EAST DEVON
COAST & COU NTRY A Celebration of Life in East Devon
2011 AUTUMN
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East Devon Coast & Country
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A Celebration of Life in East Devon
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Cover photo: N.Jones Otter Valley from East Hill 2009
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CONTRIBUTORS
Nigel Jones
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Nigel Jones, Steve Chilcott, Mike Hughes, Katina Styles, Helen Mulvaney, Cec Hardy, Ted Gosling, Sali Mustafic, Cathy Debenham, Rose Millard, Guy Peters, FCR Esgen, Natalie Bucklar-Green, Suzy Bailey, Kerry Hornett, Fiona Howell, Phil Keddie.
MAGAZINE Editor and publisher: Nigel Jones tel. 01395 513383 tel. 01395 512166 email. nigel@prestige-media.co.uk Advertisers call: 01395 513383 By post: Beech Royd, 6 Bennetts Hill, Sidmouth EX10 9XH. All images copyright N.Jones unless otherwise credited
Contents Sept-Nov
ISSUE NO 8
8. Property Commentary
34. Topsham Visited
65. Tales of A Yokel
With Fiona Howell and Phil Keddie.
An historical amble around Topsham.
FCR Esgen contemplates life.
10. Forthcoming Events
45. Follow that Acorn!
66. Motoring Memories
What's not to miss over the Autumn.
Cec Hardy's coastal path tales.
A farewell to Colyford's unique museum.
14. Live Music Roundup
48. Tapping into the Sun
70. Shipwrecks
Find out where it's happening!
Cathy Debenham discusses PV systems.
By noted local historian, Ted Gosling.
16. Art Exhibitions
52. Fly Fishing on the Otter
71. The Plague in Honiton
Art gallery events for Autumn.
Nigel Jones fishes for brown trout.
Rose Millard takes Honiton back to 1349.
22. Fashion and Beauty
56. Walk on the Wildside
72. Life Matters
Fashion and beauty in East Devon.
Artist Mike Hughes talks about wildlife.
Our section on health & wellbeing issues.
25. Business Advice
61. Greyhound Rescue
76. A Truly Inspirational Person
Valuable tips from Katina Styles.
With greyhound fan Suzy Bailey.
26. Eating Out
62. Equine - Riding Aids
The passing of Dr Elisabeth Svendsen by Guy Peters
Our roundup of East Devon eateries.
By Natalie Bucklar-Green.
80. Managing your Money
30. Salem Chapel
64. Aggressive or Frightened
Expert tips from Independent Financial Adviser Helen Mulvaney.
By Stephen Chilcott.
By Animal Communicator, Kerry Hornett.
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
1
Curious to know if you have something of value? It could pay to talk to Bonhams. - Insurance and Probate Valuations - Home Visits - Specialist Valuation Days 01392 425 264 exeter@bonhams.com A George II mahogany open armchair Sold for ÂŁ10,200
International Auctioneers and Valuers- bonhams.com/exeter
Editor's Letter A warm welcome to East Devon Coast and Country Magazine.
Kitchens, Furniture and Bespoke Joinery. I can make to your specifications whether fitted or free standing.
Autumn can be glorious in East Devon, especially when the wind drops to a standstill and the sun makes an appearance in clear blue skies. Of course, autumn heralds the end of the summer which is always sad to ponder, but there's lots to do and personally I prefer it for walking, as you don't suffer so much if the sun is out. The magazine has been running for 2 years now, and we've been taking stock. We know the magazine has become extremely popular with readers, the main comment from them being that there's a lot to look at and read about, it's not just full of adverts. Readers also comment that they particularly like the photography and walks, so we'll continue with these and to this end, we've built up an extensive photo library of East Devon over the last couple of years.
East Devon Coast & Country
Within the magazine, we are quite keen on event information. it's always easy to read about events after they've happened, but what's really useful is advance notice of all those really interesting events that you don't want to miss. We've included a new Live Music Roundup section, so you can see which venues in East Devon have live music events, particularly at restaurants and pubs. It's great when you go out for a meal or a pint, if you can enjoy live entertainment, it makes an outing much more memorable. This issue sees Steve Chilcott visit Topsham which is a quirky and interesting place with much history attached, it's certainly has one of the best museums in the region with great cakes and tea. I managed to prise myself off my apple mac this summer and get out onto the river Otter up at the Deer Park hotel. It was great fun and I actually managed to catch some fish!! Wonders never cease. Nigel Jones
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01392 455755 exeter@savills.com
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TRANQUIL, SECLUDED WILDLIFE HAVEN hawkchurch, axminster, devon Refurbished 5 bed farmhouse adaptable outbuildings 78 acres - wildlife haven woodland, pasture, streams, ponds holiday cottage in woodland setting triple garage with 1 bed annexe above Guide ÂŁ1.495 million
Contact: Chris Jarrett cjarrett@savills.com 01392 455743
Buying or selling this summer? Talk to Savills. East Devon Coast & Country
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Savills Exeter The Forum Barnfield Road EX1 1QR
01392 455755 exeter@savills.com
savills.co.uk
south of honiton, offwell Edge of village old rectory with views 4 reception rooms 4 bedroom suites with bathrooms 3 further bedrooms & 2 bathrooms leisure complex with billiards, games & cinema rooms 2/3 bedroom cottage parkland, pasture, gardens, about 25 acres
Contact: Richard Addington raddington@savills.com 01392 455755
Buying or selling this summer? Talk to Savills. A Celebration of Life in East Devon
5
Welcome to chesterton humberts country
With our local knowledge and international network, we have the expertise and reach to provide you with the very best level of service, combined with global exposure for your property.
chesterton humberts country The ultimate combination
East Devon Coast & Country
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Uk Large Lettings Agency of the Year 2011 Gold Award Large Lettings Agency of the Year 2010 Gold Award Luxury Lettings Agency of the Year 2010 Silver Award National Estate Agent of the Year 2010
Honiton office 01404 42456
honiton@chestertonhumberts.com
Honiton office 01404 42456
honiton@chestertonhumberts.com
Seaton Hole, East Devon EX12
Membury, East Devon EX13
A handsome well proportioned detached Victorian Villa set on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast with sea views. Sitting room, living room, dining room, large kitchen & conservatory, 6 bedrooms, detached double garage, in all approximately 2/3 acre on a number of levels.
A restored period farm set within gardens and grounds of approaching 36 acres in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 2 reception rooms, kitchen, principal bedroom with en-suite, 3 further bedrooms, bath/shower room, delightful gardens, outbuildings, farmyard with span building & stabling, pasture, woodland, 2 large ponds.
£732,500 freehold
Honiton office 01404 42456
honiton@chestertonhumberts.com
£1,300,000 freehold
Honiton office 01404 42456
honiton@chestertonhumberts.com
Branscombe, East Devon EX12
Plymtree, East Devon EX15
A particularly handsome Grade II listed period residence with holiday cottage & delightful gardens in this highly desirable village. 3 reception rooms, kitchen/ breakfast room, conservatory, 4 first floor bedrooms (1 en-suite), bath/shower room, 2nd floor bedroom suite, barn/stable, garage, paddock, about 4 acres.
A handsome listed period farmhouse of great antiquity with separate 2 bedroom holiday cottage, outbuildings & paddock. 4 reception rooms, 2 with inglenooks, country kitchen with Aga, sun room, utility, 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, extensive range of buildings, delightful gardens, paddock, in all about 2 ¼ acres.
£1,200,000 guide price
£799,000 guide price
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
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chestertonhumberts.com
STOP PRESS: Property prices set to crash
(or should that be rise?)..
S
o what has happened to the property market and perhaps more importantly, what is going to happen next? This is the question that everyone is asking and there seems to be no consistent response. One thing we know for sure is what the market has done to date. Prices in June 2011 were 3.5% lower than in June last year, but this was better than the annual reduction of 4.2% recorded from May 2010 to May 2011. House prices between April and June were 0.5% lower than in the previous quarter, but this was the smallest quarterly fall since the same period in 2010. The average UK house price in June was broadly unchanged from that in December 2010, on a seasonally adjusted basis. There is, therefore, no question that property prices have dropped in the last year, but the rate of decline appears to be slowing. This slowing could be partly attributed to interest rates remaining at their lowest level for many years. This has helped to improve affordability, with mortgage rates having fallen dramatically and one lender has even offered the lowest ever five-year fix in history, at under 3.5%.
By Phil Keddie looking to retire as well as those seeking that elusive work life balance. There has also been influx of foreign investment into the area, possibly due to the escalating Eurozone debt crisis, increasing uncertainty and reducing investment in those countries. Some investors are looking towards traditional bricks and mortar which remain a tangible asset. But what about the number of properties on the market? Anecdotal evidence suggests that people are not putting houses on the market for fear of not securing a good price. However, if you are trading up in the market, a 10% reduction in the price of the property that you are buying will equate to more in cash terms, than a 10% reduction in the price of that you are selling. Additionally, surveyors report an increase in building work and renovations, as owners seek to add value to their properties. This can make a house more saleable in a slow market and make a property the best of breed, reducing the risk of low offers being made. Finally, Savills are now forecasting price growth for prime Central London property in 2011 to increase by 8%, a change from its earlier original prediction that values would fall by 1% this year. This is a positive sign as the market in central London is seen as the benchmark for what the regions will do in the coming months and so perhaps we can be more optimistic after all. Where one person sees a crisis, another sees opportunity!
So if you are looking for a bargain, now is the time to buy. Confidence Fiona Howell MRICS is returning and demand in some The County Homesearch Company areas remains strong. The South West remains popular people ADBLK123_21 Honitonfor 91x64:Layout 1 21/07/2011 10:36 Page 1
Curious,
but not all insurers provide specialist home insurance for high value homes and lifestyles.
We do.
Call 01404 42051 for a quote or pop into the office to talk to Mrs DT Venner at NFU Mutual Office, The Manor House, High Street, Honiton, Devon EX14 1LJ Agent of The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited.
The Rental Market Continues to Expand
We do right by you
expected to re-let their property. One key reason for this is that a growing number of newer tenants, who would otherwise be first time buyers, are bringing their purchasing preferences into the rental market.
A
s reported across the news, increased numbers of people are renting property as opposed to buying. The statistics point to a figure that was unthinkable a few years ago, with up to 24% of the population set to be renting in ten years time. This trend can also be seen across the East Devon area, with reports suggesting that there are 75% more tenants looking than there are properties available to rent. This has created a bottleneck for availability which is impacting on supply and demand; driving rents ever higher. It would appear that there has been no better time to be a landlord, either for prospective landlords who have owned the property for some time (having seen a significant equity increase in the value) or for those coming to the market with cash to purchase and not requiring a mortgage. Indeed, in some cases it is possible to achieve a better return by renting a property than by leaving the money in a bank account earning negligible interest. The problem comes if a buy-tolet mortgage is required, as there are several hurdles to overcome; the most notable being able to borrow the amount of money required at a figure that makes renting the property a viable commercial prospect. No one is certain what will happen in the property sales market in the next few years, but history has shown that it is likely to bounce back. In this market of supply scarcity, the dichotomy is that some existing landlords of older properties, who have not been prepared to reinvest in the condition of their portfolio, may find that it takes longer than
East Devon Coast & Country
This, in turn, has caused concern for some landlords and has been a boon for others as the best properties now can be let within hours. However, older properties are witnessing longer void periods and suffer from a lack of movement at this end of the market. The market has started to divide into three sectors with the top price bracket letting quite easily; primarily to house owners who have sold, are between properties or are returning from abroad. The middle price sector is being taken by the many young people who are primarily disenchanted first time buyers unable to get on to the first step on the housing ladder, or by people coming out of relationships choosing to rent alone for a while. The lower sector is being filled by tenants who often rely on the state to either fully or partly support their rent payments. In such a market, with a dearth of property, this group may struggle to find either property or landlords that are willing to allow them to rent, meaning they turn to social housing – a sector already under pressure. There is no Government-led regulation of letting agents and, a growing number of people – who may or may not have training or experience – are becoming letting agents. Therefore it is important that both landlords and tenants protect themselves by obtaining the best possible advice – we would urge people to only use an agent associated with a national body such as ARLA. ARLA agents are licensed, which means clients have access to benefits like client money protection, and a redress scheme if things go wrong. Now, more than ever, if you are looking to rent or let a property, it is critical to protect your investment.
8
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A Celebration of Life in East Devon
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Sept, Oct & Nov 2011
Forthcoming Events MAIN EVENTS 3-4th Sept - Brownies, Guides, Rainbows, Cubs, Scouts & Beavers Weekend, Crealy Country Park; includes free Bushcraft and Survival Skills Adventures 9th Sept - RAMM Development Trust Jurassic Coast Cruise, leaving from Exmouth Marina, 4.45pm-8pm 10-11th Sept - SelfBuild and Design Show: for anyone interested in converting, extending, renovating or selfbuilding, Westpoint, Exeter 15th Sept - Tour of Britain Cycle Race 2011, Stage 5, finishes in Exmouth 18th Sept - The WHOTT Historic Bus and Commercial Vehicle Rally: classic buses, coaches, and lorries, Westpoint, Exeter 25th Sept - Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts: hundreds of new and established crafts, and you can watch the experts in action, Westpoint, Exeter 1-2nd Oct - The Static Caravan-Touring Caravan & Motorhome Show: all that is new and exciting in Holiday Lodges
and Caravan Holiday homes, Westpoint, Exeter
Carnivals 3rd Sept - Seaton Illuminated Carnival
5th Oct - South West Growers Show, The Matford Centre, Exeter
10th Sept - Colyton Illuminated
8-9th Oct - The Wedding Show: the South West's Premier Bridal Experience, Westpoint, Exeter
18th Sept - Bridgend Male Voice Choir, St Michael's Parish Church, Lyme Regis, 3pm
24th Sept - Sidmouth Illuminated
23rd Sept - Meet the author: Rachel Billington, Kennaway House, 7.30pm10pm
1st Oct - Newton Poppleford Illuminated
24th Sept - Archaeology and Astronomy: an atmospheric evening combining
8th Oct - Exmouth Illuminated
history and stargazing, Dumpdon Hill, near Luppitt
17th Sept - Axminster Illuminated
3rd Nov - The Round Table Charity Fireworks Display, Westpoint, Exeter
la Ronde, Exmouth, 12 noon
25-27th Nov - Christmas Shopping Fayre, Westpoint, Exeter
Festivals 16-18th Sept - Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival 16-17th Sept - Acoustica Festival, allfolk, Americana and folktronica, Exeter Phoenix 17-25th Sept - Lyme Regis Arts Festival 14-16th Oct - Beer Rhythm and Blues Festival 22nd Oct - Honiton Illuminated
29th Oct - Ottery St Mary Illuminated
LOCAL EVENTS 1-7th Sept - While The Sun Shines by Terence Rattigan, Charles&Imogen Vance Season, Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth, 8pm 3rd Sept - Brass Band Festival, Exmouth Pavilion
Killerton House
3-4th Sept - Wiscombe Park Hill Climb -The Five Clubs 5-10th Sept - Duets by Peter Quilter, Salterton Drama Club, The Playhouse, Budleigh Salterton
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8th Sept - Sidmouth Garden Club Autumn Flower Fruit and Vegetable Show, All Saints Church Hall, Sidmouth 10th Sept - Tudor Living History, St Nicholas Priory, Exeter, 10am-4pm 10th Sept - Uplyme & Lyme Regis Horticultural Show 10th Sept - Wiscombe Park Hill Climb -The M.G. Car Club (S West) 10-11th Sept - Blast from the Past: relive the atmosphere of the American War of Independence, À la Ronde, Exmouth, 11am-4pm 13th Sept - Okay for Croquet! (free tuition from Sidmouth Croquet Club), À
East Devon Coast & Country
7th Oct - Meet the author: Michael Holroyd, Kennaway House, 7.30pm-10pm 12th Oct - Three Tales on Wednesday by Thomas Hardy, The Town Mill Malt House, Lyme Regis 22nd Oct - Slovenian Ladies' Choir, St Michael's Parish Church, Lyme Regis, 7.30pm 22-30thOct - Branscombe's War: Life in Branscombe during World War II, exhibition in Branscombe Village Hall 24-29th Oct - Hallowe'en Tram of Terror, Seaton Tramway, dep 11am, 12.30pm, 2pm, 3.30pm 30th Oct - Chris Gradwell & Friends, An Evening of Poetry, Music & Sketches, Kennaway House, 7.30pm-10pm 4th Nov - Sidmouth Music Club Orchestra, Concert, Sidmouth Parish Church 5th Nov - Sidbury Bonfire & Fireworks Display 5th Nov - Bangers on Bonfire Night, Seaton Tramway, dep 6pm 5th Nov - Fireworks and Bonfire Night, The Harbour, Lyme Regis 5th Nov - Flaming Tar Barrels, Ottery 13th Nov - Remembrance Day March and Service, Sidmouth Town Band, from the Co-op to the Parish Church, Sidmouth
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Sept, Oct & Nov 2011
Forthcoming Events Theatrical Plays 8-14th Sept - Something To Hide by Leslie Sands, Charles&Imogen Vance Season, Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth, 8pm To 10th Sept - The Fair Maid of The West by Thomas Heywood: rarely performed Elizabethan epic, Creative Cow Touring Repertory Theatre, Cygnet New Theatre, Exeter 8-17th Sept -Oliver!, Barnfield Theatre, Exeter, 7pm 15-21st Sept - Doctor In The House by Richard Gordon, Charles&Imogen Vance Season, Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth, 8pm 22-30th Sept - Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary by E.V.Tidmarsh, Charles & Imogen Vance Season, Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth, 8pm 1-8th Oct - Iolanthe, Sidmouth Arts Club Operatic Society, Manor Pavilion Theatre, Sidmouth 10-15th Oct - Cash on Delivery by
Michael Cooney, Exmouth Players, Blackmore Theatre, Exmouth
ing to life the giants of the Rock 'n Roll years, Exmouth Pavilion, 7.30pm
11-15th Oct - Private Lives by Noel Coward, Sidmouth Amateur Dramatic Society, Manor Pavilion Theatre, Sidmouth
13th Oct - Country Roads: Wayne Denton Tribute to John Denver, Exmouth Pavilion, 7.30pm
9-12th Nov - Johnny Jack's War: WWI Community Play, Sidbury Village Hall 21-26th Nov - Make Way for Lucia by John van Druten, Salterton Drama Club, The Playhouse, Budleigh Salterton
Childrens' Entertainment of book illustrated by Quentin Blake, Northcott Theatre, Exeter
Tribute Bands
Fairs 11-15th Sept - Sidbury Fair Week 24th Sept - Colyford Goose Fayre
Musicals 30th Aug-10th Sept - Grease - The Musical (Touring), Princess Theatre, Torquay, 7.30pm 20-25th Sept - Mr Stink: Live on Stage, David Walliams, Musical adaptation
9th Sept - Roy Orbison and Friends 75 Special & The Beatles, tribute by Barry Steele and The Compleat Beatles, Exmouth Pavilion, 7.30pm
25th Oct - Bob the Builder Live!, new stage show from the children's favourite, Princess Theatre, Torquay, 1pm
Comedy
24th Sept - UKU2, Europe's premier U2 tribute band, Seaton Town Hall, 7.30pm
15th Sept - Reginald D Hunter, one of UK comedy's best known and most distinctive performers, Exeter Phoenix, 8pm
3rd Oct - Ralph McTell, singerguitarist-songwriter, with songs and Bob Dylan tribute, Barnfield Theatre, Exeter, 7.30pm
18th Sept - Fascinating Aida: The Cheap Flight Tour, Britain's best loved comedy cabaret trio, Northcott Theatre, Exeter
7th Oct - Rock N Roll Paradise, bring-
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A Celebration of Life in East Devon
11
Forthcoming Events Sept, Oct & Nov 2011
Comedy 9th Oct - Ed Byrne, 'The long-haired comedian', Princess Theatre, Torquay
Classical
Concerts 3rd Sept - Cologne Ensemble, Sidmouth Parish Church, 7.30pm 5th Sept - Organ Recital, John Scarfe, Musical Director of the Parish Church, Broadclyst Parish Church, 10am-12noon 7th Sept - Roger Judd, Organ Recital, Exeter Cathedral, 8pm 17th Sept - The Coffee Cantata, J.S.Bach, Broadclyst Parish Church, 10.30am12noon 23rd Sept - Axe Vale Wind Ensemble, Sidmouth Parish Church, 12 noon 15th Oct - ISCA Ensemble, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, Sidmouth Parish Church, 7.30pm
Mon 24th - Sat 29th October
Ballet 25th Nov - The Nutcracker - Vienna Festival Ballet, Princess Theatre, Torquay
Pecorama 3-4th Sept - Dolls' House Display by the Exeter Dolls' House and Miniaturists Club, Station Halt Gallery 11th Sept - East Devon Kit Car Display 24-29th Oct - Beer Frights Ghost Train for Hallowe'en
27th Aug-2nd Sept - Wonderland Week, Powderham Castle, 11.30am, 1pm, 2.30pm
28th Oct - Sam Armstrong, piano, (pic above) see Honiton Festival display box for further details.
Plus – Children’s Entertainment (Mon-Fri), Treats for Children in Fancy Dress & much more
29th Oct - Emperor String Quartet, Manor Pavilion, Sidmouth, 7.30pm 10th Nov - John Lill, piano, Seaton Town Hall, 7.30pm
Mon 12th Sept
until Sat 22nd Oct Model Railway Exhibition & Train Ride Tickets still apply
OPENING TIMES
Until 16th September Daily 10 - 5.30
From 17th September
Mon - Fri 10 - 5.30 Sat 10 - 1 Sun Closed Weather permitting.
26th Nov - Daniel Tong, piano, The Knowle, Sidmouth, 7.30pm
11th Sept - FORCE 10K Run: raising money for cancer charities, Powderham Castle
Ride the spooky BHLR Ghost Train
Sunday 11th September
26th Nov - Andreas Boyde, piano at St Paul's Church, Honiton at 7.30pm. Contact Honiton Tic for tickets.
castle
Drive a kit car? Bring it along!
25th Nov - James Turnbull, Oboe, Craig White, piano see Honiton Festival box.
