First Holiday

A Memory of Goodrington.

My first holiday was when I was 9 years old (in 1958) and my parents and I came to Goodrington. We stayed at Beech Hurst which if I remember correctly was in Youngs Park Road. It was lovely. I made friends with a girl who lived next door, whom I still have contact with today!
Obviously my parents loved it too as the following February we moved to Paignton. I lived in Elmsleigh Park and mum and dad opened a family guesthouse. I attended Curledge Street Primary, and had the benefits (?) of being taught by a Miss Vincent, whom we all loved, a Mr Chamberlain, we all didn't, and a Mr Powell, who if I remember rightly was ex RAF. Mr Reeves was the head and Mrs Price his secretary. Mrs Toop was in charge of the playground.
I made several friends there, some of whom I keep in touch with, others I have lost contact with.
After Curledge Street, having failed the 11+, I went to the Marist Convent in Fisher Street. I enjoyed all the 'outdoor' things, but wasn't so enamoured with the indoor stuff!
At the bottom of Elmsleigh Park there was a house called Pendennis, which was owned by a Miss Plews. She had several horse and ponies and gave riding lessons to local children, me included
I started riding at Jane Fletchers in Waterside, I think it was 1/9d an hour. She had mostly ponies, some I recall: Sweet William, Rob Roy, Honeybun. We used to ride mostly on the beach at South Goodrington if the tide was low, or down the road, pass the old Grange and up a lane to White Rock. NO houses there then!
For a short time I went to Waterleat, but then came to Pendennis. Miss Plews rode side-saddle to the hunt on a thoroughbred mare called Julie. She was kept in a field on the right going up the hill from Goodrington to Waterside. There was another field on the left, just by the bridge that went over the railway to Youngs Park, where she kept some more, but the majority were kept in fields between the marsh and the zoo in Clennon Valley. These fields backed on to a cider factory and one day we had to get the vet in as a lot of the horses were staggering around and foaming at the mouth! To get to these field we had to cross the marsh, which was on the right side of the main Dartmouth Road, past the allotments. It was very red, a dead giveaway for someone who should have been at school! The car park was the first thing that appeared there. The circus used to come and Panavision cinema things. Sometimes on Sundays I used to help Donkey Daniels with his donkeys on Paignton Beach. I never knew his right name. Mostly I helped out at Pendennis, for free rides! When I left school I did work there for a short time for money. I got 6d an hour for a 12 hour day and a 6 1/2 day week.
My parents moved to Churston as I left school and although they stayed until Dad died I left to seek my fortune in the Army and unfortunately never got back.
I have many fond memories of this area before most people got cars!

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