and I believe much of the old Court Hall was demolished. Because of our circumstances my memories are not happy ones from Court Hall, but I do love Devon so it can't have been all bad. I was Becky Warren in those days, it would be interesting to hear from anyone else who remembers the school.