POWDERHAM
19th Nov - Tenebrae Music:Gesauldo, English Touring Opera, Southernhay United Reformed Church, Exeter, 4pm
From 31st Oct - Model Shop & Exhibition only
For entertainment dates see the website % % % % % $$$ " !# !
12th Nov - Classics Galore! Concert by Exeter Symphony Orchestra, Lympstone South West Telecoms Brass Band and others, in aid of FORCE, Great Hall, Exeter University, 7.30pm 16th Nov - Flavio:Handel, English Touring Opera, Northcott Theatre, Exeter, 7.30pm 17th Nov - The Fairy Queen:Purcell, English Touring Opera, Northcott Theatre, Exeter 7.30pm 18-19th Nov - Xerxes:Handel, English Touring Opera, Northcott Theatre, Exeter, 7.30pm 18th Nov - Margaret Phillips Organ Recital, St Michael's Parish Church, Lyme Regis, 7.30pm
East Devon Coast & Country
18-20th Nov - Antiques Fair & Fine Arts Fair, Powderham Castle, 11am-5pm
Escot Park To 31st Dec - Artists exhibiting at Coach House Restaurant Sept - Birds of Prey Display, every Tues, Thurs, Sat and Sun, 2pm Oct - Birds of Prey Display, every Tues, Thurs, Sat and Sun, 2pm; plus every day 24-31st Oct, 2pm
FARMERS &
Country Markets
Axminster Country Market - Masonic Hall, Axminster, Thursdays 9am-12 Budleigh Salterton - Rolle Car Park: last Friday of every month, 9am-1pm.
12
Forthcoming Events Sept, Oct & Nov 2011
The Joanna Leach Memorial Recitals in aid of
International Steinway Artist Cullompton - Station Road Car Park: second Saturday of every month, 9.30am-12.30pm. Exeter Farmers Market - South St/ Fore St. Every Thurs. 9am-2pm. Exmouth Country Market - Glenorchy Church Hall, Exeter Road, Exmouth, Fridays Exmouth Farmers' Market - The Strand Gardens, Exmouth, alternate Wednesdays, 29th June-14th Dec, 9am-1pm Honiton Women's Guild Country Market - Mackarness Hall, Honiton, Fridays, 9.30am-11.30am Honiton Local Produce Market - High Street, Honiton, third Thursday (April-Oct) Killerton Farmers’ & Local Produce Markets - every third Saturday of the month from Mar-Oct. Ottery St Mary Farmers' Market Canaan Way Car Park, Ottery St Mary, first Friday, 9am-2pm Ottery St Mary Community Market - The Institute, Ottery St Mary, last Saturday
Andreas Boyde
Seaton Farmers' Market - Seaton Town Hall, third Friday, 9am-1pm Topsham Community Market Held every Sat 8.30-1pm at St Matthews Hall.
A La Ronde To 30th Oct - Compelled to Collect: RAMM Exhibition of cob artworks, À la Ronde, Exmouth 30th Sept - Just Add Water, Jackie Abey & Jill Smallcombe (AbeySmallcombe)The Art of Cob, A la Ronde, Exmouth, 2pm-3pm
Killerton 2nd,9th & 16th Sept - Garden Guided Walk, 2pm-3pm 10th Sept - Coffee and Music in the Chapel, Killerton House, 11am 11th Sept - Heritage Open Day (free entry) and Special Vintage Car Day, 11am-5pm
Brahms:
Scherzo, Op. 4 – Intermezzo, Op. 117 No. 1
Haydn:
Sonata in C major Hob. XVI:50
Liszt:
Nuages gris – Unstern! – La lugubre gondola (I) – Orage – Les Jeux d’Eau à la Villa d’Este
Schumann: Schubert Variations Carnaval, Op. 9
(reconstructed from the manuscripts by Andreas Boyde)
St. PaulĘźs Church, Honiton, East Devon 7:30pm, Saturday 26th November 2011 Tickets: ÂŁ15 & ÂŁ12 (reserved) ÂŁ10 (unreserved) from
Honiton Tourist Information Centre
Tel: 01404 43716
Tickets available from 1st October honitontic@btconnect.com “Monsieur 100,000 Volts� - Badische Zeitung “Wonderful performances... Poetic inspiration� - BBC Music Magazine “A stroke of luck for the music of Robert Schumann� - Leipziger Volkszeitung
CONTINUED OVERLEAF
Â
Honiton  Festival  2011/12 Â
Winter  Lunchtime  Concerts  1pm  at   including  our  popular  buffet  lunch  on  sale  in  the  foyer  from  12  noon  Â
28th  October   Sam  Armstrong,  Piano  25th  November   James  Turnbull,  Oboe  &  Craig  White,  Piano  17th  February  Yuka  Ishizuka,  Violin  &  Nadav  Hertzka,  Piano Â
Sponsored  by  The  Tillett  Trust    Â
March  2012:  Opera  Gala  Evening  English  Touring  Opera Â
May  Mini  Festival  2012  dates  to  be  announced  (see  press  or  website)  Honiton  Festival  Winter  Lunchtime  Concert  Tickets:  £9  unreserved   Bookings:  Honiton  Tourist  Information  Centre  01404  43716 Â
www.thehonitonfestival.co.uk A Celebration of Life in East Devon
13
Live Music Roundup
LIVE MUSIC
Sept, Oct & Nov 2011
GENERAL
at The Bowd Inn - 8pm til 10.30pm.
Friday evenings – Live Music, Dolphin Hotel, Beer
11th Sept - Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon, Pete Allen, Kennaway House, Sidmouth, 3pm-5.30pm
29th Sept - Ruarri Joseph - Exeter Phoenix
25th Sept - Chris Gradwell & Friends, Le Jazz Quartet Kennaway House, Sidmouth, 7.30pm-10pm
14th Oct – When the Bell Tolls, Laura Marling: hauntingly beautiful acoustic folk-pop, Exeter Cathedral, 7.30pm
9th Oct – Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon,
20th Oct - Chris Wood - Exeter Phoenix
1st Jan-31st Dec - Live Intimate Music Gigs, Mama Stone's Exeter 3rd Sept – James Hollingsworth, 'one of the best song writers in the country', Double Locks Hotel, Exeter, 3pm [free event]
Pete Allen, Kennaway House, 3pm5.30pm
9th Sept – The Maccabees, Londonbased indie band, Exeter Phoenix, 7.30pm
21st Oct - Take 4 at The Bowd Inn 8pm til 10.30pm.
1st Oct – Tenchi Shinmei: Wadaiko Ensemble Tokara, Taiko drumming group, Barnfield Theatre, Exeter, 7.30pm
Jazz Cabaret Evening, Kennaway
8th Oct – Kit Holmes, 'sultry vocals and virtuoso guitar playing', Barnfield Theatre, Exeter, 8pm 14th Oct – Roots Manuva, British hip-hop, Exeter Phoenix, 8pm 22nd Oct – Cornwall's '3 Daft Monkies' bring foot-stomping Celtic, World, Spanish and good old tiddly-wink rhythms to Seaton Town Hall, 7.30pm
JAZZ Regular - 2nd Wed of month 7.30pm. Live Jazz at The Five Bells, Clyst Hydon. City Steam Jazz Quartet play easy to listen to Jazz in the relaxed surroundings of The Five Bells. 9th Sept - The Charlie Hearnshaw Trio
27th Nov – Chris Gradwell & Friends, House, 7.30pm-10pm
FOLK ROOTS & ACOUSTIC 7th Sept - Ian Anderson - Exeter Corn Exchange. Tickets £24 9th Sept - Steve James - Bridge Inn Topsham 16th Sept - John Richards Band Seven Stars Folk Club, Kennford nr Exeter
evening of outstanding folk music, Exeter Phoenix
30th Oct - Coope Boyes & Simpson Topsham Folk Club, Globe Hotel 2nd Nov - Carrie Rodriguez - Globe Hotel Topsham Tickets £12 01392 877895 13th Nov - Oysterband & June Tabor Exeter Corn Exchange 18-20th Nov - Folk South West’s West Country Carols Weekend - Sidmouth 20th Nov - Bob Fox - Topsham Folk Club, Globe Hotel
BLUES 1st Sept - Kent Duchaine, Otterton Mill, outdoor gig, 8pm
23rd Sept - Davey Arthur & Friends Barnfield Theatre, Exeter
ROCK / H-METAL
25th Sept - Hannah James & Sam Sweeney - Topsham Folk Club, Globe Hotel
11th Sept – White Wizzard & Jett Black, heavy metal, Cavern Club, Exeter, 8pm
25th Sept - Steve Knightley - Route 2 Café Bar, Topsham
11th Oct – The Answer, 4-piece rock band from Northern Ireland, Cavern Club, Exeter
27th Sept – Carthy & Swarbrick, an
FEATURED BAND interviewed by Guy Peters
Take 4
cool jazz with a touch of class
This quartet comprises the group’s founders Ric White (saxes and flute) and Ted Draper (drums) along with Paul Barnham on keyboard and Mike Thorn on double bass. Ric started out playing with concert bands when he was young and went on to play jazz, rock, reggae, funk, avant garde and free-form before returning to jazz. Ric and Ted got together five years ago to create an unusual duet of sax and drums. After a while, they decided a keyboard player would help provide a more well rounded sound and pulled in Paul Barnham. At this point they were known as Take 3. Three years ago, they added bass player Mike Thorn and changed the groups name to Take 4. Since then they have gone from strength to strength.
They play a mixture of mainstream, cool and early jazz which they adapt to appeal to a wide audience. It’s an arresting concoction of show
festivals or for dancing. They can provide a trio where space or budget is limited or add an excellent female singer for those who want more fun and a touch of glamour. A quartet for all seasons, it can be hot in the winter, cool in the summer, mellow in the autumn and fresh in the spring. For year round pleasure, you need nothing more than Take 4! The quartet play regular gigs at The Beach pub in Exmouth, The Quay Brasserie in Topsham and The Bowd Inn on the A3052 near Sidmouth.
left to right: Ric White, Ted Draper, Mike Thorn and Paul Barnham
tunes from the 30s, 40s and 50s which can be moulded to provide a restful and melodic background atmosphere in restaurants and special private functions or up tempo for bars and music
East Devon Coast & Country
For a full list of upcoming venues and dates checkout their website: take4jazz.com The website also provides a chance to hear Take 4 in action with a sample link. To book the group, phone Ted Draper on: 01395 277428 or email: info@take4jazz.com To get your band featured, call Nigel on 01395 513383
14
Sunday 30 October 2011 8pm - Coope Boyes & Simpson - Topsham Folk Club, Globe Hotel
Saturday 1st October 8pm - Black Umfolosi 5 - Exeter Corn Exchange Zimbabwe’s greatest ambassadors performing music inspired by the traditional song and dance of their native southern Africa with a beauty and enthusiasm that is unrivalled. Black Umfolosi 5 have become firm favourites, with people of all ages and cultures, due to their natural ability to communicate passion and feeling in their explosively colourful performances. Their exciting blend of hypnotically rhythmic African dance and beautifully-crafted a cappella harmony singing has seen them performing sell-out tours all over the world. BU5 will be joined by some very special local guests raising money for Christian Aid’s ZimPro fund and a proportion of the ticket price is being donated to this essential humanitarian work on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe. Box office 01392 665866 or cornexchange@exeter.gov.uk
Since their first appearance in 1993, Coope Boyes & Simpson’s powerful and distinctive unaccompanied singing and songwriting have taken English roots into radical new directions. Described as "quite simply the best purveyors of acappella song on these Islands", their first CD, Funny Old World, was the rock magazine Q’s Roots Album of the Year. These days they normally only appear in concert halls and at festivals so this is a rare chance to see them in an intimate setting. Call Brian Lewis on 01404 44498 to reserve tickets. www.topshamfolkclub.co.uk
IF YOUR VENUE HAS LIVE MUSIC, get added to our events by emailing nigel@ annuity-rate. co.uk
Wednesday 7 September 2011 7.30pm Ian Anderson - Exeter Corn Exchange
Sunday 25 September 2011 8.15pm - Steve Knightley Route 2 Café Bar, Topsham (below)
An evening with Jethro Tull's front man. Jethro Tull is usually found sharing the same shelf as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin etc., but it is all too often forgotten that a large part of the Tull repertoire is, in fact, acoustic music. After 43 years of leading Tull to 54 countries, Ian Anderson's new acoustic tour with a band consisting of German guitar virtuoso Florian Opahle and pianist/accordionist John O'Hara will play Tull acoustic classics as well as other specially-rearranged Tull rock material and, in addition, some new material specially written for these tours. Drawing on Folk, Classical, Rock and Jazz music styles, Ian blends elements of many world music cultures to delight his fans. Throw away the ear-plugs, sit back, relax and savour Anderson's musical smorgasbord. Tickets £24 Box office 01392 665938 cornexchange@ exeter.gov.ukto this essential humanitarian work on behalf of the people of Zimbabwe. Box office 01392 665866 or cornexchange@exeter.gov.uk
Last night of Steve's solo autumn tour. £12 adv / £14 door. Small venue so book early, 01395 267029 or 07771 558914 (lodge music promotions).
Forthcoming Events (continued) Sept, Oct & Nov 2011 17th Sept - Farmers' & Local Produce Market
Exeter Livestock and Pannier Market, Exeter Livestock Centre - Fridays
20th Sept-2nd Oct - Devon Guild of Spinners and Weavers 60th Anniversary Exhibition, Killerton House, 11am-5pm
Exmouth Country Market, Glenorchy Hall, Exeter Road, Friday 8.30-11.15am.
15th Oct - Farmers' & Local Produce Market
MARKET DAYS Axminster Street Market at Trinity Square every Thur 8.30-3pm. Axminster Country Market - Masonic Hall, South Street: every Thurs, 9am12pm. Cullompton Indoor Market - Town Hall every Wednesday, 9am-1pm. Exeter Craft Day on 1st Sat in Month May-Sept. Fore St/South St, Exeter.
Honiton Weekly Street Market - Honiton High Street: Tuesday and Saturday, 9am onwards.
EXHIBITIONS 3-18th Sept - Devon Open Studios: see work of the Devon Artists' Network in locations across the county; see www.devonartistnetwork.co.uk www.devonartistnetwork.co.uk 17-25th Sept - View from the Beach Huts, Brian Matravers and Philip Clayton: exhibition of original plein-air paintings, The Inn Plaice, The Pilot Boat, Lyme Regis
01395 578222
www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk Sidmouth, Devon, EX10 0NU
FREE E NTR Y
A charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales No. 264818
Disclaimer - you are advised that before attending any of the events listed in the "Forthcoming Events" and 'Live Music Roundup' section of this magazine, you should contact the venue in advance to double check that the dates and times are correct.
Continued page 25
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
15
Forthcoming Art Exhibitions Sept, Oct and Nov 2011
Feona Ness - 'Light on the Brushwood' - Artwave West
GALLERIES
Ray Balkwill - 'Sunlit Creek, Lerryn' Mixed Media
Until 22nd Sept - Anje Yelf - solo exhibition at East Devon Business Centre. Alan Cotton - 'Spume off Hartland Coast'
Sept - Five Gallery Artists - on show at Artwave West - see display box. 3-18th Sept - Devon Open Studios artists from all over Devon open their doors to the public. Guides available from TIC and libraries. To 10 Sept 2011 - Evolver Prize 2011 Selected entries from annual open ‘Evolver’ arts mag cover competition at Thelma Hulbert.
Susanna Lance - 'High Seas' - ISCA Gallery Open Tues – Sat 10.30 – 5.00
Sun 2.00 – 5.00
Mary Sumner - 'Blocking the Path' Hybrid
Rebecca Greenwood - 'Rusty Ring' Open Art Studio
Tel: 01395 443003
AUTUMN EXHIBITIONS 15th Sept to 9th Oct The late John Buckland-Wright in support of the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, a retrospective of one of the most important illustrators of the early 20th century. 15th Oct to 9th Nov “The Life of Brian” - a Brian Hanscomb retrospective. Living in Cornwall, copperplate engraver, acknowledged as the best living engraver by Resurgence magazine.
Ray Balkwill’s STUDIO GALLERY
7-17th Sept - Honiton Art Society Annual Exhibition - 10.30-4.30, £1 admission, children free. Mackarness Hall, Honiton. 10th Sept-6th Nov - Tim Nicholson,
Andrew George, Svend Bayer and Peter Southall at Sladers Yard - see box.
15th Sept to 9th Oct - The late John Buckland-Wright - illustrations - Brook Gallery.
Cristina Ulander contemporary
art
Thistledown, Marley Road, Exmouth, EX8 4PP Tel: 01395 270278
Original Paintings, Limited Edition Prints, Books, Cards
www.cristinaulander.co.uk studio-gallery
17th Sep-22nd Oct - A Place in Time Hybrid Gallery, Honiton. 17-30th Sept - Mike Bernard RI solo show at Marine House. Steam Gallery hosts studio glass by Peter Layton and London Glassblowing colleagues on same dates. 23-25th Sept - Narrative Bodies - paintings, drawings, sculptures screenprint, etc at Salem Chapel (see our feature on Salem). 10-5, free admission.
hybrid
24th Sept - 12th Nov - Cleo Mussi: Pharma’s Market - Engaging mosaic installation re-interpreting agricultural themes - Thelma Hulbert. Oct - Stephen Bishop - solo show at Artwave West - see feature page. 2nd Oct - Home to Roost - new work by Richard Adams at Combe House. Hybrid. EastDevonArt.co.uk
art & design for your home and garden
51 High Street Honiton t. 01404 43201 www.hybrid-devon.co.uk
Next Show - Christmas Exhibition
‘UNDER WESTERN SKIES’
My studio and gallery is situated in the quiet village of Buckerell (3 miles from Honiton) and is open on a daily basis, but please ring.
A Place in Time 17th Sept - 22nd Oct
Recent paintings from Co. Kerry to Cornwall by Ray Balkwill, SWAc. Ceramics by Andy Morley. Sat 3rd & Sun 4th December. 10am - 5pm.
I paint in oils and acrylics, incorporating gold leaf & mixed media. My inspirations are from nature: sky, sea, birds & butterfiles to name just a few.
Home to Roost Sunday 2nd Oct
For invitation to Preview please telephone 01395 270278 Otherwise Studio Gallery open strictly by appointment only.
cristina.ulander@btopenworld.com tel: 07900 891315
www.raybalkwill.co.uk
From September 3rd-18th, I will be taking part in the Devon Open Studios event, and will be open daily 11am to 6pm, guides are available from many outlets including TIC and libraries
Paintings by Sam Hewitt and Mary Sumner and ceramic vessels by Rosanna Martin for one day only - new work by Richard Adams at Combe House, Gittisham
Wish 12th Nov - 24th Dec
A mixed exhibition of painting, print & craft
Old Fore Street, Sidmouth EX10 8LS www.eastdevonart.co.uk 01395 516284
Devon Open Studios 3rd - 18th September Featuring work by Catherine Osbond, Matt Culmer and Richard Wilson. A diverse collection of expressive landscapes and animal paintings.
Autumn Exhibition 22nd-30th October
A new collection of landscape, wildlife and figurative paintings from local artists. Art tuition available throughout the year. Open every day 11am-5pm, including Sunday
Donna Goold - 'First Light' - artwavewest
East Devon Coast & Country
16
Barbara Green - 'Patches of Sunlight'
OPEN ART STUDIO Contact: Rebecca on 07896 187548 Libra Court | Fore Street | Sidmouth
AUTUMN EXHIBITION Working artists Studio and attic gallery hosting contemporary artwork by selected local artists, including photography, fine art paintings and limited prints.
Catherine Osbond - 'Red Umbrella' East Devon Art Academy Charlie O'Sullivan - 'Hillside Retreat' - Marine House at Beer
Open everyday 10am - 5pm
01404 45006 To 10 Sept 2011 - EVOLVER PRIZE 2011 Selected entries from annual open ‘Evolver’ arts mag cover competition - free. 24th Sept - 12th Nov - CLEO MUSSI: PHARMA’S MARKET - Engaging mosaic installation re-interpreting agricultural themes - free. 26th Nov - 23th Dec - PRESENT MAKERS Christmas selling exhibition by South West designer/makers - free.
Peter Goodhall - 'Liberty I'
www.thelmahulbert.com
Stephen Bishop - '4 Boats - Lyme Cobb' - Artwave West
15th Oct to 9th Nov - “The Life of Brian” - a Brian Hanscomb retrospective - Brook Gallery. 22-30th Oct - Autumn Exhibition collection of landscape, wildlife and figurative painting - East Devon Art Academy - see box. 29th Oct to 11th Nov - Charlie O’Sullivan solo show at Marine House and Amanda Popham at Steam Gallery on same dates.
Nov - Autumn Mixed Exhibition at Artwave West, Morecombelake. 12th Nov-24th Dec - Wish: mixed exhibition, painting, print & craft, Hybrid. From 13th Nov - Gallery Artists Group Show including Julian Bailey and Vanessa Gardiner at Sladers Yard, Bridport. 26th Nov - 23th Dec - Present Makers - Xmas selling exhibition by South West designer/makers - Thelma Hulbert.
3 & 4th Dec - Under Western Skies - recent paintings from Co. Kerry to Cornwall by Ray Balkwill, SWAc. Ceramics by Andy Morley. See box display. 3-6th Dec - Exhibition - Alan Cotton opens his studio in Colaton Raleigh for an exhibition of paintings and prints. 10am to 5pm daily. This is the first tie Alan has opened his studio for some years and includes paintings from Devon, Cornwall, Provence, Piemonte and the West Coast of Ireland.
