Memories Remembered

A Memory of Lifton.

Memories Remembered

After reading Brian Keighley’s story of his memories in Lifton, my memories came flooding back and has prompted me to recall a few of my own.

I was born in Lifton 18 months after my sister Jean in 1927 at Rock Corner, that’s the Tinhay end of Leat road. I believe our house has now had an extension built on.

Brian talks of his Grandfather Ern Parish who worked at Ambrosia; he lived with his family just 100 yards from us. There were four in the family, Dorothy, Jack, Roy and Leslie, I went to school with all of them including Colin Bradshaw, Basil Beven, Francis Davey, Rex Benoy, Gordon Wevil, Laurance Furse, Ivor Nichols, (his dad collected the household waste with his horse and cart), Daphne Adams, Pat Parnell, Hazel Deacon and her sister Heather. She married Gordon Wevil, who I had the good fortune to meet a few years ago. Sadly Gordon has since passed away as have many more. There were many more school friends whose names have slipped my memory.

My brother Eric worked at Ambrosia making the butter. Brother Ron worked for Sammy Cole looking after the milling machinery.

The school I attended is now demolished, except for what was the infant classroom which is now the skittle alley for the Arundell Arms Hotel. Mr Nex was the Headmaster, Miss Hart taught the infants, other teachers were Muriel Howard and Arthur Pellow. I believe they got married eventually. We had our 1/3 pint of milk every day provided by the Mounce family who lived in a large brick house opposite the school. At Tinhay the Mounce family owned a large workshop and kept steam engines and thrashing machines. Is this the same family running the Lifton Farm Shop?

Arthur Pellow had a brother who was a builder, he helped in the construction of the Coronation Hall next to the Fox and Grapes pub. I believe it is now the restaurant for the Fox & Grapes. On our way to school he would very often shout to warn us if his brother was not in a very good mood and not to misbehave at school otherwise we would be in trouble.

The hall was owned by Mr Blatchford landlord of the Fox and Grapes pub. It was here we had Saturday night dances. Concerts and film shows were also held.

When I was older I played the double bass, and with two other lads we formed a small band
and played at many dances held in the hall.

After leaving school I worked with my father. We had a motor and agricultural workshop at Leat which was down by the river Lyd. All the machinery was driven by a water wheel. The workshops are gone now and a bungalow built there. My aunt Maud and Gran lived opposite at Leat cottage, they were dressmakers and always very busy. I often had to get her various coloured sewing cottons from Sleemans shop in Fore Street. They sold almost everything.
Aunt Maud played the organ in the Methodist chapel at Tinhay, I would go there often after school and pump the organ so that she could practice for a while. The large school room at the rear of the Chapel was used by the army as sleeping quarters. The Chapel is gone now and cottages have been built on the site
Next door to aunt Maud lived the Knight family. They kept very busy taking in washing for quite a few people in the village.
All the properties on one side of Fore Street have been demolished. On the other side was the grocers and butchers shop run by the Davy family. Ern was the butcher, He had the right hand side of the shop which is now the post office and brother Frank was the grocer. Mrs Jago helped in the grocery side. Her husband Parr was a porter at Lifton station. His partner was Alan Joiner, they were joined by another school friend Roy Barriball as a trainee who looked after the oil lamps for the signals.

When there was a train due in from Launceston, I was allowed to open the gates at Tinhay to stop the traffic; I then locked them by pulling a lever in a small hut by the track. The signal box was 150 yards at the other end of the platform, I ran to the box and pulled three levers, one to lock the gates again and the other two pulled the signals on to give the train clearance to leave the station, this procedure is something you could never be allowed to do nowadays. As I remember, the levers were numbered 10, 2 and 3.

Alongside the station is the Ambrosia milk factory owned by Mr Morris who also owned the Arundell Arms. He would very often show his films of Lifton he had taken and doing magic tricks when he entertained us at our school parties. The large flour mill next to Ambrosia was owned by Mr John Major. Sammy Cole had a smaller flour mill and bake house opposite. He made some tasty pasties and cakes.


Later on during the war, I joined the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry Army Cadet Force, based in Launceston. We all enjoyed our time there doing our marching drill in the grounds of Launceston Castle and often went off to camp in Cornwall.

S.T. Lane’s shop at Tinhay sold petrol pumped up by hand. Some Saturday afternoons to earn a little cash I would pump 15 to 20 5gallon cans of T.V.O (tractor vaporising oil) and deliver to farmers for their tractors. I had to climb ladders with the full drums and pour it into the storage tanks. I was paid two shillings and six pence for an afternoons work. A lot of cash for me then.

In the woods at the entrance to Lifton House an army camp was built to accommodate English and American troops before they were dispatched to the war front. It was there the public were invited to come and watch films.

After a few years I felt I wanted to be doing something different, so in 1948, when I was 21, I left Lifton to travel to Colyton to work with my uncle in his garage.

It was here in Colyton I met my wonderful wife Peggy, we married in 1953. We have a wonderful family, son, daughter and six grandchildren. And now in 2022 4 great grand children A happy life now, but my memories are still with me of my childhood days in my home village, Lifton. There are many many more.
It would be so nice to hear from anyone who could share their memories with me.

Written by Geoff Bailey
29 Colyvale, Colyton. EX24 6PZ
30th April 2016 edit in 2022


Added 30 April 2016

#339572

Comments & Feedback

I am still around 92 next May and would love to hear from anyone who remembers me.

Geoff Bailey email geoffbailey29@hotmail.com

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