Rock

A Memory of Sampford Peverell.

Underdown was a magical place, a narrow island of rock left by quarrying at some time in the past. This photo is taken from the western end. At the eastern end there was a copse and the top of the island merged back into the side of a hill. The south side was a vertical cliff with trees growing along the top edge and out of the face. The trees started a little to the left of the photographer in this picture. The end in the photograph could be scrambled down or slid down through a natural helter skelter formation in the rock. The north side (to the right) was steep but with a path running diagonally down the face, and largely climable by us children. A lot of my childhood was spent here, climbing, making dens, etc.  We called it "Rock".
The first time I went there, with my dad and before Myxomatosis, I can remember looking up across the field and seeing a line of rabbits looking back from the photographer's vantage point.
Sadly it's gone now. The North Devon link road passes through the field in the foreground of the photograph and Rock was removed as part of the earthworks for the road. I am looking for a photo taken in the opposite direction for the village history society, because most of the current villagers have no idea of the past existence of this wonderful place.