Sladers Yard
Contemporary British Art, Furniture, Craft and Licensed Cafe’ West Bay Bridport Dorset DT6 4EL
EXHIBITIONS : Tim Nicholson, Andrew George, Svend Bayer & Peter Southall New paintings, ceramics and furniture. 10th Sept - 6th Nov
Gallery Artists Group Show Includes Julian Bailey and Vanessa Gardiner From 13th Nov Gifts by leading British designers www.sladersyard.co.uk 01308 459511
ISCA GALLERY
www.marinehouseatbeer.co.uk www.steamgallery.co.uk
info@artwavewest.com | artwavewest.com artwave west | 01297 489 746 morcombelake | dorset | DT6 6DY
Autumn Exhibition Sept to Nov 2011
AUTUMN EXHIBITIONS 17-30th Sept - Mike Bernard RI solo show at Marine House. Steam Gallery hosts studio glass by Peter Layton and London Glassblowing colleagues on same dates. 29th Oct to 11th Nov - Charlie O’Sullivan solo show at Marine House and Amanda Popham at Steam Gallery on same dates. Contact the gallery for a catalogue on: 01297 625257 or 625144
www.iscagallery.co.uk
AUTUMN EXHIBITIONS September: 5 Gallery Artists October: Stephen Bishop - Solo Show November: Autumn Mixed Exhibition Open Wednesday to Saturday 10am-4pm
New works by Susanna Lance and selected West Country artists. Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday 11am-5pm (Autumn) (Closed Thursday) 3 Chapel Street Budleigh Salterton EX9 6LX
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
01395 444193
www.barbaragreen.co.uk Studio/Gallery, Manscombe Abbey, Taylors Lane, Morcombelake (1/4 mile from A35)
T: 01297 489438 barbara.green4@btinternet.com Work in oil, collagraphs, etchings, and mixed media. Prices between £50 and £500 Studio/Gallery 1/4 mile from Art Wave West along the road signed to Whitchurch Canonicorum. Open at all times but please check first by telephone.
17
info@artwavewest.com | artwavewest.com
morcombelake | dorset | DT6 6DY
artwave west | 01297 489 746
Artwave West concentrates its exhibiting around a collection of selected artists who have shaped a distinctive personal vision around the discourse between abstraction and figuration. Featuring in a series of exciting shows, these
are professional artists who have an impressive national and international exhibiting profile. Visiting artists are selected to exhibit in mixed shows, bringing diversity and new ideas to the programme. With exhibitions changing
frequently, visitors can always be assured that there will be something new and exciting to see. With a coffee bar to relax in and soak up the ambiance, it really is a stunning place to be able to look at and appreciate art.
The next three months at Artwave West! September’s Exhibition features new work by five of the top Gallery Artists:
Martin Goold: Original paintings depicting the iconic skyline of London with incredible measured accuracy. Edward Kelly: Powerful, expressive paintings composed of rhythmic marks and gestures.
Edward Kelly - ‘Pineapple Glory’
Sonia Stanyard: Beautiful and quietly contemplative landscape paintings with subtle shifts of colour. Stephen Bishop - ‘Shining’
Jon Adam: Expertly crafted works where the abstract activity of paint finds equivalents to the artists observations. Jeannette Hayes: Fresh works of pastel on paper symbolize a personal record of places recently visited. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm
Feona Ness - ‘Atlantic Eve Light’
October will see a solo show by one of Dorset’s most well loved artists, Stephen Bishop. His familiar richly textured surfaces of paint, full of energy and movement and alive with vivid colour will adorn the walls. Featuring striking new works using Lyme Regis as a focus, this highly anticipated exhibition is not to be missed.
Sonia Stanyard - ‘Alveolar’
Open Wednesday to Saturday 10am - 4pm
November’s Exhibition will be a stimulating Jon Adam - ‘Untitled’
Jeannette Hayes - ‘Spring Green’
and diverse show that will continue right up to Christmas. Wonderful new paintings inspired by light, weather patterns and colour by Feona Ness will be revealed. Ten additional artists will fill the large gallery with breathtaking new pictures. Open Wednesday to Saturday 10am - 4pm For further information about any of the exhibitions or to be added to the mailing list, please contact Donna at the gallery. Edward Kelly - ‘Cosmos’
Martin Goold - ‘Pool of London’
East Devon Coast & Country
Art Galleries
18
Mike Bernard ‘Borough Fruit & Veg Market, London’ - 20”x 40”
AUTUMN EXHIBITION AT BEER Marine House and Steam Gallery at Beer are staging four very special exhibitions this autumn presenting works by Mike Bernard, Peter Layton, Charlie O’Sullivan and Amanda Popham. www.marinehouseatbeer.co.uk 01297 625257
Works will also be displayed on our website www. marinehouseatbeer.co.uk approximately three weeks before the exhibitions and are then available for sale.
From Saturday 17th September – Friday 30th September Marine House hosts their sixth solo show by Mike Bernard RI, one of the West Country’s most acclaimed artists. On the same dates Steam Gallery host beautiful studio glass made By Peter Layton and London Glassblowing colleagues.
www.steamgallery.co.uk 01297 625144
From Saturday 29th October – Friday 11th November Marine House host the second solo show by Charlie O’Sullivan, the hottest new artist to emerge in the region for some years. On the same dates Steam Gallery stage the eagerly anticipated solo show of sculptural pottery by Amanda Popham. This will be her largest show to date. All these artists are leaders in their fields so, should you wish to meet them at the private views held from 11.00am on the first Saturday of the shows, please contact the galleries for a colour catalogue and an invitation.
www.marinehouseatbeer.co.uk 01297 625257 www.steamgallery.co.uk 01297 625144 Peter Layton ‘Lagoon’
Mike Bernard ‘St. Michael’s Mount’ 16”x 22”
Charlie O’Sullivan ‘Together’ 90”x 90”
Amanda Popham ‘ Pensive Teapot’
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
Charlie O’Sullivan ‘Garden Treasures’ 36”x 81”
Art Galleries
19
ROOM
MARTIN BENTHAM RWA
8th October to 6th November 2011
Selected works by this outstandingly gifted observational painter who learnt his craft from Michael Garton and Clifford Fishwick at Exeter College of Art and Design during the eighties. He has been exhibiting professionally for over 30 years and was elected an Academician in 2009. Martin lives and works in the beautiful Mendips and these surroundings have inspired much of his pastoral work which he often paints in situ. Other pieces are like ‘time capsules’ portraying the every day life of a rural community such as busy market stalls or meat preparation in the butchers shop, both of which are being threatened by the ever encroaching presence of the supermarket. Now in his 50th year Martin is moving away from realism, recognising that in a world constantly bombarded with ‘real’ images, painting must present an alternative way of seeing and it is the paint itself, the surface, which has its own voice. This exciting celebration of paint and mark making is the essence of Martin’s new and invigorated practice. He quotes Lucien Freud ‘the picture in order to move us must never merely remind us of life but must acquire a life of its own’ This exceptional exhibition is being held in the newly acquired and refurbished gallery on the Strand in Topsham.
ART
THE
THE
ART
ROOM
8a The Strand, Topsham EX3 OJB Director: Deborah Wood www.theartroomtopsham.co.uk email theartroom@eclipse.co.uk OPEN WEEKENDS 11am to 5pm Monday and Wednesday 1pm to 5pm
East Devon Coast & Country
Art Galleries
20
North Cornwall – Ebb Tide at Yoel Mouth 71 x 91cm
ALAN COTTON STUDIO EXHIBITION Brockhill Studio Colaton Raleigh Devon EX10 0LH 3rd – 6th December 2011
10am to 5pm Daily
www.alancotton.co.uk For some years past it has given Alan Cotton great pleasure to open his studio for a few days to welcome friends, collectors and anyone interested in painting to come along to see some of his latest works and enjoy a pre-Christmas drink. Alan has been represented by Messum’s Fine Art in London for the past 21 years and has annual exhibitions in their Cork Street Gallery. His work can be found in important collections throughout Europe and North America, including the Royal Collection. This has been a very exciting and eventful year for Alan. In May he travelled to the Himalayas as Expedition Artist with David Hempleman-Adams when his team climbed to the summit of Everest by the North Face. Alan and David flew out again in October, to trek to Base Camp, where Alan’s drawings and watercolours of Everest will form the basis of his 2012 London Exhibition. In September this year he was appointed the first Professor of Arts at the University of Bath. In this new exhibition Alan shows his delight in landscape from the many different parts of the world to which he has travelled. Art Historian, Jenny Pery, writes, “The irrepressible optimism of Alan Cotton’s art cannot fail to lift the spirits...His paintings communicate his sense of awe in particular places and the thrills of being in wild countryside.” Piemonte – Rows of Vines at Montelupo Alabese 61 x 61cm
Provence – Bonnieux From the Terrace at Lacoste 61 x 61cm
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
21
Autumn The Fashion & Beauty2011
Autumn
2011
Sandwich
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Sandwich
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Autumn Collection
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for a relaxed & enjoyable shopping experience Tel: 01395 579181 email: info@chapterclothing.co.uk Chapter Church Street Sidmouth Devon EX10 8LZ East Devon Coast & Country
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‘FASHION SHOW’ Chapter
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micro-zone skin treatment ÂŁ20.00 dermalogica skin treatment ÂŁ36.00
All proceeds to
MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT
100+
advanced dermalogica skin treatment ÂŁ44.00
Go the extra mile for our centenary
To be held at SIDMOUTH GOLF CLUB On Thursday 6th October arrive 7.30 for 8pm
Tickets available from Chapter, Church St, Sidmouth Tel 01395 579181
available now available now
TICKETS ÂŁ18.00 TO INCLUDE A GLASS OF ‘BUBBLY’ ON ARRIVAL, BUFFET AND DRINK
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24
Business Advice R E C R U I T M E N T How you attract, screen and select talent to join your Company that will be the responsibility of the
is where your job description and
side your interviewee will probably
successful candidate. It does not have
person spec really come into play
want a tour of the business and will
to be all encompassing and indeed
as you have a blueprint to match
want to ask you questions – no doubt
some flexibility would probably be
up to. Whilst there may be obvious
salary and benefits being top of the
beneficial to both parties. Secondly,
applicants to invite to interview and
list so ensure you are well prepared
a person specification - not as scary
obvious ones to reject, there will be
to field all enquiries.
as it sounds. Basically, decide what
some who fall somewhere in between
skills and attributes are required to
and these are the ones you will have
fulfill the job functions and then
to make a judgment call on. A word
decide whether these are essential
of warning – do not take too many
or desirable.
through to the interview stage; it is
Written by Katina Styles, a director
Armed with these two documents you
at Axminster Tool Centre Ltd.
navigate the recruitment route; the
will be well equipped to successfully (very) basic steps being as follows: Decide how you are going to
Recruitment is serious business we
advertise the vacancy – local
a time consuming process and can muddy the waters; a few good ones are all you need.
Finally, make your choice! Don’t reject the others until you have an acceptance (preferably in writing) from your chosen one. Take up references and you’re away! Of course, there is quite a lot more to it than that but space is limited,
As a matter of courtesy write to those you are rejecting; there is nothing more soul destroying than applying
another time maybe. The golden rules are to be well prepared, go through the process step by step, make
for jobs and having no response.
copious notes at all stages and the all costs it should prevent you from
are not talking X Factor here but a
newspaper, specialist publication,
process which will take you bang into
notice boards, recruitment agencies
On to the interviews – best done at
perfect employee should result. At
the middle of the employment law
are a few avenues you can use. Your
a time when you won’t be distracted
finding yourself in the unenviable
minefield. As with everything, get it
advertisement could well be the
in any way. Prepare a list of questions
position of pointing a (crooked) finger
right and it will bring huge benefits,
first impression of your Company
you want to ask; especially ones
and uttering ‘you’re fired’ at some
get it wrong and you could well
for many people and will go a long
which will give you evidence of your
stage in the future.
find yourself playing the Alan Sugar
way to determining interest in the job
essential and desirable skills. If your
boardroom game.
opening. Ensure the wording clearly
business demands it you may want to
sets out what the position is and in
devise a practical test. On the other
The key to successful recruitment is preparation. It is well worth taking time to decide exactly what role you want a recruit to undertake and to
no way infringes any discrimination laws especially in respect of disability, age or sex.
visualize the person who will be the
Once you have all the applications to
best fit both for the position and
hand (a closing date is useful here as it
your business. The first step is to
gives you a definite cut off point) you
draw up a job description which in
then have the difficult job of sifting
its simplest form is just a list of tasks
through the good and the bad. This
17th Sept-14th Oct - Maritime Lyme Photographic Exhibition, Lyme Regis Museum
Exmouth Craft Fair, The Pavilion, Esplanade, Exmouth, 25th Sept,16th Oct & 20th Nov, 10am-4pm
22-30th Oct - Favell Bevan Arti, Kennaway House, Sidmouth
Honiton - Textiles, Costumes, & Decorative Items Fair, Mackarness Hall, 4th Oct 10am-4pm
Antique & Flea Budleigh Salterton Flea Market Public Hall, High Street, Thursdays, 10am-1pm Devon County Antiques Fair, The Matford Centre, Marsh Barton, Exeter 1st Oct & 26th Nov, 9am-4.30pm Exeter Flea Market - Exeter Livestock Centre, Marsh Barton, 3rd Sept & 15th Oct, 7.30am-2pm
Lyme Regis - Art and Craft Fair with Children's Activities, Woodmead Halls, 17th Sept, 10am-4pm Topsham - Falling Leaves Craft Fair, Matthew's Hall, 9th Oct, 10am-4pm Westpoint - New International Antiques and Collectors Fair: up to 400 exhibitors from all over the UK, Westpoint, Exeter, 5-6th Nov
Not all all Not accountants accountants areare thethe same same Not all Let usLet lift us theliftburden of financial the burden of financial accountants administration and compliance administration and compliance with prompt, professional and and are the same with prompt, professional proactive services backed up by
proactive services backed up by Let us lift the adds burden meaningful advice that adds up. meaningful advice that up.of financial administration and compliance Call us to us arrange a free with prompt, Call to arrange aconsultation freeprofessional consultationand proactive services backed up by Honiton 01404 43360 Honiton 0845 0845 293 0521 (local rate) Honiton 293 0521 (local rate) meaningful advice that adds up. Taunton 01823 321177 Taunton 0845 293 0520 (local rate) Taunton 0845 293 0520 (local rate) www.churchill-co.net Call us to arrange a free consultatio www.churchill-co.net
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
Honiton 0845 293 0521 (local rate Taunton 0845 293 0520 (local rate 25 www.churchill-co.net
Manor Hotel & Restaurant
Lakeview Manor near Dunkeswell, a hidden gem set in 45 acres of beautiful gardens and lakes. The candle-lit restaurant overlooks the front lake and garden and is open to non-residents seven days a week.
Eating Out
W
Head Chef, Andrew Deam, takes pride in sourcing local, high quality produce at a reasonable price.
in East Devon
elcome to East Devon Coast & Country's eating out section which we hope you' ll give you inspiration, after all, everyone enjoys a meal out - it's a real treat. We're so lucky here in the south west with many lovely country pubs and also the chance to enjoy our meal with a sea view.
R Example Dishes R
Steamed West Country Mussels in a lemon, garlic and coriander broth Pan Fried Duck Breast with Winter Berry & Port Sauce, Sweet Potato Parmentier Warm Chocolate & Roasted Hazelnut Brownie, Served with Chocolate Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce
Lakeview Manor Hotel & Restaurant tel 01404 891358 www.lakeviewmanor.co.uk Dunkeswell, Honiton, Devon EX14 4SH
For high quality food produced from fresh local ingredients, visit the relaxed atmosphere of
B e e lls Inn v i F e h T at Clyst Hydon
Tel 01884 277288
EX15 2NT
fivebellsclysthydon.co.uk
E A T. . .
DRINK...
S T A Y. . .
Open daily from 10am for Italian coffee, freshly baked pastries and cakes. Excellent food served daily from 12 noon. Central town location with full disabled access. “The trendiest joint in town!�
The Times.
As featured in The GOOD PUB Guide From Honiton, come through Fenny Bridges, turn right at Fairmile, and through Talaton. From Sidmouth come through Ottery, past Cadhay, across the old A30 at Fairmile, and through Talaton. From Exeter, come via Pinhoe and Broadclyst towards Cullompton; opposite Fagin’s turn right, follow the road for 2 miles, turn right at T junction, and then one more right turn at Clyst Hydon village sign to reach pub. OPEN
12-2.30pm, 6.30pm-11pm/10.30 Sunday Closed Monday lunchtimes, food last orders, 2.00pm & 9.00pm
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East Devon Coast & Country
26
The Salty Monk
THE JACK
IN THE GREEN
Restaurant with Rooms
Bed & Breakfast of the Year 2008/2009
Celebrating
20 years and still getting better.
y Dinner every evening y Lunch - Thursday to Sunday y Sunday Afternoon Tea y Small Weddings & Private Parties y Boutique Accommodation y Cream teas
Try our ‘Totally Devon’ menu still only £25 for 3 fantastic courses.
2 AA Rosette Restaurant
Tel: 01395 513174 Church Street, Sidford, Sidmouth, Devon EX10 9QP www.saltymonk.co.uk
Telephone: 01404 822240. www.jackinthegreen.uk.com Rockbeare, Near Exeter, Devon EX5 2EE
BTBAd10_194x133:Layout 1 03/02/2010 18:31 Page 1
Great Entertainment. Delicious Food. Fantastic Wine.
By day...
Dedicated to delivering freshly produced dishes with flair and a smile, By the Bay is an unmissable Lyme Regis dining experience. Open all year round for drinks, traditional seaside meals, afternoon teas and evening dining.
Check out our website or visit us on Facebook for our current opening hours and forthcoming events.
By night...
r e s ta u r a n t & wine bar Marine Parade, Lyme Regis, Dorset. DT7 3JH Tel. 01297 442668 www.bythebay.co.uk
By the Bay... more than just a restaurant A Celebration of Life in East Devon
27
Eating Out
in East Devon
The Royal Lion Hotel
01297 445622
www.royallionhotel.com
Now serving morning coffee and cake in Monmouth Room, Sunday lunch served in the Oak Room. Broad Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset DT7 3QF Food 12-2.30pm, 6pm-9pm. Drinks - 11am-11pm. Open 7 days.
OPEN
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fresh fish specialist
vegetarian options on menu
gf
gluten free on menu
child friendly
dog friendly
outdoor eating
SIDMOUTH DEVON
01395 272644/270403 L
L
open for lunches
Bar & Restaurant
The Swan The Strand Lympstone
ED
open for evening dinner
Pyne’s
teas/coffee
v
• Pit Stop for Estuary Cycle Path • Cycle racks outside pub • Excellent selection of Cask Marque Real Ales • Excellent lunchtime and evening menu • Daily Fresh Fish Board • Yards from the waters edge
www.theswaninn-lympstone.co.uk
Restaurant open 7 days a week including Sunday Evenings Lunch 12-2.30/3.00 weekend, dinner 6.00-9.30pm.
Going out? Head for Sidmouth s premier Bar and Restaurant. Pyne’s offers a choice of eating styles with extensive menus prepared using fresh and local produce, much of which is sourced from the family farm. Open daily for morning coffee, lunches and evening meals. Speciality curry night every Wednesday and pie night every Thursday (booking advisable). The Bedford Hotel, Esplanade, EX10 8NR Email: info@befordhotelsidmouth.co.uk
or call 01395 513047
Liddon’s Dairy Station Road Colyton 01297 551559
(15O yards from tram station)
TROPICAL TEA GARDEN and
Pal m CENTRE Don’t miss our End of Season Palm Clearance Sale
Tea Rooms & Patio
Teas, freshly ground coffee, chilled drinks, home-made cakes, scones baked daily
Savouries & Light Lunches Baguettes, paninni, fresh crab & smoked salmon. Salads freshly prepared with herbs from our garden. Real Devon Ice cream
South facing patio with palms and parasols
Open until End of October
Open 10am-5pm 7 days a week.
We now have Rare Breed Chickens
Call for early April opening days & times
Have lunch or a snack whilst enjoying the surroundings
Bring the kids, they’ll enjoy watching the llamas, horses, rabbits, Guinea pigs, exotic birds and chickens whilst you relax with a cup of tea and a cake.
East Devon Coast & Country
28
NEW! Brazzerie Dining
HAWKCHURCH, NEAR AXMINSTER, DEVON EX13 5TX
WITH MOUTHWATERING MEALS (Mon ‒ Sat)
Starters from £ 4.60
Mains from £ 9.50 Desserts from £ 5.00
AWARD WINNING FOOD PANORAMIC VIEWS WEDDING LICENCE
OVER 60ʼS LUNCHES
01297 678349
Every Wednesday 2 Courses @ £11.50 3 Courses @ £15.50
FAMILY SUNDAY CARVERY & BRAZZ LUNCH With Two Roasts of the Day To book, please call 01297 678349
Adults Main Course Carvery £10.00
email: info@fairwaterheadhotel.co.uk www.fairwaterheadhotel.co.uk
Childrenʼs Main Course Carvery £5.00
Open daily for lunch, afternoon tea & dinner
To get your eater ie included in this section, call Nigel on 01395 512166/513383
Wine Tasting Evening: 14th September 2011 Wedding Fair: 24th September 10.30am-4pm A chance to win £500 off a marquee wedding!
Buckerell Village, Weston, Honiton, Devon, EX14 3PG Tel: 01404 41266 www.deerparkcountryhotel.co.uk
LIVE MUSIC AT YOUR VENUE? Do you have live music planned for your public house or restaurant. Did you know we now have a Live Music Roundup section, where you can promote your musical events free of charge? All we need is the event date and name, the venue and the genre (e.g. Jazz, blues, folk, etc). Email to nigel@prestige-media.co.uk
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
29
Tales of religious dissent, smuggling & hauntings....
SALEM CHAPEL at East Budleigh
‘…the Law’s arm is
weak in these parts against the contraband, and must be strengthened by
some
hangings.’
wholesome
J. Meade Faulkner, ‘Moonfleet’, 1898.
of old London Road and the almost dead-straight Roman Road leading from Otterton up onto Woodbury Common.
by Steve Chilcott
The building audibly groans with echoes and apparitions from its past; the ghosts of long-dead hellfire preachers and cutlass-rattling contrabandiers.
surprisingly, to deny a connection, one Roger Conant, baptized in East Budleigh church on April 9th 1592, later became founder and first governor, in 1626, of a struggling New World colony at the mouth of the Naumkeag river, soon to be re-named Salem, in the State of Massachusetts.
ambitious restoration was completed in 2006, at a cost of £700,000. The construction is largely of local Beer stone and cob supporting a hipped slated roof above a central steel post which recently replaced one of cast-iron manufacture, which in turn replaced a wooden post - some say a living tree.
Salem was originally a Presbyterian chapel, later hosting the Congregationalists before briefly falling into the ownership of the Assembly of God. It is built on the
Roger, as a young man had reputedly served an apprenticeship with the Worshipful Company of Salters in London, having doubtless first learnt
When this cast-iron post was removed a small purse containing coins and other artefacts was uncovered. Anchored securely to the central pillar tastefully inconspicuous steel cables now stabilize the four external walls and a vaulted plaster ceiling springs out to the wall plate, but the true, intriguing mystery lies overhead… Concealed from view from below on all four sides, an external, central well, sufficiently large to conceal a considerable stash of contraband plus look-out, with 360 deg vision, lies immediately above, supported by this central column, access being by a concealed trap-door well out of view of anyone at ground level. Here it was that barrels of liquor and cases of valuable excise-free goods, illicitly landed, as likely as not, at nearby Ladram Bay, were stored awaiting transport up country to be fenced anonymously in the bustling markets of London or Bristol.
The chapel has a spartan but elegant feel to it!
T
he delightful Salem Chapel stands on Vicarage Rd, on the northerly extremity of East Budleigh village (grid reference SY070851), a few hundred yards from the ancient and mysterious stone cross standing at the intersection
edge of the village, as required by law, on ground formerly used, from 1709, by Presbyterian worshippers whose clandestine meetings had previously been convened in a barn in nearby Frogmore Lane. Although the literature would appear,
the rudiments on the briny tidal estuary of the River Otter. Grade II* Listed, Salem is one of twenty such buildings owned and maintained by the Historic Chapels Trust* and its
East Devon Coast & Country
Smuggling is the swashbuckling derringdo stuff of the ‘Eagle’ comic or ‘Boy’s Own Paper’ of my youth, or, bang up-todate, a Johnny Depp movie. But it was an everyday part of seventeenth century life for the inhabitants of the quiet coastal regions of East Devon. Secluded beaches and coves and a remote coastline indented by myriad river outlets, backed by a sparsely-populated hinterland of woods and pastures, crisscrossed by cart tracks and green lanes,
30
make for fine wrecking/smuggling terrain; all are still clearly marked on the Tithe Map of 1840.**
is merely home to the rare horseshoe bat where, unlike Rattenbury, it is afforded statutary legal protection.
‘Five and twenty ponies Trotting through the dark – Brandy for the parson, ‘Baccy for the Clerk; Laces for a lady, letters for a spy, And watch the wall my darling, while the Gentlemen go by!’***
Seventeenth century England was of course also ripe with religious dissent - the abortive Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 was largely about dissent **** and the suspicion amongst the common people for the overtly Papist James II was manifest in the support given to the allegedly illegitimate Protestant Pretender however ill-conceived his impetuous enterprise would soon prove to be.
Fat merchantmen from the America colonies, packed with tobacco, gin and cotton, rode the Gulf Stream driven by prevailing on-shore winds, and heavyladen East Indiamen crammed full of silks, saltpetre, indigo dye, spices, cocoa, opium, and, prized perhaps above all else, tea, tacked daily up the Channel along this craggy coastline, making for safe haven in the lee of Portland Bill.
P.BOWLER
The proximity of France offered fine lace from Brittany and wines, brandy, liqueurs and perfumes from further South, all of which carried a heavy excise, and in return there was an insatiable demand for English wool.
Kathy Moyle - Chairman of the Friends of Salem Chapel, one of dedicated team of people involved with fund raising and restoration alongside the Historic Chapels Trust who bought the building and completed the restoration.
As the seventeenth moved into the eighteenth century everyone still lived in dread of a return to the religious turmoil and sectarian persecution of living memory, and, rightly or wrongly, dissenters were perceived to be troublemakers… ‘Protestant!’ railed a demonic Judge Jeffries, passing sentence on one hapless Monmouth rebel at the Bloody Assizes in the autumn of 1685, ‘ you mean Presbyterian. I’ll hold a wager of it. I can smell a Presbyterian forty miles!’
An old aerial photo showing roof top entry used for smuggling
dissent could still prove to be a potential source of political and social discord. William and Mar y were clearly determined to avoid the two principal scourges of the previous century at all costs; civil war and religious turmoil.
Q One of the treasures of Salem Chapel is undoubtedly the clock.
Salem Chapel was built some 30 years after the Act of Toleration became law under the overtly Protestant co-regents William and Mary (‘An Act for Exempting their Majestyes Protestant Subjects dissenting from the Church of England from the Penalties of certaine Lawes’); hastily enacted within weeks of their joint accession to the throne, perhaps as a knee-jerk reaction to the upheaval caused by the Monmouth fiasco, four years earlier. Dissidents had finally been legitimised albeit with certain fail-safe-strategy conditions; primarily, acceptance of the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Supremacy, without which religious
Now restored to full working order, the movement is almost certainly the work of one John Murch of Honiton, silversmith and clockmaker, responsible also for the clock in the nave of Sidbury church.
This intricate handmade movement has been dated to around 1760, whereas the painted face, although attributed to John Murch, has been dated to 1820 and would probably have been a factory-produced replacement. John’s grandfather was one William Murch, linen draper of Exeter. His father was apprenticed for 7 years, in 1684, to one Thomas Corey, a goldsmith who plied his trade in London and Warminster, where John senior almost certainly learnt his trade. By 1694 records show that he was based in Plymouth and that in 1699 was fined by the Goldsmith’s Company of London for shoddy work! His son John was born in Plymouth in 1713 but by 1717 the family was domiciled in the then prosperous market town of Tiverton where John junior attended Blundells. On leaving school we find John working in Honiton, where he took over the business of one Francis Pile, continuing as silversmith and clockmaker until his death in 1785. continued overleaf >
The centre post where a living tree once supported the roof
So much so that restrictions were introduced as to who could trade in or indeed own this valued commodity within a 15-mile band right along the south coast. Jack Rattenbury, Beer’s most infamous son, worked this coast for many years and together with his confederates, would have known the leafy lanes and byways of East Budleigh like the back of his hand. We know this because together with a ghost-written account of his exploits (a kind of prototype ‘Smuggling for Dummies’) he also left a signed document, now in the Records Office in Exeter, agreeing to pay a yearly sum to store contraband in the roof of Salem Chapel. Nowadays the roof space
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
31
SALEM CHAPEL Interestingly his descendants continued in this trade in the town well into the 20th century. On a sunny day in July, when the editor and I visited, we had little thought of
have closed in and the winter storms once more rattle the leaded spun-glass window-panes. Criminals were reputedly hanged at the nearby Brick Cross at the junction that leads down to Otterton village and many former miscreants, barred from Christian burial in consecrated ground as a consequence of their crimes, lie buried in the meeting house field outside the chapel walls. Within the chapel children have been heard laughing or crying where no children were, the organ has been heard to play the verse of a hymn where no organist could be seen and a mysterious lady dressed in black has often been seen sitting quietly at the back of the chapel before, equally mysteriously, disappearing…
Elder planted inside a yew to ward off evil was apparently quite common practice ghostly apparitions, but stories abound and I feel sure that the ghouls of Salem will again be abroad once the nights
‘On Tuesday 17th inst. a most shocking outrage was perpetrated in the churchyard of Otterton, Devon. The grave of the late Rev’d Samuel Leat, a venerable dissenting minister of Budleigh, who was interred about 10 months since, was opened, both coffins torn asunder, the corpse mangled, the
The architecture of Salem Chapel is sober but charming shroud torn to pieces and the cloth which covered the outer coffin carried away. Great exertions are making to discover the atrocious offenders and a handsome reward is offered on their conviction.’
Further details from Kathy Moyle whose help in compiling this article is greatly appreciated. Tel 01395 445236.
Trueman’s Exeter Flying Post, 26th March, 1818.
**** The freedom to worship according to the dictates of one’s own conscience rather than the prescribed orthodoxy of the Catholic Church or the Church of England.
Salem Chapel is available to book for weddings and makes for a really memorable wedding venue.
* www.hct.org.uk **www.eastdevonaonb.org.uk *** Rudyard Kipling.
A little off the beaten track....
THE GARDEN SHOP
Perrott Hill
For lovely plants, cards & gifts and everything for your garden! KING STREET, COLYTON, DEVON
EASY PARKING
Tel: 01297 551113
Time and space for a full education
Open Mon-Sat year round, also open spring and summer Sundays We are
Seeds of Italy Stockists
Colyton Antiques Centre FURNITURE COLLECTABLES STAINED GLASS LINEN BOOKS PRINTS PORCELAIN TOYS Tel 01297 552339 We have a number of dealers on site offering an interesting variety of stock. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm Sundays and Bank Holidays 11am-4pm Also on site: DOWNSIZE for Dolls House furniture. www.modelgarage.co.uk
A boarding and day preparatory school for girls and boys from 3 -13. Please contact the school for Open Morning dates. Old Station Yard, Station Road, Colyton EX24 6HA
Perrott Hill, North Perrott, Crewkerne, Somerset TA18 7SL visit us at: www.perrotthill.com or call us on: 01460 72051
East Devon Coast & Country
32
Need help with your retirement options? Ask for Helen Mulvaney on 01395 512166
Your local specialist annuity & retirement adviser
We happy to help you with your retirement choices and our experience can help ensure that you donʼt miss out on all the options available. We can: Ensure you have considered all the options available to you. Research annuity rates to get you the best deals on the market. Check whether you qualify for enhanced rates. Take on the burden of paperwork & liaise with your annuity and
pension provider.
Advise on draw-down and other options. Help you work out if investment annuities are suitable for you and
to pinpoint the advantages.
Advise on new EU rules which mean that male annuitants will
get less income (effective from Dec 2012) and a new directive on capital adequacy will also have a downward effect on rates. Visit our comprehensive website at:
www.pension-annuity.co.uk The Pension Annuity Advisory Service is a trading style of Richmond Independent, which is an appointed representative of John Ellis IFA Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the FSA
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
33
By Steve Chilcott
‘Do ‘ee come from Tops-hum?’
To p s ha m
(1)
Previously Apsham, Apsam, Toppeshore, Toppeshant and Toppesham but now pronounced Tops-hum
O
ff on my rambles again, camera and notepad in hand, I recently joined a cheery group of like-minded folk, on a town walk through Topsham, known variously throughout its history as Apsham, Apsam, Toppeshore, Toppeshant and Toppesham but now pronounced Tops-hum, as I was straightway and perfunctorily informed.
Officially an all-time record crowd of 126,000 was admitted to; in truth anything upto 300,000 could have been present as turnstiles were abandoned and the massive crowd poured through into the ground unchallenged, in what one spectator described as ‘a bloody shambles’. Novelist and journalist Philip Hensher (Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature) still lives here and his 2011 book ‘King of the Badgers’ is set in a fictional town based on Topsham.
Topsham was, once upon a time, simply the ‘ham’ or farm, of a man known as Topp. Village-sized, with a current population a smidgen over
In addition newsreader Trevor McDonald, as everyone delights in telling visitors, is also a past resident of the town.
One of the great exhibits at Topsham Museum 5,000 Topsham was designated a ‘town’ by royal charter in 1300, but has now been a ward of the City of Exeter since 1966. William Webb Follett, lawyer and parliamentarian was born here in 1796, and his statue, executed by William Beynes, stands in Westminster Abbey. The novelist Thomas Hardy’s cousin, Tryphena Sparks, beneficiary of local fisherfolk and the inspiration for Hardy’s poem ‘Thoughts of Phena at News of Her Death’, lived and is buried here. Footballer Dick Pym, goalkeeper for Bolton Wanderers, winners at the chaotic, first-ever FA Cup Final at Wembley in 1923, was born here in 1893; Pym died in Exeter in 1988, aged 95.
East Devon Coast & Country
But far and away Topsham’s most famous, albeit admittedly, occasional resident was actress Vivien Leigh, star of ‘Gone with the Wind’ and of the stage and screen versions of Tennessee Williams’ ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ - both Academy Awardwinning roles. She reputedly met Leigh Holman, barrister and member of the Topsham - Holman shipping dynasty, in the Two Bridges Inn on Dartmoor, married him, took his name and promptly became a global superstar. Nine years later, after a much-publicized and torrid affair, she married Lawrence Olivier, but remained friends with her former husband, returning many times to Topsham where his sister, Dorothy, lived at 25 The Strand, now home to the excellent Topsham Museum, which she had started as a private collection. The nightdress - or most of it - that Vivien Leigh wore in ‘Gone with the
34
East Devon Coast & Country visits Topsham Wind’ was donated by her daughter, Suzanna, and is a much-prized star exhibit. Students and hardened ale-drinkers apparently refer to the watering hole circuit as the ‘Topsham Ten’ with ten such hostelries within a comfortably do-able mile circuit. Hoskins advised ‘…nor should the visitor fail to visit the Passage House Inn, the Steam Packet, the Lighter, the Lord Nelson and the Bridge…’ as long ago as 1954 (2), although sadly, a further recommendation, the once impressive Salutation, stands semi-derelict awaiting the developers. Jolly local folksters ‘Show of Hands’ (the hugely popular trio of songwriter
This fine Georgian house was built for the Holman family
Steve Knightley (see music pages), multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer and vocalist/bassist Miranda Sykes) take in many of these on their eccentrically entrepreneurial ‘Tour of Topsham’ every March, ahead of their now semi-regular ‘Royal Albert Hall’ gig at Easter, followed by a summer of headlining at festivals the length and breadth of the land…
(1237 – 1293), the crotchety and, by all accounts, litigious Countess of Devon seal the river over at Countess Wear, thereby severing an already-
Already one of the richest heiresses in the kingdom by her twenties, she owned large chunks of Devon, Hampshire and the entire Isle of
Architecturally interesting features everywhere
But it is to ships and shipping that Topsham owes its fame, and indeed its very existence, and reminders of this proud heritage spring out at every road crossing. The Romans first used Topsham as a port for Isca Dumnoniorum (their Castra on the Exe) from the 1st cent. A.D. and the two were connected by means of a road beside the estuary, entering the city, along the line of Magdalene Rd, by the old South Gate (demolished in 1819) straight, smack into the Roman forum. It does not brook any hesitation, deviation or repetition along its 3-mile length and, to judge by the map, is visible evidence of the Romans’ apparent fixation with straight roads. ‘Build a dam across the river! Cried the fury in her pride, And she built it, God forgive her! Built her monument and died.’ Thus, with this in mind - so legend has it - did Isabella de Fortibus
centuries-old umbilical cord between Exeter and its downstream tidal port Topsham. In truth she merely built two weirs across the river leaving a 30-foot gap between them so that shipping could still pass up to Exeter. Her purpose was less for reasons of commercial sabotage but rather for self-gain; she wished to drive her new grinding mill at Topsham.
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
Wight – most of which Edward I had been coveting for the previous twenty years and only acquired by transfer as this formidable harridan lay on her deathbed. She evidently felt sufficiently sure of her standing to throw her weight around even in the presence of royalty, a precedent eagerly upheld by her posteriority.
Overleaf
35
along the Strand, after that distinctively curly-gabled ‘Dutch’ style, and used any bricks left over to patch up their garden walls. By the 16th century a vibrant shipbuilding industry had taken root along the estuary together with the concomitant trades of rope-making, chain-making and sail-making, and Topsham must have been a bustling, noisy, dirty place with clankings and hammerings up every cobbled alleyway and the smoke and stench of hot pitch hanging thickly across the roof-tops.
Elegant and quirky buildings abound in Topsham, it really is worth a good few hours pottering about. Topsham has many excellent restaurants, coffee shops and pubs where you can recuperate.
It was in fact Isabella’s successor in title, Hugh de Courtenay who, in one brazen and unashamedly unilateral act of bravado, blocked up the gap in 1311 ‘… at a great expence, by cutting down a great number of trees, which, being chained together, were laid in the channel, with great quantities of stones and gravel; these, in time, so united together as to make their removal impracticable.’ (3).
Having completely barred access to the city by river, Hugh thenceforth diverted cargoes intended for onward dispatch, directly into his waiting and cavernous cellars, for which he extorted a hefty toll. Riding rough-shod over all-comers the Courtenays, quite content with this iniquitous, one-sided arrangement, held sway for the next 250 years until one Henry Courtenay, marquis of Exeter, crossed swords
with the irascible eighth Henry and had his head removed for an alleged conspiracy against the monarch. The city fathers, somewhat relieved at his fortuitous stupidity, promptly dug a canal to by-pass the blockade in 1564-67.
In 1588 with the Duke of Medina Sidonia’s mighty Armada hacking up-Channel, Topsham built and fitted out 3 of the 200 sent to repulse the Spaniards; The Rose, The Batholomew and The Gyfte (actually built at Lympstone) - a snip at £447 16s 0d for the three…
Famous amongst ships built at Topsham was HMS Terror, which, together with HMS Erebus, sailed for Arctic waters in May 1845 under the ill-omened Sir John Franklin, with orders to gather magnetic data and to complete a crossing of the fabled Northwest Passage. This had already been charted but never entirely navigated. Both ships were fitted with top spec. 20 hp steam engines and iron-plated against ice-pressure below the waterline, but to little avail. The expedition famously failed because food stores in tins sealed with lead proved to be less than airtight in addition to being highly toxic, rendering the crew a) mad
Daniel Defoe, novelist, agitator and latterly, secret agent, notes that the canal had been widened and deepened from its original and rather unsatisfactory 3-foot, and extended to Topsham by the time of his visit to the ‘large, rich, beautiful, populous’ city of Exeter, in 1714. The terminal lock still stands although in 1827 the canal was further extended to Turf Lock, thereby providing the excuse for yet another pub. Despite this Topsham remained the main outport for the greater part of the vast Exeter woollen trade throughout the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, and inport for huge quantities of salt cod from the Newfoundland banks and of coal from South Wales to drive paper mills, the ubiquitous lime kilns and iron foundries producing tools and weaponry. In addition there was wine and fruit from the Continent, the merchants of Exeter having extracted a profitable charter from Good Queen Bess to handle this lucrative trade on a reasonably exclusive basis.
Topsham Pharmacy in Fore Street, the oldest pharmacy in the South West which was established in 1823 by a pharmacist called Marler Troak. It's still an independently owned business today
Holland, being the largest customer for Devon serges, sent back bricks by the shipload as ballast – evidence of which is clearly visible throughout the town to this day - whereupon the wealthy merchants of Topsham built court-yarded houses, principally
East Devon Coast & Country
and/or b) extremely unwell - in no particular order. A salutary lesson in how not to store foodstuffs. Neither the ships nor the crew have
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A Celebration of Life in East Devon
Overleaf
37
To p s ha m
ever been seen since although after 175 years including 18 years of tedious and painstaking search by the Admiralty in the immediately aftermath, they are now assumed to be dead. Inuit oral tradition relates that they ate each other, which really only prolonged the inevitable. ‘In Baffin Bay where the whale fishes blow The fate of Franklin there no man may know
Est 1823
The oldest pharmacy in the South West! NEW online HEALTH CHECK bookings Health foods & vitamins
The fate of Franklin no tongue can tell Lord Franklin alone with his sailors do dwell’ (Broadside ballad attributed to) Jane, Lady Franklin (1791 –1875) Also built at Topsham in 1806 was the 22-gun HMS Cyane, rather ignominiously captured by the USS Constitution off Madeira in 1815, two
Topsham Pharmacy
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days after the Treaty of Ghent had been proclaimed declaring an end to hostilities. Nobody had bothered to say anything, and they gaily fought the Battle of New Orleans, the Second Battle of Fort Bowyer and the eccentricallynamed Battle of Sink Hole before they were all told to jolly well stop it and go home! Equally ignominiously HMS Cyane was pensioned off and duly sank one day while she lay at anchor in Philadelphia Navy Yard. Dredged up, but somewhat the worse for wear, they decided to call it a day, admittedly slightly prematurely, and she was sawn up for firewood - albeit rather soggy firewood - in 1836.
Topsham became an important Royalist stronghold during the Civil War.
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38
Tea in the Topsham Museum garden, a visit makes for a really interesting and enjoyable outing
Monday 21st November, 1642: ‘The rest of the Army coming up next day, Sir Bevill Greenvile and Coll. Godolphin with their Regiments were sent upon Topsham and tooke it, where two nights after the Enymie made a strong sally upon them out of Exon, but were gallantly repulsed.’ (4)
After a siege of some 11 weeks the city once more fell to the Royalists in September 1643. Not until October of 1645 did Fairfax’s ‘New Model Army’ drive the war-weary garrison from the port, finally taking the city’s surrender in April of 1646.
which sent many out of the city, complaining of the cruelty….’(5) When William of Orange, soon to reign with his wife Mary as numerically incompatible co-regents William III and Mary II, finally landed at Brixham in November of 1688, after several false starts, his supply column and support for a large artillery train
William, who had been abominably seasick for the entire crossing, didn’t much feel like eating. His ravenous army however reached Exeter in double-quick time intent on fighting at least, if not marching, on welllined stomachs.
Parliament reported this at the time as a ‘rout’ claiming that the Royalist commander Sir Ralph Hopton suffered losses of 1,500 men, nobly conceding, in the gentlemanly fashion of that otherwise savage internecine conflict, that he and Sir Bevil Grenvile ‘like men of resolve, stood it out to the uttermost’.
Undaunted, Hopton clung tenaciously to Topsham, slowly squeezing the lifeblood from the hard-pressed Roundhead garrison upstream at Exeter. When the Earl of Warwick attempted to release the stranglehold from the seaward approach he was vigorously repulsed from the gun battery stationed alongside the church, leaving two lighters sunk in the estuary, two captured and a fifth well and truly ablaze.
sufficient for 21,000 men so as not to upset his potentially hostile, future subjects by stealing theirs. He was apparently oblivious to the fact that his cold and hungry troops were safely ashore in Brixham whereas their supper was piled up on the quayside beside the estuary some 30 miles distant, and the wrong side of Torquay.
‘Monday October 27th (1645), the general and army reached Topsham; and that night the enemy fired the houses in the suburbs of Excester, to the number of about eighty,
of twenty-one 24-pounder cannons came ashore at Topsham. A prudent man, he had paid his troops - largely mercenaries - up front, and brought food and supplies
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
St Margaret’s Church, which Prof. W.G. Hoskins reckoned rather uncharitably to be one of ‘…the least interesting…of all the buildings of the town’ does contain some impressive marble wall tablets celebrating various local luminaries, including Robert Davy, founder of the important Davy Shipyard, and two by Sir Frances Legatt Chantrey RA (1781-1841), honouring the Duckworths, which, in Hoskins’ words ‘save it from complete nonentity...’ (idem). No lightweight, Chantrey’s other Overleaf
39
masterworks are variously distributed in Westminster Abbey, Salisbury, Lichfield, Norwich, and St Paul’s Cathedrals, with an equestrian statue of King George IV in Trafalgar Sq, Sir Joseph Banks in the Natural History Museum, William Pitt in Hanover Sq, and George Washington in far-flung Boston USA. Out in the churchyard a secluded gravestone marks the burial-site of one Thomas Randle, quartermaster aboard HMS Victory at Trafalgar, and, as legend has it, one of three sailors who carried the fatallywounded Nelson below decks.
Captain Hardy, aware that his Admiral was lying sprawled at his feet in some obvious discomfort, told Thomas (who was not doing anything particularly important at the time) to take him somewhere slightly quieter. Nelson was carried down to the Orlop where he died three hours later, having ordered Thomas back up on deck with the words ‘Go, Bold Randle!’ much to the latter’s disappointment. Nelson’s diminutive body was stuffed into a barrel of brandy tinctured
with myrrh and camphor, issued, in all probability, by quartermaster Randle, and once the badly-stricken and storm-battered Victory reached Gibraltar this preservative brew was replaced with one of Aqua Vitae, which the tars later quaffed patriotically in preference to their customary rum ration. Appropriately perhaps, news of the great victory and of the Admiral’s demise was carried to England aboard the fast schooner HMS Pickle… On the environmental front, just downriver of the town, at the confluence of the Exe with the Clyst is the
RSPB’s Bowling Green Marsh, an SSSI, where hawk-eyed twitchers may be lucky to spot Osprey, Avocet, Teal and, rarely, migrating Barrow’s Goldeneye and King Eider. Occasionally otters are spotted floundering in the mud pools, hunting for stranded fish, eels and other delicacies. Our town walk, taken at a leisurely pace, lasted just over two hours. Starting at Holman Way car park (Holman Way itself marks the line of the pre-Beeching branch line down to the quay), we explored White Street, Fore Street, High Street before branching off down to the water-
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The Althorp Patent Table *# &* ' *! ' -) # # " $ #. # # ) ! '$(( # , ) *'! # '$( ,$$ )$% ( $'" $ ) %*!! $*) ( " #)( , ) #( ) $! $*) ! + ( )$ -% # ) ) ! in the manner of the famous Robert Jupe ) ! ' ( $# $! )*'# % !! ' , ) - $# ! ( , ) $# + ( ( # $*)(, %) ! ( , ) 0# !. () ' (( %% # ( # ( ) '$" !) $'% + # ()$'. $!! ) $# #(% ' . *'# )*' , ) # !) $'% $*( # # $'( . '! % # '
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A view of the Topsham Quay and the river Exe
front, the quay itself and along The Strand, ending at the museum for a well-earned cuppa and a slice of home-madeVictoria sponge. ‘I sat on the little churchyard terrace, and watched the evening tide come up the estuary. I have a great liking for Topsham, and that churchyard, overlooking what is not quite sea, yet more than river, is one of the most restful spots I know.’
George Gissing, ‘The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft’. 1903.
1). A saying used throughout Devon, if doors are left open, due to the inhabitants of the infamous White Street - smugglers, privateers all who would slip out of the back door when the excisemen came knocking at the front‌
2). ‘Devon’ by Prof W.G. Hoskins. David & Charles, first published 1954.
5). ‘Anglia Rediviva; England’s Recovery: Being the History of the Actions, Successes $ , ) ) ' 1$$'( Motions, ()$' ! () %' " ( ( ) and # )$ ) $" # % ' of the Army Under the Immediate Conduct of Sir Joshua Sprigg’
3). ‘The History and Description of the City of Exeter and its Environs’. Alexander Jenkins (1806)
1854, 2009 General Books.
4) Sir Ralph Hopton’s Narrative of his Campaign in the West 1642-1644. Somerset Record Society XVIII, 1902.
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People enjoying refreshment at the Lighter Inn. Brights of Nettlebed is housed in the very historic stone building on the right. It said to have been built by the Earl of Devon in 1316 and was built against what was originally a cliff (which is now the road running directly behind the building). It's thought that French prisoners of war were held in this building when it was a gaol, ready for deportation to the new world. A Celebration of Life in East Devon
41
Out and About in Exmouth
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44
Follow that Acorn! A beginner’s guide to the South West Coast Path by Cec Hardy Cartoon by Karen MacGarvie 630 miles … 1014 kms … and not exactly flat: it’s estimated that anyone completing the longest of Britain’s fifteen national trails will have climbed nearly four times the height of Everest, without benefit of oxygen. It might take a relatively fit walker the best part of two months. The South West Coast Path is not for those of a nervous disposition. Wife Christine and I are not averse to a stroll provided there is a pub lunch and a teashop involved but we subscribe to the ‘slow walking’ movement, especially when she’s armed with her trusty camera. Unless, as usually happens, we start out late and have a sweaty rush to the pub before they stop serving food. Over the years we’ve maybe done Sidmouth-Branscombe 20 times, so we’ve been treading that well worn coastal path for years without realising.
Many years ago the Beatles sang ‘When I’m 64’. Youthful me never expected to be … that old … but the pigs have flown home to roost. Our New Year resolution was to holiday in England this year since I’d be far too ancient to travel to foreign parts after that dreaded birthday. So we’d settled for relaxing in a sunlounger in glorious Devon. Until we encountered Russell Smith at rehearsals
for ‘Johnny Jack’s War’, a community play (9th -12th November in Sidbury Village Hall, since you ask) and heard he’d be missing a few to go walking. We considered this a pretty feeble excuse until we discovered the walk was the whole 630 miles in one go, in aid of Children’s Hospice South West. He set off from Minehead on Easter Monday along with Liz Hayman and her dog Fizzy. All crossed the finish line at South Haven Point near Poole just 51 days later. An astonishing achievement, especially for a man of … 64. ‘We could do that’, we simultaneously mused, ‘but not all at once’. After all neither of us was a chiropodist as had been Russ. Moving with incredible speed for once we organised a project meeting for the very next evening - Saturday - in between Dr Who and Casualty (we’re very sad people) and devised a ten year plan. We calculated we’d already completed, in small bits, Exmouth-Seaton (23 miles). OK, maybe we hadn’t always followed the official path but I reckoned clambering over the rocks from Sidmouth and wading ashore at Ladram Bay was about as close to the coast as possible. I had for once checked the tide tables to ensure we wouldn’t trouble the lifeboat, though stopping at Jacob’s Ladder for coffee and a large slice of cake meant we got wetter than we should have done. Then we remembered the day of Christine’s 5?th birthday when we’d crossed the border to West Bay in Dorset for lunch at a fish restaurant. Slightly inebriated and having eaten too much we felt the need to walk it off. We’d actually made it as far as Seatown, another three miles, leaving just 604 untrodden. As we’d completed approximately 4.127 % of the walk without even trying we figured the rest could be polished off within the deadline if we upped the pace a bit. Attempting the whole path in one go calls for careful planning. That’s not our strong point. Hardy trekkers carry tent, sleeping bags and cooking stuff – not these Hardy’s. We’re more B&B types and there are many good ones along the route. So we decided on a two pronged attack. One prong involves strategically placed handpicked organic B&Bs, a stay of two or three nights in each allowing us to fill in the gaps between; the other employs skilful use of public transport enabling us to do sections on a daily basis without spending the night in a strange bed. The X53 coastal bus between Exeter and Poole is a godsend for the dedicated walker. NB It’s best to wait until you attain the coveted bus pass; child bride Christine is costing a fortune in bus fares. She would have received one in nine month’s time but I’ve heard she won’t now qualify on her 60th birthday, not that I should really be disclosing her age so don’t tell anyone.
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
The train journeys are a treat in themselves. From Exmouth we can take the Avocet Line along the Exe estuary to connect up with the spectacular Riviera Line to Paignton and the Tarka to Barnstable. The only snag with the Tarka Line is the ‘real ale trail’– visiting ten pubs can earn you a T shirt so we may have to use this line several times. We decided we’d have to plan - just a bit. I conceded that I’d wear walking boots instead of flip flops provided we didn’t have to carry a map and compass. I regard maps as expensive and an unnecessary weight to carry and our compass has never been quite the same since emerging from the washing machine. It’s only effective if you already know where north is and tap it a few times, preferably with a hammer. As I pointed out to a suspicious spouse all we have to do is follow, like a pair of hungry squirrels, the acorn signs which mark the path. To me, water bottles are for wimps and mobile phones taboo. But I agreed to try out those pointy sticks we’d felt obliged to purchase ten years ago during a vegetarian walking holiday in the Lake District in return for sheltering in an outdoor supplies shop for a couple of hours waiting for the rain to abate to a mere downpour. I always thought they were just for posing but have now discovered the real purpose is for warding off cows, horses and particularly vicious sheep. So June 14 (spookily the exact day on which Russ, Liz and Fizzy the wondercollie ended their ‘walkies’) saw us poised like coiled springs ready to begin the walk. Once we’d located the start. We had to resort to the Tourist Information Office who told us we couldn’t miss the enormous structure of two hands holding a map. We already had – twice! But we eventually got the obligatory photos taken and stumbled into the unknown with a marathon 26 miles already under our belts … (to be continued, perhaps). We hope to publish a book of our epic journey; if you care to place an advance order expect delivery around 2020, give or take a few days. As for the intrepid trio, I believe they’ve raised more than £12,000 so far – read all about it on www.witterthewalk.wordpress.com. I’m far too lazy to bother with writing blogs so if I’ve whetted your appetite for an update on our progress please email, online petition or otherwise pester the editor. Another 50 or so miles should be under our belts before the snow sets in. We’re sure you want to hear about the amazing Undercliff walk from Seaton to Lyme Regis, our first faltering steps from Minehead, why we’ve developed a violent dislike of Dawlish Warren and whether we ever bumped into the mysterious topless walker.
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CONSIDERING TAPPING INTO SOLAR ENERGY? Cathy Debenham from YouGen gives some useful pointers for photo voltaic systems
A
combination of government incentives and falling prices mean that there’s never been a better time to consider installing solar panels to generate electricity. The feed-in tariff pays out a set amount for every unit of electricity generated over 25 years. It is linked to the retail price index and is tax-free for domestic installations. The scheme was designed to give a 5-8 per cent return on investment, but because solar panel prices globally have fallen rapidly, it is more likely to give a 10% return (see table below). However, the window of opportunity is relatively short, as the government is expected to reduce the tariff level for people who install after 1 April 2012, when returns will not be quite as good. Sunlight is all that you need to produce electricity from solar panels. Even though it doesn’t always feel like it in the UK, it’s an unlimited resource that’s never going to stop shining. Although more electricity is produced on sunny days, the panels also work on cloudy days too. Most UK installations of solar panels are connected to the national grid. When the sun is shining, and the panels are generating electricity, the system calls on that free electricity first if you turn on any electrical appliances. If you switch on an energyguzzler, like a kettle, your home-generated electricity will be supplemented with mains power. If you are generating more than you are using, then the surplus will be exported back into the grid. The feed-in tariff is designed to encourage you to use the electricity that you generate at home, so the largest element is the generation tariff. This pays up to 43.3p for every kWh you generate. You will also get 3p per kWh exported, and your electricity bill should show savings thanks to the home-generated electricity you have used. There are also free solar schemes, sometimes known as rent a roof schemes. The installer will get paid by claiming the feed-in tariff on the system, and you will benefit from savings on your electricity bill. The amount of these savings is often overstated, and will depend on how much electricity you use during the day when the sun is shining. It makes sense to check with your mortgage company, and to read the small print very thoroughly before going into one of these schemes. Especially check the conditions around what happens if you want to sell your house.
How does it work financially?
Is solar PV suitable for my house? 1. How close to south does the roof face? The closer to south your roof faces (or your site is), the more suitable it is likely to be. But there are some other questions you need to consider. 2. Does shade fall on the roof at any time during the day? This is really crucial, and can make a huge difference to the performance of the panels. At worst, it can prevent the system working at all (like putting a resistor in the circuit). Hard shading, such as a chimney or a dormer window, is the worst, but it’s also important to look out for neighbouring buildings or trees. Shading will vary at different times of the year, depending on the height of the sun. Some installers will have gizmos, to predict the shading on a roof, but it’s also worth watching where shade falls over time. 3. What angle is your roof? For best performance, solar panels should be angled at 30-40 degrees, although you will still catch a reasonable level of sunlight at angles between 20 and 50 degrees. Steeper angles will perform better in winter when the sun is low in the sky, and shallower ones in summer. 4. Is your roof strong enough to hold them? This is something your installer should check when they do the survey. Solar panels are a permit ted development as long as they do not extend above the ridge line of the building. However, if you live in a conservation area or in a listed building, or want a ground-mounted system, restrictions will apply.
East Devon Coast & Country
The feed-in tariff (also known as the Clean Energy Cashback) is an incentive to install microgeneration technologies up to 5MW in size. It consists of: • A fixed payment from your electricity supplier for every kilowatt hour (kWh) your system generates. This is called the generation tariff. This is currently 43.3p per kWh for installations up to 4kW in size. • A guaranteed price for any surplus electricity that you do not use on site, and export to the grid. This is called the export tariff and will also be paid by your electricity supplier. This is currently 3.1p. • In addition, as you use electricity generated on site you will need less from the national grid – so your energy bill will be lower. The rates are indexed to the retail price index for the 25 year life of the tariff, and are tax free for domestic installations. The rates are likely to go down for new installations after 1 April 2012, as the price of panels has come down considerably over the past two years. See table for economics of a typical installation.
Choosing an installer Sadly there are a few cowboy companies around, so it’s worth choosing with care. The YouGen website has a directory, where you can find local installers, many with customer feedback (www.yougen.co.uk/ search/). If any friends or neighbours have installed panels, ask them whether the installer did a good job. If you can’t get a recommendation, you can search on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme website (MCS): www.microgenerationcertification.org. It’s vital that you choose an MCS accredited company. If they aren’t you won’t get the feed-in tariff, and the financing of it changes radically for the worse. It’s also worth checking that they are a member of the REAL Assurance Scheme. I’d also advise getting three quotes. Cowboy tactics to avoid are: • companies that insist your husband/wife/ co-decision maker is present before they make an appointment; • companies that send sales people (not surveyors), and so give a quote subject to survey • anyone who offers a discount if you sign on the day, or for displaying a signboard at your gate
48
Questions to ask them 1. Find out how long they’ve been in the business. 2. Ask if they will subcontract any of the work out, and if so, who to. 3. Check whether they are qualified electricians? 4. Ask for recommendations from previous installations - either find them on YouGen, or ask for names and contact numbers of previous customers and follow them up. 5. Make sure the quotation is comprehensive - it should itemise all the equipment. 6. Get companies to give an estimate of how much the system will generate. They should do this as standard. 7. Ask for advice on the size of the system, don’t be sold on a system on a standard size kit. 8. There are a variety of different types of solar pv module. Ask about the benefits of the modules they are proposing, and why they suggest that type. Cost Cost of 2.5kW solar PV system
Income/saving
£10,500
Estimated generation: 2,250kWh per year Generation tariff (2,250 x 43.3p)
£974
Export tariff (1,125 x 3.1p)
£35
Savings on electricity bill for using generated electricity (this will depend on your usage, and whether you’re home during the day – this figure is an average estimated by EST)
£100
TOTAL
£1,109
Payback time
nine and a half years
Return on investment
10.5% a year for 25 years
Cathy Debenham, founder of YouGen (http://www. yougen.co.uk). The website p r ov i d e s i n f o r m at i o n for people interested in installing renewable energy, and a directory of local installers with feedback from their customers.
9. Get a really good feel for what the person’s like. Talk to them and make sure you feel they really understand what they are talking about, and are an engineer, not just a salesman. 10. They should look at the fuse box and at the structure of the roof. 11. Are they MCS accredited? (see above).
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
49
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51
Nigel Jones fishes the river Otter at the Deer Park Hotel waters for wild brown trout
Fly Fishing on the Otter by Nigel Jones
One of the lovely Otter brownies caught on a dry fly in July
F
ishing has been a passion of mine since as a boy I learned the great craft of fly fishing on the spate rivers of North Wales. The main quarry was undoubtedly the migratory seatrout, which is basically the same fish as the brown trout, but it takes to the sea for richer feeding, returning every year to spawn. The mighty seatrout are Jeckyll and Hyde fish that change character as the sun lowers in the sky. They're shy and reclusive in the daytime, becoming ferocious hunters in the hours of darkness.
pretty these fish were - like newly cast bars of silver. Conservationists talk about many aspects of our wildlife, but it's pretty much unheard of for them to discuss our river fish, particularly the brown trout. This is a pity, as these fish are little time capsules as each river and lake have their own distinctly unique variants, resulting from thousands of years of breeding and adaptation to environment. Trout are particularly important fish, as they're very
sensitive to water purity - as such they are great indicators of river health. In fact, I think I'm right in saying that if it wasn't for fishermen, many of the rivers up and down the country would probably be polluted. As a local example, without managed trout fishing on the river Otter, the requirement for high-quality river water would be lower. Invertebrate life would be impoverished, trout probably wouldn't flourish and then there'd certainly be no Otters.
Fishermen are very aware of river life and are the first to notice signs of pollution. Angling associations are also responsible for much habitat management along riverbanks, so again a valuable ecological function is carried out as a result of the requirement for fishermen to catch fish. Recently, the opportunity came up to fish the river Otter at the Deer Park Hotel waters (located just outside Honiton). I'd read in an old "Where
Brown trout in these acidic streams are beautiful gems to catch, but they never amount to any great size, a ½ pounder being a real specimen. By the time I'd taken on fly fishing as my main hobby, the aim had became to catch a specimen. By this I don't mean one of those overgrown pellet fed, brash Yankee rainbow trout, no - a proper specimen wild brownie. Brown trout are our indigenous species, they can be slow growing but are more suited to our UK environment. It's interesting that although brown trout as a species are all the same, travelling up and down the UK (and Ireland) fishing for them reveals that there are many variations on a theme. For instance, when I visited Loch Watten at the top of Scotland, I'd heard that these fish were famous for their fighting abilities (which they were), but what's interesting is how
Two beautiful wild brown trout caught on a dry fly, 1¼lb and ¾lb (below), returned unharmed to the river
A deerhair dry fly, ideally buoyant, especially when dressed
East Devon Coast & Country
52
The river Otter in the early evening
to Fish" book (circa 1960s) that the Otter was one of the Westcountry's finest trout rivers, holding good sized fish throughout the river". It certainly would be interesting to fish some 50 years after this directory had been printed to see whether the river Otter's reputation was still valid, especially in light of current modern intensive farming practices which are widely blamed for pesticide leaching from agricultural land into river systems, poisoning aquatic life. I'd picked a warm evening in July and arrived at the Deer Park Hotel at about 6pm, happy to find hatches occurring and fish sporadically taking flies off the surface. Upstream dry fly was the method of choice and the smooth, overgrown glides on this stretch were perfect. It's a great way to fish, casting the fly to a rising fish and waiting for the 'take'. I mainly fish dry fly now (after decades on wet fly and nymph), as it's both highly productive and very entertaining. Most times, if the fish you cast to are interested, the 'take' will occur fairly quickly, with perhaps a flick of the tail and a flash of gold. You realise it's time to strike and tighten the line into the fish. When new to a stretch of water, it takes time to identify 'fishy' spots, I'm sure if you're an angler you'll know what I mean, you build up a map of these spots inside your head so that your subsequent visits becomes increasingly productive. One of the key issues with fishing smaller rivers is that of free casting space between the trees, which can
dictate where you're able to cast. Equally important is background cover, which can make a big difference to your catch. Luckily, these aspects were not too much of a barrier to enjoyable fishing. This stretch of the Otter offers the angler plenty of fishable pools, with lots of deep glides breaking into streamier water. The banks are well maintained on the upper beats, providing good bank side casting as well as access points to pools in the shallows. In terms of rod length, I took a 7ft rod although I wish I'd taken my 8ft rod which would have been just about perfect. There are plenty of picnic tables along the upper stretch, ideal for partners to sit and read a book or perhaps do a spot of painting. Alternatively, refreshment is only a short walk away at the hotel. I started my fishing session by walking downstream to the lower beats with the intention of working my way up slowly, exploring all the pools in the process. The first pool I fished was excellent, as I approached I could see plenty of fish rising. The worry is that as you approach the pool, your outline spooks the fish, but the bank side tree cover was perfect, enabling me to wade in pretty much unnoticed. Once activity returned, casting upstream resulted in a healthy take, followed by a fairly hectic run by a fish of about three quarters of a pound. After several minutes, the trout was landed to much joy. After releasing the fish and returning
to the water, I discovered a border collie enjoying the cool water, nonchalantly wading past on his way upstream. This pretty much put all the fish down on this pool, but let's not forget that dogs have as much right to get in the river as do us humans, especially when it's warm. You have to wonder how some of these animals cope in the heat with their thick fur coats, luckily my terrier Jack has a short coat, so it's not a problem - just as well really, as he's not a keen swimmer.
The Deerpark Hotel near Honiton
Getting back to fishing, I decided to walk on to the next pool, a certain amount of wading through undergrowth was required to reach the casting point. A nicely positioned fly in the run under a tree on the other bank produced a swift splashy rise and once more, another good fish was taken. After about four hours of fishing, the largest fish of the night was landed, a 1¼lb beauty that savagely took my fly and proceeded to cartwheel across the river, trying to shed the hook. Luckily all held and the brownie was beached in the shallows. I'd had a thoroughly good evening of wild trout fishing and proved to myself that the river Otter was still capable of living up to its reputation as a fine brown trout river.
Brown trout markings, red and brown spots with paler outer ring. Also notice distinctive red adipose fin
If you're considering booking a session on the Deer Park waters, day tickets are available for £30, with evening tickets at £20. Many thanks go to the staff at the Deer Park Hotel for a thoroughly enjoyable session. Nigel Jones
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
Plants around the riverbank 53 were full of damsel flies
Honiton I
f you're looking for somewhere unique and interesting to visit, Honiton has an much to offer the shopper. Of course it's well-known as an antiques centre, but did you know it has some really interesting galleries, shops, eateries, not least a fascinating museum and some very elegant Georgian architecture which can be enjoyed from the High Steet. If you wish to find out more about Honiton, you can visit our Honiton Feature pages online, where there's quite a lot of information to be had about Honiton including a shopping map of the town. www.honitonshopping.co.uk
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The book focuses, among other things, on the everyday people who worked and lived in the town in the 19th century and how the town has changed from those times to today. The book is available from the following retailers in Honiton: Bennetts • Honiton TIC • Dimond & Co • Patina • Countrylines Honiton Pottery & Milkshake Bar • High Street Books Graham York Rare Books • Upstairs, Downstairs Antiques Pilgrim Antiques • Liquid Assets • Leesons
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is a 400 page book encapsulating every aspect of the history of the Devonian market town. With a focus on the settlement in Victorian times it attempts to take the reader back to a time when the area’s main industries were lace, pottery and farming and how the town has changed since its medieval roots. The social history of the town can be found with a breakdown of the people who were living and working there nearly two centuries ago. The book covers virtually all of the town’s history, from trade to local businesses, pubs to farms, early travel to the railway, the workhouse to the rich and local customs to festivities. With over 200 colour illustrations and photographs, this work is set out in easy to read, short digestible chapters; a must for the coffee table of anyone interested in local history. SEE DISPLAY ADVERT DIRECTLY ABOVE
East Devon Coast & Country
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A Celebration of Life in East Devon
55
Walk on the Wildside
www.mikehugheswildlifeart.co.uk
By wildlife artist Mike Hughes
AUTUMN As Summer turns into Autumn and the days start to shorten there is a bumper harvest for our native wildlife. With its crisp clear mornings and with the afternoon sun lower in the sky, it is the perfect time for getting out and about to see wildlife. Autumn is perhaps the best season for visiting our local woods, particularly the beech woodland of East Devon, which produce a spectacular display of colour both up in the canopy and as a carpet of fallen leaves on the ground. The shortening day length triggers the trees to lose their leaves, during the summer they produce green Chlorophyll which uses sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into food, through a process called photosynthesis. As there is too little light in winter for photosynthesis to take place, during Autumn the production of chlorophyll is stopped, this turns the leaves orange, brown and yellow and they eventually fall off. The leaf litter on the ground provides a wealth of food for our native invertebrates.
Along with their leaves trees also produce and disperse their seeds, a short walk through a deciduous wood can produce an incredible diversity of berries, nuts, fruits and cones. These seeds are the harvest which a great deal of our wildlife rely on to get them through the winter months and to fuel their journeys to warmer countries further south. Creatures such as the Dormouse, which can hibernate for over six months of the year, can almost double their body weight in Autumn and will use these fat reserves to survive through the colder part of the year. Even though most flowers have gone over by the arrival of Autumn it is a great time to go in search of fungi. In the UK we enjoy over 6,000 different species which produce a staggering variety of fruiting bodies.
Who’s eaten the Hazelnut? Only a handful of British mammals feed on hazelnuts, with a bit of simple detective work you to can find out who has been feasting. 1. Grey Squirrel: with its powerful jaws, the squirrel can split the nuts from top to bottom leaving two halves.
1.
2. Wood Mouse: gnawing a round hole in the centre of the nut, the Wood Mouse also leaves a ring of tooth marks surrounding it. 3. Dormouse: usually including some of the end of the nut the hole made by the Dormouse has distinctive spiral shaped grooves. Like the Wood Mouse, Dormice will also have a ring of tooth marks around the hole. 4. Bank Vole: gnawing a neat hole with vertical grooves the Bank Vole has no tooth marks around the hole. 4.
2.
3.
Left: Nut from a Sweet Chestnut tree
East Devon Coast & Country
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Autumn Migration For all the birdwatchers and twitchers out there Autumn is, perhaps surprisingly, the most exciting time of year. The Autumn migration, a seasonal movement of birds from one location to another, involves huge numbers of birds passing to and from the British Isles. Many of our summer visitors need to head off to the continent in search of food, birds such as the hirundines (swifts, swallows, house martins and sand martins) all feed on insects which they catch on the wing and with the end of summer comes the end of this food supply. These are not the only species to leave during the Autumn, many of our warblers depart for central and southern Africa, as do some of our heathland breeding birds such as the Nightjar and Hobby. But all is not lost, for as many birds that we lose, plenty more arrive from the Arctic, Iceland and Scandanavia to spend the winter here. Large numbers of waders and waterfowl will feed on our rich estuaries from Autumn onwards.
As vast numbers of birds are on the move all across the northern hemisphere there is always a chance for a rarity from a far flung part of the world to turn up. Last year at the Axe Estuary Wetlands a Solitary Sandpiper arrived in the middle of October, this small wader is actually an American bird which breeds in Alaska and across Canada and spends the winter months in Central and South America. It didn’t stay long but it became quite an attraction with twitchers from all over the UK travelling down to see it!
Right: Migrating Willow Warbler heading south, pausing to feed on an old apple tree
Mike Hughes - Wildlife Art
I am a wildlife artist living and working in East Devon. If you would like to view more artwork, check availability of prints or commission a painting please go to www.mikehugheswildlifeart.co.uk. I am a signature member of Artists for Conservation.
Things to do in the East Devon Countryside
Devon Open Studios From the 3rd September to 18th September I will be exhibiting at The Gallery, Hind Street, Ottery St Mary as part of Devon Open Studios. During this two week event work by 370+ artists and makers can be seen in 146 different venues throughout Devon. For more details visit www.devonartistnetwork.co.uk. Other artists to visit in the East Devon area include Sarah Bovey & Ann Janes - Upottery, Kathy Ramsey Carr - Kerswell, Clare Schmidt Norris - Cullompton, Cristina Ulander - Buckerell, Jane Page & June Harvey - Weston.
Birdwatching for Beginners Thursday 8 September Thursday 22 September Thursday 6 October Thursday 27 October 10am - 12 noon at the Axe Estuary Wetlands, Seaton Call 01395 517 557 for details
Wildlife Art Exhibition Mike Hughes
Wildlife Art Exhibition Mike Hughes
3 - 17 September The Gallery, Hind Street, Ottery St Mary (open everyday except Sunday & Monday)
3 - 17 September The Gallery, Hind Street, Ottery St Mary
(open everyday except Sunday & Monday)
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
Axe Vale & District Conservation Society - Beach Clean-up Sunday 18 Sept 10am - 12noon Seaton Call Donald Campbell on 01297 552945 for details Birds from the Tram Wednesday 7 September 5pm - 7pm Saturday 17 September 5pm - 7pm Sunday 9 October 9am - 11am Sunday 23 October 9am - 11am Seaton, ÂŁ10 per head Call 01297 20375 to book/pay Otter Valley Association Walk Saturday 12 November 10am 2 hour walk from Exmouth Call 01395 568576 for details Otter Valley Association Walk Saturday 26 November 10am 5 hour walk tking in Woodbury Castle, Hates Wood and Blackhill Quarry Call 01395 443141 for details
57
Newton Abbot
So much choice, so many suprises At the Garden Park, we’ve brought together Britain’s widest range of plants and gardening products. You’ll find everything that the discerning gardener could possibly need and all at Trago’s famous everyday lowest prices. And for bulk purchases, why not try our unique drive through service. There’s no need to leave the comfort of your vehicle, simply follow the signs and we’ll do the rest!
Chelsea in the heart of Devon No visit to Newton Abbot would be complete without experiencing our beautifully landscaped gardens. Famous Westcountry garden designer and multiple Chelsea Gold Medal winner, Paul Stone has created a haven of tranquility amid the hustle and bustle of Trago’s retail store. Why not take a few moments to relax and meander through our nine stunning, individually themed gardens. You’re bound to be inspired.
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East Devon Coast & Country
Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm / Sun 10am-4pm
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Newton Abbot 01626 821111 off the A382 to Bovey Tracey A Celebration of Life in East Devon TQ12 6JD
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60
GREYHOUND RESCUE SUZY BAILEY SAYS GREYHOUNDS MAKE REALLY GREAT PETS
H
ave you perhaps reached that stage in your life when you feel you have the time and energy to welcome a dog into your life and home. If so, why not consider a retired track star, the canine equivalent of Linford Christie, or more recently Usain Bolt - I am talking about the elite athletes of the dog world, the graceful, gazelle-like greyhound.
Vicky initially came to Devon with the intention of retiring but a chance phone call from a friend in London asking her to take in two rescued greyhounds led her to her current situation where she has about ten dogs in her kennels. Her rehoming scheme has been very successful and last year she homed forty-three dogs. Prospective owners call at the kennels and Vicky encourages them to take time getting to know the dogs, taking them out for walks etc. New owners are always vetted by Vicky herself or partner Paul and once the dogs are placed in their new homes, excellent back up and support is provided by Vicky.
Unfortunately, there is a huge welfare issue around what actually happens to these beautiful creatures when their racing days are done. Sadly, the greyhound’s grace and speed became its downfall. In the 1920s greyhound racing and its associated betting became a huge spectator sport, these noble animals were no longer running for fun, but running for their lives. Those who weren’t fast enough or sustained track injuries were regarded as disposable commodities and more often than not, condemned to a cruel and ignoble death.
These lovely dogs are amazingly adaptable, affectionate, easy going and placid, gentle creatures. They also make ideal pets for older people as they rarely pull on the lead and do not require a huge amount of exercise. They also love their home comforts and to curl up on a duvet, or sofa by the fire is their idea of greyhound heaven. Because Vicky’s rehoming policy is very successful, dogs do not remain in her kennels for long. However, this was not the case when it came to Amy, a lovely little girl dog.. Amy remained in the kennel for a year, all the other dogs attracted the attention of would be owners but not poor Amy, she was gentle and shy, hiding at the back of the kennel while at the same time doing a little “please pick me” dance. Vicky pondered as to how on earth was she to get a home for Amy. She came up with this little poem and bravely went on local radio with it.
This grim fate only began to change when a few enlightened individuals began to adopt these ex racing dogs. They took them into their homes as pets and so began a process of public enlightenment to the point where, these days, pet greyhounds are a common sight in our towns and villages.
Amy’s Dream
I am a life- long lover of greyhounds and when I learned there was a greyhound rescue kennels just outside Honiton, I knew I just had to pay them a visit, so on a cold sunny day in January, I ventured up into the wilds of Upottery to meet Vicky Gregory, the lady who runs the kennels. It was a Sunday morning and most of the dogs were about to be walked by a dedicated team on volunteers. The dogs were all wrapped up in snug brightly coloured coats and made a wonderful picture as they set off up the hill. Vicky, who turned out to be a warm and friendly person, runs the kennel on behalf of the Retired Greyhound Trust and is assisted by her partner Paul and son Joe, however both men work so the lion’s share of the work is down to Vicky. The Retired Greyhound Trust, a registered charity, provide the funding for the dogs’ food and ever increasing vets’ fees but Vicky provides her time and, most important of all, her love free of charge. Like myself, Vicky’s background was in the greyhound racing industry and it was only as she grew older that she realised the failed racers were being callously disposed of. One of the racers in her charge was a lovely, bouncy dog named Rocky. Rocky ran his heart out for his owners but when he sustained a bad leg injury that meant
As is sit in my kennel and wait I see all the others leave by the gate To a home they go one by one To have a life full of fun “Oh Why can’t that be me” One day soon I may have that chance But all I can do is my little dance I jump up and down and do my prance But no, its not to be My kennel mates all come and go With kind humans who love them so Perhaps one day soon it will be me Who leaves by the gate at half past three.
As a direct result of this going out on the radio, little Amy got a home and is now with people who love her dearly. Vicky receives regular updates on her life of fun and mischief.
he could no longer race, his owners went off to buy another younger dog and left him to be “disposed of.” Horrified, Vicky blurted out “I’ll have him” and thus began her long career of caring for abandoned ex-racing greyhounds
So, please dear reader, if you are thinking of taking in a homeless dog, please consider the lovely greyhound, a more faithful loving gentle creature you could not hope for. He or she will repay your kindness with a lifetime of unconditional love and devotion. Vicky can be contacted on 01404 861160 Or check out the website to see photos of the dogs on rgthillview.co.uk.
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
61
Horse Care Riding Aids by Natalie Bucklar-Green
Natalie Bucklar-Green gives valuable advice on various aspects of horse care and welfare...
Natalie Bucklar-Green
BSc (Hons), MSc (Equine Science)
Natalie has owned horses for over 20 years and owns East Devon Riding Academy near Sidmouth. She has previously lectured in Equine Science to degree level and produced research for preparing Great Britains' equestrian teams for the Olympics. Natalie provides consultations in all aspects of Equine Science, including bitting and saddle fitting and has fitted saddles for competitors at Badminton International Horse Trials.
So when riding, consider using each aid in a manner appropriate to the situation and be prepared to vary its use as the situation changes (or not!). The aids are inter-linked and so you will often have to use more than one aid at any one time but not necessarily to the same extent. It is important to use aids subtly at first, i.e. just turn the dial slightly. Again, using the car as an example, it is rare that you need to put your foot flat to the floor on the accelerator. When riding, turning the dial up to the maximum levels on a regular basis is not only inappropriate but it also causes the horse to become numb to the aid. In order to get a response the rider then has to turn the dial even more but eventually there is only so far the dial can be turned before the rider cannot go any further. In practical terms this can be explained
Riding Aids The natural riding aids are the seat, legs, hands and voice. Rather than using aids like an on-off switch, with minimal sensitivity and adjustment, it is preferable to think of using them like a dial, with varying amounts of pressure. The extent to which each aid is used is dynamic and dependant on the individual horse and the situation. Consider this a bit like driving a car, where the accelerator is used to a varying degree depending on numerous factors such as the engine type, road conditions, the weather, volume of traffic, speed required, etc. The driver is continually considering these factors and feeling what the car is doing, so the accelerator is not just used on or off but rather with varying degrees of pressure from the foot dependant on the circumstances and the required result.
Think of your aids like a dial, not an on-off switch
by using the leg aids as an example. If the rider always kicks the horse to ask it to move forward, what happens if the horse does not respond? If the rider has to continually kick to keep a horse moving, what happens when you want to go faster? If the rider always kicks to ask a horse to move or go faster, what happens in an emergency situation? By asking subtly first, you can always increase the aid if and when required and the horse will also more readily respond to a stronger aid. Why shout when a whisper will do?! It is important to consider the communication from the horse
when selecting the aid to use and the extent to which you will use it.
Try to use as subtle an aid as possible first; you can then increase the aid to the next step if required. Remember, each aid itself can be used at differing amounts of pressure. • Firstly, the horse must be physically and mentally capable of doing what you are asking it to do. If it isn’t, and the rider hasn’t listened, then it is a common mistake to then inappropriately increase the aid. • Then consider the response that you get from an aid. Has the horse responded correctly? Responded incorrectly? Not responded at all? Then ask yourself WHY have you got this response? It is common for the rider to think the horse hasn’t listened or has chosen to ignore or disobey the rider. Instead, the first thought should be has the rider asked correctly and clearly so the horse understands? Have any mixed signals been given by the rider? Have the aids been given at an appropriate time? Sometimes this can be hard to ascertain, particularly without help. • If a rider is repeatedly feeling that the horse is not doing what it is being asked to do then step back and consider why this may be. For example, if a rider is kicking repeatedly to ask a horse to move, yet the horse still won’t increase its pace, is this because the horse is ignoring the rider? The answer may be yes, but not because it is a conscious thought from the horse but because the horse has become numb to being kicked, so the horse
East Devon Coast & Country
switches off from that aid. Or it may be because the rider continues kicking even when the horse has increased its pace (however slight), so the horse is confused as to what the kick actually means. So the horse doesn’t respond in the way that the rider intends because it doesn’t know what the aid actually means. • Once the dial has been turned up high on a regular basis, it is hard to turn it back down again. Sometimes the dial cannot ever be turned down again. For example, if a rider always pulls the reins to stop, then gradually the rider will have to pull harder and harder to get the same response. From there the horse may need a different bit and/or a different noseband to get a response. This is not because the horse is consciously choosing to ignore the rider but because its mouth has become hardened to the pressure so the rider has to find ways of increasing the pressure. This damage can be irreparable. Teaching the rider not to pull and the horse to slow down from a more subtle aid takes much longer than just pulling the reins, so it is easy to see why pulling becomes normality. However, a quick result from a strong aid should be saved for emergencies and not to replace hours of practice! To summarise, riding should be about building a harmonious partnership between horse and rider. This takes time, patience and practice, just like learning any other skill properly; but it could be argued riding is harder because there are two brains and bodies, not one! By having the ability to communicate with the horse in numerous ways, rather than in an ‘all or nothing’ fashion, the rider will be more skilled at getting the best from a horse and have a safer, more enjoyable ride. The horse’s welfare will also be improved. If a rider just says what they want to do and does not allow or listen to feedback from what they are sitting on, then they should stick to riding a bike!
The summer competition winner, Amy Bodfish from Honiton
62
EQUESTRIAN EVENTS
4th September- Exe Equestrian Club ODE, Nutwell Court
24th-25th September- Affiliated Dressage, Wellbeck equestrian
4th September- Shetland breed show (including miniature ponies) Crealy Park, Exeter
25th September- Exe Equestrian Club Hunter trial, Nutwell Court
4th September - East Devon Hunt Hunter Trial, Straitgate Farm, Ottery St Mary 4th September- Fun dog show, Ferne Animal Sanctuary, Chard 11th September- South West Welsh Pony and Cob Association Championship show, Crealy Park 16th-18th September- Affiliated Show Jumping, Bicton Arena 18th September- Sidbury Fair pleasure ride
1st-2nd October- Affiliated Show Jumping, Bicton Arena
Professional Animal Portraits Hannah Twine Equine & Canine commissions 01404 851333 07912 627071
Sept, Oct & Nov 2011
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For a special gift that lasts a lifetime
2nd October- Combe St Nicholas fun ride, Chard 8th October- East Devon Pony Club Hunter Trial, Bicton Arena 23rd October- Exe Equestrian Club fun ride, Woodbury Common 26th October- Halloween Open Day, Ferne Animal Sanctuary, Chard
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A Celebration of Life in East Devon
63
Aggressive or Frightened by Kerry Hornett
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS SUMMER ISSUE
A Kerry Hornett Animal Communicator Helping animals with emotional behavioural problems Reiki Master Reiki healing
nother example is Poppy, the
Poppy is now being treated as an adult
When I last met her she was calmer
fox terrier, who appeared very
dog and shown her correct place in
and more confident. She now greets
aggressive when she interacted
the household. Amongst other things
most dogs by ignoring them. She is
with other dogs. She would strain
she sleeps in her bed, sits on the floor,
still a work in progress, but the owners
at the lead and pounce and bark
is praised when she does something
have done exceptionally well with her.
very angrily. When off the lead
good and she is always fed after the
she would behave as if she was
human members of the household.
frightened. When I first met Poppy
Behaviour which is labelled as aggressive can often be connected
she behaved very submissively, rolling
with fear, grief, loneliness or just a lack
over and showing her stomach. It
of self-worth. When living in a pack,
became very apparent that Poppy
herd or colony it is the strongest, most
was very confused about her role in
assertive animals that thrive because
the household. Like many owners
they have the first choice of food,
of small dogs (and I include myself
shelter and mate. Fearful animals will
in this) Poppy had been treated as
often lash out aggressively rather than
a child of the family. She slept on
appear vulnerable. If this behaviour is
the bed, came up on the chairs and
misread and treated accordingly it will
Medium Reading for individuals and groups
was generally treated as the most
only make the problem worse. When
her birth mother before important
Animal communication was used to
is aggressive or frightened before you
Call 01404 43522
canine leadership skills had been
explain to her the role she has with
try to solve the behavioural problems.
www.linkwithanimals.co.uk
important member of the household. Poppy was naturally an alpha female
you take on a new pet, particularly if
Poppy the fox terrier
it is a rescue, with unknown history, make sure that you know whether it
with a strong personality. She had left
taught and she didn’t know the safe
this family and safe behaviour to
way to interact with other dogs.
display when greeting other dogs.
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East Devon Coast & Country
64
D.B.Photography
Tales of a Yokel
Yarns from the inimitable FCR Esgen
A PEASANT LIFE It has been said that when the land loses its peasantry, the beat of its heart is never the same again. So in these days of food security and allotment waiting lists it occurred to me recently that in the long gone days of my youth people were far more adaptable and self-sufficient than in today's fast paced world. The woods , fields and streams of yesteryear were filled with all manner of good things that people could and did use as nutritious food. The good news is that all these things are still there, free for the picking for anyone who wishes to put his or her wellies on and go out and find them. My last salad, for instance, consisted among other things of wild onions, jack by the hedge, dandelions, land cress and ransomes or wild garlic as it is sometimes called, and it is only early April. There are other advantages too, such as picking everything in season. This means that all your food will have optimum freshness and high vitamin levels. There are no food miles either, only food minutes. The physical effects of wandering off into the countryside for a food ramble are obvious as this type of exercise is incredibly good for you but it also gives you the emotional and mental well-being associated with living and eating in tune with nature and earths yearly cycle of food production. You also gain more control of your own life as you decide along with nature what you will eat and when, rather than have the supermarkets decide for you. This bounty, of course, is greatest at harvest time in late summer and early autumn, with the such delicacies as blackberries, crab apples, elderberries, rose-hips, and mushrooms only a pick away. Still you will find that the natural world is very good at providing what is nutritionally needed for us human beings at any given time of year.
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CRAB SALAD One must not forget the rich beneficence of the sea of course. Her wealth of mineral packed, healthy food offerings is seemingly endless. Fortunately living here on the East Devon coast this is never more apparent than in the summer when mackerel, bass and pollack abound. Though good things can be caught or picked from the shoreline at any time of the year, weather permitting. If your taste buds run to crustacea you can treat yourself to a free banquet whenever you feel a fishy mood coming on. Moule mariniere prepared with de-bearded fresh mussels picked from clean unpolluted waters is hard to beat. I always steam mine in fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil and a splash of white wine. For my last supper though, if it had to be a fish dish, I would plump for a luscious crab salad. Brown crabs can be bought very reasonably from the fishing boats that sell from the shore if you are willing to prepare it yourself and indulge in a little bit of fish heaven, marvelous! FCR Esgen
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Whether you are on a shooting / fishing break, attending a local field trial or just seeking a quiet get away in the country, we are able to accommodate you and your dogs. We have a secure gun cabinet if required and comfortable kennels. The facilities at Irelands include 2 double rooms, shower room, sitting room with television, broadband and tea and coffee making facilities. A generous cooked breakfast in our lovely dining room will set you off for the day. We are surrounded by accessible farmland and woodland and there are good footpaths with immediate access from our property. Tel. 01884 277968 Mob. 07713 329164 Irelands, Clyst Hydon, Nr Cullompton, Devon EX15 2NF Ian Nex & Nicola Grellis
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
www.smalegundogs.com
65
A Fond Farewell to Colyford's
MOTORING MEMORIES The end of September sees the closure of Motoring Memories at Colyford, Robin Barnard's unique museum of motoring memorabilia, housed in an historic 1920s petrol station Motoring Memories was the conception of Robin Barnard, who, having owned and run the Colyford Filling Station for a number of years, decided to preserve it for posterity. What's notable about this 1928 petrol station is the pleasing architectural style. Very often, travelling through some pretty rural village, it's staggering how often a beautiful amble back in time can be violently punctuated by a 'modern' petrol station. Not so in Colyford, the Tudor style facade melds beautifully into this village. Originally, this station was the foresight of a local farmer, a Mr Davey, and it was in a day and age when hand operated petrol pumps could appear on roadside barns. Mr Davey, having seen the timber framed station at Countess Wear, commissioned a local architect to produce a design along the same lines. The station was completed in 1928, with four hand-operated pumps being fitted. Fuel was supplied by Shell, National Benzole and BP.
At the time, Devon County Council considered this petrol station to be a model of design, many petrol stations at the time being totally unplanned and haphazard with gaudy signs dominating the roadside.
Cloud Hill to the Royal Airforce site at Mountbatten, Plymouth. With the outbrake of the 2nd World War, pooled petrol was rationed and this didn't end until the 1950s, when Mr Davey's son returned from service to re-join his father's business. The 1950s saw a steady increase in petrol sales. As the early 1960s approached, many petrol stations tied to single petrol suppliers such as BP, Shell, National Benzole, etc. Again the 1960s saw a steady increase in fuel sales with increasing affluence and car ownership.
In the early 1930s, one of the station's famous visitors was Lawrence of Arabia, who regularly called in to have a chat and fill up his mighty Brough Superior enroute from his Dorset home at
The 1970s saw the station change hands to a Mr Stevens, however fuel volumes were low and consequently Shell ended its contract. The station continued in to the 1980s with Mr Stevens deciding to sell the site for development , the plans including the total demolition of the site and station. Luckily, Robin Barnard appeared, having many memories of station, came to the rescue and
Right - Robin Barnard surveying his collection. If you haven't already visited, make sure you get there before it closes at the end of September 2011
East Devon Coast & Country
66
managed to prevent the demolition by purchasing the site off Mr Stevens. In 1999 Shell offered to revamp the station in line with their unified corporate design, fortunately Robin declined and decided to go against the grain by returning the station forecourt to a 1950s appearance. Petrol sales continued until 2001, when the low margins meant that it was no longer viable to continue trading. This conclusion thankfully, was not the end for the filling station, as Robin was able to indulge his passion for motoring by turning this historic petrol station into a motoring memorabilia museum. I visited the museum in July and chatting to Robin, I was struck by his sheer dedication to the collection and the petrol station's history. I it was fairly evident that Robin held many happy memories of his days both of motoring in East Devon and also of his time at this site. Speaking personally, I think we owe a great debt to people like Robin, he's really gone out of his way, not to cash in, but to take the difficult route to preserve something that both himself and many of us find extremely evocative.
The sad news is that Robin, after many years of dedication, has decided to sell the collection of memorabilia. He's going to keep hold of and preserve the station building, but in his retirement years he's recognised that his extensive collection needs a secure home to preserve it safely. If you're a collector, particularly if you're based in East Devon, then please contact Robin, as he's keen for the collection to say in this part of the world. Most of the items in the collection have a local connection, for instance as we were walking round the museum, Robin pointed to one of the petrol pumps retrieved from a farm in Whitford, apparently farms used to have these old pumps to supply their farm machinery. He also pointed to a petrol pump that had come from a station in Axminster, which he said had been in operation for many years. Who knows how many of Axminster's motorists had pulled up alongside for their supply. What's particularly impressive in the museum is the collection of old signs, many are the old enamel ones which are particularly vibrant, event now. It's provides a very interesting insight into the marketing tactics of companies in the early 20th century.
It really is a fascinating collection and I urge you to see it before it closes at the end of September. May I thank Robin on our behalf for preserving these items which he saved from being lost forever. - Nigel Jones
If you're based in the area and could host Robin's collection, then please make contact as Robin's very keen for the collection to say in this part of the world.
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
Lawrence of Arabia used to refill at Colyford Petrol Station on his way to Mountbatten in Plymouth
Below - Motoring Memories site at the historic Colyford petrol station
67
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East Devon Coast & Country
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Writers and contributors wanted! Do you have any interests that you would like to write about and do you live in east Devon? If so, we pay for articles from contributors, so why not give us a call on 01395 512166 or email nigel@prestige-media.co.uk
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A Celebration of Life in East Devon
69
Local historian Ted Gosling discusses maritime disasters in East Devon
Shipwrecks A
n estimation of wrecks
Although these towns had no pier,
along the Devon coast
passengers got ashore via a small
is difficult, records and names are
bridge thrown out to the beach
often confused but there is little
from the boat.
doubt that more ships are found
In 1934 the Duchess was wrecked
off East Devon than are recorded.
at Sidmouth, having got into
The Berar was an Italian three-
difficulties because of a heavy swell
masted barque which ran ashore
and came into Sidmouth beach
on the rocks near Rousden. She
broadsides. All the passengers
was laden with about 1,200 tons
were taken off safely but the old and
of planking. The ship soon broke
faithful steamer was dismantled
up and the load of timber was
where she lay.
scattered all along the shore. No loss of life occurred but the crew suffered terrible hardships and privations. The figurehead of the Berar can be seen in Seaton Museum. Another ship wrecked on Seaton beach during a storm in February 1922 was the Malpas Belle, a Polish
The figurehead of the Berar
with the ships captain Brewis were
Bob Wooley, T.P.Syres, H.Spencer,
H. Burgess, W.Yeo and others. It was
F.Russell, T.Smith, W.Hook, W.Ware,
hoped to lower a rope down the
T.W.Harris, W.Yeo, D.Hook and
cliff to the beach but, owing to the
J.Tapley.
Recently shipwrecked Napoli
In 1992 when most of the shingle was swept away and scoured down to bedrock along the main sea front, and again the keel and rudder of the old steamer were uncovered. The Grindon Hall was another vessel wrecked off Sidmouth beach. It was on Friday 3rd of November 1916 the Grindon Hall
The Berar on ther rocks 1896
Vessels such as the 73 ton schooner the Friends and the brigantine Julia were wrecked off Exmouth but the most spectacular ship wreck was the MSC Napoli, a United Kingdom flagged container ship. On January 19th 2007, the ship was taken under tow by the salvage tug Abeille Bourbon to be towed to Portland harbour from off the coast of the Lizard following gale damage. Unable to reach Portland, the Napoli was beached at Branscombe. After containers from the wreck began washing up at Branscombe, around two hundred people went onto the beach to scavenge goods which included new BMW motorcycles. A salvage free-for-all followed until the police closed the beach. The registered barque laden with iron
(2,360 tons) bound from France to
violence of the wind, it had to be
were lost.
Barry Docks encountered terrible
abandoned. A Mr Bunner carried
weather and ended up drifting
a rope over the river and the crew
The pleasure steamer the Duchess
helplessly off Sidmouth at the
left the ship and landed on the
ore, here again fortunately, no lives
of Devonshire conveyed passengers
eastern end of the town near the
beach. They were saved with the
to Bournemouth and Weymouth
shore. Volunteers were asked to
help of Messers Skinner, Haselock,
from Torquay, calling on its way at
help Stephen Reynolds to rescue
J.Hayman, W.J.Govier, A.L.Smith,
Sidmouth, Seaton and Lyme Regis.
the crew. First to communicate
W.Turner, A.C.Drewe, Tom and
East Devon Coast & Country
wrecked Napoli became a much photographed subject until mid summer 2009 when she was finally removed.
Ted
Gosling
70
P
H By Rose Millard
T
his document was found during recent excavations in the Beggars Lane area of Honiton and has been reliably dated to 1349 when the Black Death was sweeping across England. As the name Beggars Lane suggests, this area was a haunt of the homeless and desperate in the night before they could enter the Leper Hospital attached to St Margaret’s Chapel. This, in the fourteenth century was a “hospital” in the oldest and loosest sense; there was no real healing here but some comfort for those with no hope of anything more. This very rare document was from one poor soul such as this.
W
hat a way to go. I was hoping for a glorious death in the Holy Lands or even on a Flemish merchant ship. I know that sounds dull now I write it down, but bleeding gums and pirate attacks on a ship carrying the world’s second best cloth would be better than sitting here with a black lump oozing pus waiting for a pauper’s lonely and miserable death. Admittedly the glorious stuff was always going to be unlikely given I was born in a mill in Honiton and my family are millers and I was supposed to be a miller. Don’t get me wrong, running a fulling mill is an important job and I was proud to be a part of the wool trade. But doesn’t really add up to much now does it?
I
found the first lump this morning. Night has fallen now and the swellings are under both arms and my right thigh. They are getting bigger and blacker and the coughing is keeping me awake. They may not even let me in by morning when it’s more obvious that the Great Pestilence has me in its grip. I know enough to see the end is mere hours away. I haven’t got long to write everything I need to leave behind; all the memories and vital bits of information I want to leave to my boys. I told Joan this morning, when I left, to look after them and keep them safe from the Mortality but I want to pass something on to them. It seems the greatest gift I can give them today is to stay away from them and leave them to their own fate. Better to take myself off while they are sleeping than suffer the humiliation of being left to die by your own family. I’ve seen the fear and revulsion of the Great Pestilence make people do terrible things and it’s not pretty.
trade well and it will look after you. I know you have watched me many times but remember; only the best wool should be used, then add the marl and let the mill do its work, pounding and bashing until you have the finest serge. It’s stronger than wool and it’s good stuff. We’ve always had food on the table and wood on the fire. I hear some of the merchants and burghers in town have houses with two rooms, even a separate water closet with drainage straight down onto the street. There’s no need, my boys. The family that eats, works, sleeps and looks after its animals together, stays together. There’s no harm comes from a bit of wildlife in the house and a quick walk in the middle of the night to the midden heap. I don’t know how they even keep warm without a cow or two in with them at night. There’s no accounting for people with too much money. Everyone knows that urine keeps disease away. Usually anyway; hasn’t worked for me this time of course.
S
G
o, first things first. Boys, you will never find a woman as good as your mother. She has been my helpmeet since we married ten years ago. And she looks as good today at 25 as she did that day at All Hallows. She loves God and me and you, in that order and that is the way it should be. She makes a mean pottage out of the last of the cabbage and has brewed up a small beer storm every year. We lost six babies on the way to keeping you two and she was always up and working the next day. You won’t find another like her but you can try. It’s a bit like finding a good horse; young but biddable and broken, strong and with good teeth, at least when you wed her. Actually, while we are on the subject, make sure you get a good horse for the mill to transport the marl down from the pits. Your mother will keep you and the mill safe; you must help her as much as you can.
T
he mill is everything. It was my first home and I thought it would be my last. I don’t know how to sleep without the sound of water slipping through the wheel. Up in town they like to think they are the be all and end all with their market days and the fair but we know down Littletown that the mill at the Bottom is what made Honiton. We were the first town to make serge, boys, and we still make the best in the south west. Our fulling mill uses the finest marl from the marl pits and the softest Devon wool. Learn the
o to Church, my sons. All Hallows is the house of God and God is the only one who can protect us all now. There have been bad harvests before and diseases amongst the sheep but the Great Pestilence is the worst thing and we must have been really bad to deserve it. Make sure you pay your tithe on time to Father John and help with the roof repairs when they need doing and they do always need doing. Your mother always dragged me to the plays outside church every year. Awful stuff but she likes them so you’d better take her. She likes it if you cheer and boo in the right places and tell her you’re going to be a better person afterwards. It makes her happy.
L
ook out for the Courtenays. They are a good family and they look after Honiton, but just make sure you stay on their right side. It’s all theirs and we live at their pleasure. The Portreeve is a grumpy old sod but it’s his job to keep law and order. I always obeyed the call for hue and cry. There will always be some who actually enjoy going on a hue and cry because they like the excuse for a chance of a chase and a bit of a fight, all in the name of law and order. I get enough excitement from digging marl and keeping you two in order. But that’s how we work, boys. We all look after each other round here, and protect each other and our property. What’s the alternative exactly? I mean, you’d have to pay people
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
to watch over the town if we couldn’t trust each other to do the right thing. Mind you, watch out for strangers especially in these dangerous days. Stick with what and who you know.
T
ake St. Michaels, for instance. It’s only a small chapel, not fancy, but it’s ours. It’s nothing like All Hallows down in town and it is a bit of a walk up the hill from the mill but the view over the marl pits down to Honiton Bottom to the west and All Hallows and the market due east makes the walk worthwhile. Value this land boys; the woods and copses provide wood and warmth, the fields give you the wool you need and the odd rabbit for the pot, the water of the Gissage gives power to our mill. This Mortality is still going and the land gets emptier. Stay alive boys and the future is yours; the fewer men to work the land the better they will have to treat us. And they will always need good serge. This land is built on wool, and long may it stay that way.
I
can’t believe I’m going to die at 26. I thought I had a good four years left to hand over to you two. And I always thought I would die in my own mill, not at the Hospital. I will ask St Margaret for a quick end. She is the saint for the dying, they say. Mind you, I’ve heard down in town about a new treatment, maybe I should ask them to try it. All you need is a young pigeon’s tail feather to stick in the swelling and then you cut the pigeon open and put its still beating heart against the lump. That should draw the poison out apparently. Perhaps I could be home to help with the days fulling yet. The Hospital kept no records in the fourteenth century so we can have no way of knowing what happened to the miller of this document. However, the Great Mortality or Black Death as we now know it, took the lives of somewhere between 25 – 45% of the English population in two years and it is only with modern antibiotics that any kind of cure has been possible. It was no respecter of class or money and did, as the Miller suggested, make a real difference to the social structure of England and the lives of those left behind. The Mill at Honiton Bottom continued to be a very important part of Honiton and Devon life for many years and wool was indeed the life blood of the English economy for centuries. - Rose Millard. 71
Life Matters
Did you know, for instance, that you could try foraging in Budleigh Salterton? The intrepid Robin Harford guides groups or families into re-discovering the lost art of foraging. His courses have delicious titles such as Autumn Bounty along The Riverbank; Nature’s Larder; and Acorns and Berries & Baskets. Robin is a professional forager who harvests wild edible plants on a daily basis for his family, as well as supplying local restaurants. Some of his courses take the foraging to its logical conclusion, cooking and eating delicacies such as nettle soup. Analysis of nettles, by the way, has shown that they are 3 times as nutritious as any cultivated foodstuff so, as well as being an original and fun way of spending a day, these are real health and wellbeing experiences.
Editor - Sali Mustafic sali@prestige-media.co.uk tel: 01404 45848
Life Matters I love the autumn and beauty of our coast and countryside. No wonder many of us think of joining an art class. Not all of us are aspiring artists of course and there is an amazing range of classes and workshops. I have signed up for poetry school, a choir and a graphic design course. I don’t know how I will find the time but I can be sure of an interesting few months! What about you? Have you found something interesting or unusual, or something that is making a difference in your life? Please let me know so that we can share the news across the whole of East Devon
Balancing the stresses of work and living with health and relaxation
Courses: Try Something New! It’s not only children who will be going back to school in September. All over the country there will be adults picking up pens or paintbrushes; shaking out loose fitting clothing or warming up their voices as they prepare to try something new.
Across East Devon there are groups, classes and workshops to suit all ages, tastes and abilities. We have
Whether it’s because you have retired, changed your job, your
Local Birth Preparation Classes Led by Midwives at Honiton & Exeter Small classes preparing you for labour, birth and the early days with a newborn.
Book early to avoid disappointment
contact 07733 327 161 email info@parent-wise.co.uk www.parent-wise.co.uk
? Wondering which way to turn? when you reach a crossroads, it can help to get a new perspective contact Sali on 01404 45848 to discover how life coaching can help ...change works
Outdoor painting classes
children have left home or simply that you want to try something new, here in East Devon we have an exciting array of courses and choirs, trainings and taster sessions, workshops and classes to choose from.
courses on everything from recreation, hobbies and pastimes to opportunities to retrain for a new career and everything in between. For instance members of the British Sugar Craft Guild organise skills schools, workshops and exhibitions.
WANT TO FEEL FULL OF ENERGY & VITALITY? TRIED ACUPUNCTURE?
It is well-known that Acupuncture is very effective for physical health problems. However, you don’t have to be ill, in the conventional sense, to benefit from Acupuncture.
addictions such as smoking. Alternatively you may just feel unwell in yourself with no ‘get up and go’ or enthusiasm for life. The good news is that Acupuncture can help restore emotional and physical well-being, so that you can get on with enjoying your life.
Many clients come to me for help with low energy levels, fertility issues, weight management or
WHY NOT BOOK AN APPOINTMENT NOW Val Davis, B.Sc., Lic.Ac.
(Member of the British Acupuncture Council)
Clinics throughout East Devon
sali@nlpdevon.co.uk
(01395) 578050
BAcC Member www.acupuncture.org.uk
British Acupuncture Council
HOW CAN ACUPUNCTURE HELP YOU?
East Devon Coast & Country
Excellent for back pain, sciatica, arthritis, digestive conditions, insomnia, menopausal/menstrual symptoms, anxiety and depression. Boost your energy levels and strengthen your
72
Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy Clinical Hypnotherapy
AXMINSTER
HONITON
01297 35844
01404 549270
Chard Street
193 High Street
Helping you to take control of your life Help with: Anxiety, Depression, Habits, Phobias, Confidence, Stress Insomnia, Pain, IBS, CFS/ME, Trauma, Relaxation, Panic Fear, Smoking, Self-Esteem & Weight Control
Clinics in: Exeter ~ Sidmouth ~ Axminster Michelle Hague BA(Hons)Cert ed D Hyp PDC Hyp
01297 20144 or 07761 773563
PDCBHyp MBSCH
michelle@haguemail.co.uk www.takecontrolofyourlife.co.uk
CLASSIFIED Acupuncture
For general health problems, fertility, addictions, sports injuries, facial revitalisation acupuncture Val Davis, B.Sc., M.B.Ac.C., Lic.Ac. 01395 578050
What begins as wanting to decorate one special cake for a particular occasion can often turn into a delightful hobby or even a new occupation. Exeter has a branch which meets every 3rd Friday or your local col-
Birth Preparation
Parentwise Birth Preparation Classes are led by midwives and run in Exeter and Honiton. Contact info@parentwise.co.uk Chiropractic
For gentle, effective holistic chiropractic treatment for the whole family, the Chiropractic Health Centre 01297 35844 or 01404 549270 Chiropractic (McTimoney)
Headackes, neck & back pain, hip pain, sciatica, arthritis, joint pain. April Rose 07973 202441 Cognitive Hypnotherapy
Let Michelle Hague help you gain control of your life. Tel 01297 20144. See display advert. continued on following page
Robin Harford runs foraging courses
lege may run courses. I also discovered photo reading with Clare Whiston, where you can learn how to double your reading speed in just 2 days; Honiton Lacemaking and interior design for beginners, painting, drawing, sculpture, lip reading and communication skills, modern
A Course in Happiness
An experiential, 8 week course in happiness run for small groups. Starts 27th September (Sidmouth), 28th September (Axminster). Encompassing Hypnotherapy, Mindfulness and Positive Psychology. Contact: Deborah Pearce, Hypnotherapist. 01404 813388 or 07939 840788 dpearcehypno@gmail.com
Chiropractic Health Centre Gentle effective holistic treatment for the whole family Richard Stenning D.C. Michael Norris D.C. Louisa Wootton D.C.
www.wellbeingdevon.co.uk poets, and philosophy. If you are looking for a career change, the newly opened Devon Academy in Exeter specialises in massage therapies and one of their courses can open up a new career possibilities. Professional Reflexology training is available in Buckerell; NLP and hypnotherapy at the Devon School of NLP, just outside Exeter; and Reiki training in and around Exeter. For a more unusual training you could consider sound healing or gong practitioner training with Sheila Whittaker in Sheldon near Honiton. Of course not everyone wants to be a therapist. Pitman shorthand or sage accounting might be more your style. If so check out organisations such as the Pitman training centres in Exeter, Trowbridge and Taunton or, if you are looking for something heavier, you might consider electrical, plumbing, gas and oil, plastering, carpentry or construction training. It’s all available with providers such as PGL Exeter. With our wonderful beaches and spectacular Jurassic Coast, first aid, beach lifeguard, powerboat courses, and powerboat training are always in demand and East Devon Training can provide them all while the beautiful environment continues to be an inspiration for the growing number of art classes throughout the region. Many of us are looking for an opportunity to develop our creative talents and art classes continue to be one of the most popular forms of adult education. Cathy Osbond opened East Devon Art Academy in Sidmouth last September offering classes for artists of all levels with courses in drawing, watercolour, oils, acrylic, mixed media, printing and sculpture. For those of us who don’t live in a town or city it good to
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
know that artists, such as Mike Mcdonald take their classes to village venues at reasonable prices, and the WEA runs art courses, amongst many others, in a variety of venues across the region. Joining a choir has become very popular following recent TV programmes and competitions. Singing is great fun, good exercise and can boost self-confidence. Sweet Honi ‘n’ Soul is a Rock choir that rehearses in Honiton on Tuesday evenings. Andy Hague who formed the choir in February 2011 believes very strongly in the liberating power
APRIL ROSE
McTimoney Chiropractor (BUPA)
07973 202441 .
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seatonchiropractor.co.uk
73
Hypnotherapy
Anxiety, Stress, Fears and Phobias Self-hypnosis for Childbirth Free initial consultation includes free relaxation CD Appointments available at Ebdons Court Natural Health, Sidmouth, The Good Life, Ottery St Mary The Awareness Centre, Axminster Tel: 01404 813388 or 07939 840788
Life Matters
Deborah Pearce HPD Clinical Hypnotherapist
dpearcehypno@supanet.com
Health & Wellness: Local hypnotherapist welcomes 200th client East Devon Hypnotherapist Deborah Pearce reached a significant milestone recently this week by seeing her 200th client. Deborah qualified as a Solution Focused Hypnotherapist in 2008 from the prestigious Clif ton Practice Hypnotherapy Training school in Bristol, gaining experience under supervision by seeing 50 volunteer clients at the therapy rooms at Ottery Health Store (now The Good Life delicatessen). Shortly after qualifying Deborah was invited to join the therapists’ team at Ebdons curt Natural Health in Sidmouth and last November further expanded her practice when she joined the complementary therapists’ team at the Awareness Centre in Axminster. With a thriving practice in East Devon, Deborah has gained a
reputation for helping clients with a wide range of emotional issues. She reflects:
www.calmerminds.com
their “preferred future”. Hypnosis reinforces this positive image. Deborah points out: “Hypnotherapy acts as a catalyst for change and, provided clients are willing to make the necessary shift in thinking or behaviour, the therapy can have a powerful impact on a person’s ability to cope with life’s ups and downs.”
“Seeing so many volunteer clients during training gave me a solid foundation on which to build the practice. It enabled me to gain experience and the confidence to use the techniques I had been taught.
Clients seek hypnotherapy because there’s some aspect of their lives that they want to change. Using solution focused psychotherapy techniques Deborah helps them to develop a clear picture of how they want their lives to be –
Going through difficult times? Contact Sally Hunt, BACP Accredited Counsellor at space2talk, Gandy Street, Exeter 07944 377310 www.space2talk.com Promote your practice
Appear in this section for only £12 Call Nigel on 01395 512166 or email nigel@prestige-media.co.uk Hypnotherapy
Pat Hoare provides therapeutic counselling, hypnotherapy and supervision. 01392 410090. See display. Anxiety, stress, fears, phobias, weight issues? Contact clinical hypnotherapist Deborah Pearce. See display. Nordic Walking
“I keep my skills updated by attending regular supervision sessions and specialist courses and workshops. “I’m still absolutely fascinated by the power of Hypnotherapy, and it’s amazing to see how clients have been able to overcome debilitating anxiety, phobias or unwanted behaviours.”
CLASSIFIED Counselling
Burn 20-40% more calories than normal walking, tone up, lose weight, get fitter in beautiful locations. Call Rob Deere on 07920 090453. Rooms for hire Hypnotherapist Deborah Pearce
Deborah of fers a free initial consultation without obligation, and can be contacted on 01404 813388 or 07939 840788, email dpearcehypno@gmail.com.
Does your facility have rooms for practitioners to rent, or are you a practitioner looking for space. Advertise your requirements here for only £12. Promote your practice
Appear in this section for only £12 Call Nigel on 01395 512166 or email nigel@prestige-media.co.uk
THERAPEUTIC COUNSELLING
HYPNOTHERAPY AND SUPERVISION
Pat Hoare
SENIOR BACP ACCREDITED COUNSELLOR AND SUPERVISOR SENIOR G.H.R. ACCREDITED HYPNOTHERAPIST
Exercise in beautiful locations Burn 20-46% more calories than normal walking Have fun exercising with like minded people Tone up, lose weight, get fitter and healthier in the outdoors Contact Rob Deere on 07920 090453 or robdeere@rocketmail.com
24A GANDY STREET, EXETER EX4 3LS Tel. 01392 410090 pat@pathoare.eclipse.co.uk East Devon Coast & Country
74
Have you or someone you know been affected by cancer? Recent statistics show that one in three people will be affected by cancer at some stage in their life. But, while living in one of the most beautiful parts of the country doesn’t make us immune, it can be comforting to know that we have had the dedicated and internationally recognised FORCE Cancer Charity playing a vital role in local cancer services for nearly 25 years.
individuals, carers, couples, families, relatives or friends at any stage of a cancer diagnosis, even visiting inpatients on hospital wards.
Research And that’s not all… FORCE is at the forefront of scientific collaboration, funding internationally recognised research and providing vital training for cancer researchers of the future. Scientists and consultant physicians are working together to ensuring scientifically rigorous and clinically relevant research.
FORCE provides counselling support
November sees Masquerade Suppers in Tipton and Woolbrook; the Teignmouth Christmas Fayre; Classics Galore! at The Great Hall, Exeter; and a coffee morning in Colyton. Over its many years of growth and change FORCE has never lost sight of its belief that anyone diagnosed with cancer deserves the best
Continued..
Fund raising is fun!
Advice and information Did you know that FORCE is a Devon based charity committed to local people? And that they have a purpose built centre in the grounds of the RD&E hospital offering advice, support and information? Anyone who has been affected by cancer can drop in without an appointment or referral.
Fund Raising You may be wondering how all this provision; support, advice, information, counselling and research is funded? The answer lies with the enthusiastic and loyal FORCE supporters who organise an amazing variety of events across our area. In September look out for Roald Dahl evenings at Woolbrook and Tipton St John, a 10K run at Powderham Castle and the heritage
Complementary therapies And where else would you find 6 free sessions of a therapy such as aromatherapy, reflexology, Indian head massage, Bowen technique, acupuncture, mindfulness or relaxation available to promote physical and emotional well-being of patients and carers?
Support and Counselling FORCE also provides time, space and privacy for counselling to
Scarf fitting
coast walk from Chesil Beach to Exmouth. If you enjoy musical events there are the Pelenna Male Voice Choir in Kenton and the Exeter Chamber Concert to enjoy in October while
possible support and treatment close to home. It continues to be a local charity with Devon people at its heart. If you are affected by cancer, would like to find out more or are thinking about volunteering or fundraising, visit the charity’s website http://forcecancercharity. co.uk or ‘phone 01392 402875.
Courses: Try Something New!
of singing. ‘Our voice is unique to us, like our fingerprint or DNA, yet many people actually don’t think that they have a voice. When people find their voice, especially in the caring and supporting environment of a choir, they find themselves; they realise a new confidence. If you feel like giving it a try you can join ‘Sing the Beatles’ a workshop for all ages and abilities Saturday September 10th at St Paul’s church Honiton. Other local choirs include Exeter Chorale, a small mixed choir focussing on early music. Based in Topsham, membership is by audition, while Singing on Tuesdays is a chance for 16 to 90 year olds to join choral singing all styles of music from the 16th to 21st centuries, including classics, folk, popular standards and world music in an informal atmosphere at St Margaret’s Church, Topsham. This is just a small sample of the lifelong learning opportunities available in and around East Devon. With a little research and a willingness to try something new there is no limit to the possibilities. Give it a go; try something new, it might just change your life.
Foraging www.foragingcourses.com British Sugarcraft Guild www.bsgsouthwest.org.uk Devon Academy of Complementary Therapies www.devonacademy.co.uk Professional Reflexology www.precisionreflexology.com Devon School of NLP www.nlp-southwest.co.uk Reiki www.reiki-journey.co.uk Sound Healer www.healingsound. net East Devon training www.eastdevontraining.co.uk Pitman www.pitman-training.com Training in Construction www.pgltraining.com East Devon Art Academy www.eastdevonart.co.uk The Villages Art School www.mikemcdonald.co.uk East Devon pop and rock choir www.sweethoni.co.uk More choirs and music in and around Exeter http://exedirectory.org/category/ choirs/page/3/ Photo Reading www.KnowledgeGateway.co.uk Workers Education Authority www.wea.org.uk
For more information on courses, here are some of the providers:
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
75
The passing of Dr. Elisabeth Svendsen by Guy Peters
A truly inspirational person
O
n the 11th May, 2011, the founder of the Donkey Sanctuary, Dr. Elisabeth Svendsen MBE passed away aged 81. They were eighty one productive and fruitful years. A Yorkshire lass, Elisabeth was born in Elland on the 23rd January, 1930 attended St. Mary’s High School in Halifax and later went to Brighouse Grammar School. She went on to gain a First Class Froebel Teacher award from the Rachel McMillen Training College and became a teacher specialising in children with special needs at West Vale School. This was just the beginning of what was to become an amazingly varied career path. Elizabeth’s talents seemed to know no bounds. For two years, she was company secretary at W.T. Knowles & Son Ltd. Her father’s pipe works company. A further six years were spent as a director with Modern Equipment Co Ltd. It was around this time that Elisabeth and her husband developed a little clothes drier which they called the’ Nippy Nappy Drier’ and went on to build a business which was, eventually sold out to Thorn Industries. It was followed by two years as a branch director with Thorn Industries After this, Elisabeth spent three years as a consultant then a director of the Ponsharden Shipyard and finally, with her husband Neils, bought the Salston Hotel in Ottery St. Mary. Elisabeth’s fatalistic meeting with her husband took place in 1954. Her car had caught fire when Neils came to her rescue with a fire extinguisher and put out the blaze. Seven months later, they married.
It is at this point that the Donkey Sanctuary story begins. Elisabeth had always loved donkeys. One of her main reasons for buying the Salston
hotel was that it had six acres of land with it. Now, Elisabeth could own her first donkey! It was in 1969 that ‘Naughty Face’ joined the family and, according to Elisabeth, “It was a naughty face. She woke up the hotel guests at about half-past-four each morning with her braying!” In the end, they bought a friend for her. The new donkey was called Angelina. However, it was soon discovered that both donkeys were in foal. Soon they had four donkeys. Elisabeth joined the Donkey Breed Society to learn all about donkeys and ended up as their representative for the South West. It was while Elisabeth was running her own little stud that a life changing event took place. One morning, she went to Exeter Market to buy a donkey for a member of the Breeds Society. While there, she saw an appalling sight. Seven little donkeys were pushed together in a small pen. They were old, very thin and covered in lice. Elisabeth offered to buy one but the man turned down her offer of £48. Later, Elizabeth went back expecting the donkeys to have failed to sell at auction. To her surprise, the one she had offered to buy was, with it’s tail twisted, being forced into a lorry with the other donkeys. She offered to buy the donkey a second time but the man said, “you’re too late, sorry, it’s going to work on a beach.” Elisabeth was heartbroken. Some three months later, somebody came to her and said that a donkey was collapsed on the beach. It was covered with a sack and a man was beating it! Elisabeth and her husband went in their Land Rover and rescued the poor creature. The donkey was in a terrible state. It was at that moment that Elisabeth decided to stop breeding donkeys and, instead, to start looking after them. Soon the six acres at the Salston Hotel in Ottery St. Mary provided a home to sick donkeys. All the profits from the hotel went into the little donkey sanctuary. Then, in 1973, Elisabeth registered the sanctuary as a charity. She was surprised how many sick
donkeys there were. A very elderly lady called Miss Philpin, who had a donkey sanctuary in Reading, kept asking Elisabeth if she would take donkies which were in a really bad state. Soon, Elisabeth had thirty seven donkeys in her care. One night, she came home with her husband and found her son sitting on the doorstep waiting for her. He told her how a man had telephoned from Reading and said that, no matter how late she came in, she had to ring immediately. Elisabeth phoned and the man told her that she had been left a legacy.
Dear old Miss Philpin had died and bequeathed two hundred and four donkeys to her. However, there was one problem, if she didn’t collect them by the morning they would be shot! Following this, Slade House Farm was purchased to accommodate the ever growing numbers. Elisabeth’s destiny was taking shape. Since that fateful day at Exeter Market, Elisabeth’s tenacity and passion have resulted in 14,500 donkeys
East Devon Coast & Country
and mules in need throughout the U.K., Ireland and mainland Europe being given the love and care they so desperately required. Donkeys in dire situations in some of the most impoverished communities in the world have also been helped by the development of the charity’s work overseas. While, in 1980, Elisabeth herself was awarded the MBE, in 1992, given an Honorary Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery from the University of Glasgow, in 2001, awarded the Lord Erskine Award by the RSPCA in recognition of her important contribution to the field of animal welfare, particularly in donkey rescue and, in 2009, she was awarded the Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Edinburgh in recognition of decades of pioneering work in the care and welfare of donkeys. Also, it recognised her founding one of the most successful animal charities in the world, a point of reference and centre of excellence for vets worldwide. On top of all this, Elisabeth also became an accomplished author of some thirty five books. ( one of which comes out this month: ‘D is for Donkey’ ). They spanned a number of
genres including children’s literature, poetry and biography as well as some about both The Donkey Sanctuary and The Elisabeth Svendsen Trust. A great deal of her work covered the topic of donkey welfare. Here was a life well lead. A life dedicated to a cause. Helping creatures unable to help themselves; the victims of circumstance. Dr. Elisabeth Svendsen MBE, was a true angel of mercy. Guy Peters
76
BRIGHT STUFF FOR COOL KIDS
Out and About in Lyme
Joules Emile et Rose Wow! Lizzie Shirt
What's On in Lyme
50, Broad St Lyme Regis
10th Sept - Autumn Show and Plant Sale. 18th Sept - Bridgend Male Choir at St Michael's Church. 28th Sept - Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Society Talk at Uplyme Village Hall. 17-25th Sept - Lyme Regis Arts Fest - open studios, workshops all around Lyme. 24th Sept - Mary Anning Day. 22nd Oct - Rogaska Slatina Ladies Choir at St Michael's Church. 26th Oct - Family evening "Celebrating the Apple".
1
LYME
12th Nov - RNLI charity sale. 18th Nov - Margaret Phelps, concert organist at St Michael's Church.
TOWNHOUSE
1 POUND STREET LYME REGIS DORSET DT7 3HZ
01297 442499 www.1lymetownhouse.com
26th Nov - Christmas Light Switch On at 5.30pm LR TIC = Lyme Regis Tourist Information Centre Tel: 01297 442138. LR M = Lyme Regis Museum Tel: 01297 443370. CHCC = Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre Tel: 01297 560772.
Luxury boutique B & B located in the heart of Lyme Regis, close to the beaches, Langmoor Gardens and restaurants.
TO MAKE A RESERVATION PLEASE CALL 01297 442499 Boat launching at Lyme Boatbuilding Academy
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
77
East Devon Coast & Country
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Dunkeswell, The Royal Oak Inn East Budleigh, Bicton Arena East Budleigh, Bicton Park Gardens Broadclyst, East Budleigh, Clinton Devon Estates East Budleigh, E.Budleigh Community Shop Town and Country Supplies East Budleigh, The Rolle Arms Broadclyst Station, The Hungry Fox Exeter, Amos Lighting Broadhembury, Broadhembury PO & Stores Exeter, Artisan Interiors Broadhembury, The Drewe Arms Exeter, Bradburys Budleigh Salterton, Brook Gallery Exeter, Carrs Ferrari Budleigh Salterton, Budleigh Salterton TIC Exeter, Exeter Golf and Country Club Budleigh Salterton, David Rhys & Co Exeter, Grange Aston Martin Budleigh Salterton, Delytes Delicatessen Exeter, Matford Landrover Budleigh Salterton, Dog and Donkey Exeter, Mercedes Benz Budleigh Salterton, Everys Solicitors Awliscombe, Awliscombe Inn Exeter, Porsche Centre Awliscombe, Landrover Experience West Country Budleigh Salterton, Fulfords Exeter, The Red Lion Inn Budleigh Salterton, Hair Vision Axminster, Archway Bookshop Exeter, Westerly BMW Budleigh Salterton, Isca Gallery Axminster, Axminster Power Tools Exmouth, Bradleys Estate Agents Ltd Budleigh Salterton, Jotty’s Emporium Axminster, Axminster TIC Tourist Information Exmouth, Devoncourt Hotel Budleigh Salterton, Maslen & Olivelle Axminster, Bolts Hair Design Exmouth, Exeter Fabric Centre Budleigh Salterton, Otterton Mill Axminster, Chiropractic Health Centres Exmouth, Exmouth Pavilion Budleigh Salterton, Palmers Whitton & Laing Axminster, Country Covers Exmouth, Exmouth TIC Budleigh Salterton, Pinewoods Nursing Home Axminster, Dr Evans & Partners Exmouth, Fulfords Budleigh Salterton, Pynes Farm Shop Axminster, Fox & Sons Exmouth, Greenfingers Garden Centre Budleigh Salterton, Queen Street Dentists Axminster, Ganesha Wholefoods Exmouth, Homes by Design Budleigh Salterton, Symes Robinson & Lee Axminster, Kerrington House Exmouth, Imperial Hotel Budleigh Salterton, Tea & Tittle Tattle Axminster, McKinlays Exmouth, Kings Garden & Leisure Budleigh Salterton, The Rowan Tree Axminster, Mole Avon Trading Ltd Exmouth, Palmers Whitton & Laing Budleigh Salterton, Vanity Box Axminster, Palmer Snell Exmouth, Pennys Estate Agents Chardstock, Chardstock Post Office Axminster, Reflections Exmouth, Reflections Beauty Salon Chardstock, The George Axminster, River Cottage Store & Canteen Exmouth, Roomers SW Ltd Clyst Hydon, The Five Bells Axminster, S.F.Dunn Dentist Exmouth, St. Johns Country Store Clyst St Mary, Cat and Fiddle Axminster, Sublyme Exmouth, Swan Inn Clyst St Mary, St Bridgets Nursery Axminster, Symonds & Sampson Exmouth, The Point Bar & Grill Clyst St. Mary, Kenniford Farm Shop Axminster, The Axminster Awareness Centre Exmouth, The Royal Beacon Hotel Colaton Raleigh, Victoria Sawmills Axminster, The Ridgeway Inn Exmouth, Vine Orchards Colaton Raleigh, Woods Village Shop Axminster, The Tuckers Arms Exmouth, Your Move Colyford, Colyford Post Office & Butchers Axmouth, Axe Hill Golf Club Farringdon, Greendale Farm Shop Colyford, The Wheelwright Inn Aylesbeare, The Halfway Inn Feniton, Dianne Mary Colyford, The White Hart Beer, Anchor Inn Feniton, Feniton Post Office Colyton, Colyton Health Centre Beer, Barrel O’ Beer Feniton, Nog Inn Colyton, Colyton Post Office Beer, Beer Medical Centre Feniton, Spar Feniton Colyton, CRW Accountants Beer, Jimmy Green Fluxton, H Rudham Colyton, John Wood & Co Beer, Lily Brown Gittisham, Blamphayne Sawmills Ltd Colyton, Liddons Dairy Tearoom Beer, Marine House at Beer Gittisham, Combe House Hotel Colyton, The Garden Shop Beer, Steam Gallery Honiton, Alan Bright Sawmills Colyton, The Gerrard Arms Beer, The Dolphin Hotel Honiton, Asianart Ltd c/o Yarrow Colyton, The Kingfisher Inn Beer, The Village Hair Shoppe Honiton, Beauchamp Place Coombe Raleigh, Stonehayes Farm Beer, Woozie’s Deli Honiton, Brookvale Dental Practice Cotleigh, Royal Oak Farm Branscombe, Masons Arms Honiton, Cafe 102 Bar Dunkeswell, Dunkeswell Air Centre Branscombe, The Fountain Head Honiton, Champers Delicatessen Dunkeswell, Dunkeswell SPAR & PO Broadclyst, Broadclyst PO & Stores Honiton, Chesterton Humberts Dunkeswell, Inspirations Broadclyst, Terry’s Honiton, Chilcotts Dunkeswell, Lakeview Manor Broadclyst, The New Inn
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M A G A Z I N E Distribution Map 10,000 COPIES AT OVER 370 OUTLETS!
Marsh
Honiton, Chiropractic Health Centres Honiton, Colourwheel Plants Honiton, Countrywide Farmers plc Honiton, Fulfords Honiton, Ganesha Wholefoods Honiton, Honiton Golf Club Honiton, Honiton Surgery Honiton, Honiton TIC Honiton, Hybrid Honiton, MNR Honiton, NFU Mutual Honiton, Otter Windows Honiton, Slades Countrywide Honiton, Stags Honiton, The Boston Tea Party Honiton, The Heathfield Inn Honiton, The Red Cow Howley, The Howley Tavern Kilmington, Hurfords Store Kilmington, Millers Farm Shop Kilmington, The New Inn Kilmington, The Old Inn Lancercombe, Sarjent and Son Lyme Regis, Alexandra Hotel and Restaurant Lyme Regis, By the Bay Lyme Regis, ECO Logical You Lyme Regis, Fortnam, Smith & Banwell Lyme Regis, Hotel 1 Lyme Lyme Regis, Lyme Bay Medical Centre Lyme Regis, Lyme Regis Golf Club Lyme Regis, Lyme Regis TIC Lyme Regis, Making Waves Lyme Regis, Mariners Hotel Lyme Regis, Martin Diplock Lyme Regis, Palmer Snell Lyme Regis, Pelly Gallery Lyme Regis, Primary Colours Lyme Regis, Serendip Books Lyme Regis, Style Inn Lyme Regis, The Bay Hotel and Bistro Lyme Regis, The Lyme Practice Lyme Regis, The Old Watch House Lyme Regis, The Pilot Boat Inn Lyme Regis, The Royal Lion Hotel Lyme Regis, Town Mill Cheesemonger Lyme Regis, Town Mill Lyme Regis Lympstone, K & M Williams Lympstone, Lympstone P.O & News Lympstone, St Peters School Marsh, The Flintlock Inn Marshwood, Marshwood Sub Post Office Morcombelake, Artwave West Musbury, Musbury Post Office & Stores Musbury, The Golden Hind Newton Poppleford, Busy Lizzies Newton Poppleford, Country Styles Hair Design Newton Poppleford, Newton Poppleford PO Newton Poppleford, Popplefords Newton Poppleford, Ronald Kirby Nr Axminster, Fairwater Head Hotel Nr Exeter, The Jack in the Green Inn
East Devon Coast & Country
Nr Honiton, Sidmouth Arms Offwell, Offwell Community Shop Otterton, Kings Arms Ottery St Mary, Christopher Piper Wines Ltd Ottery St Mary, Coleridge Medical Centre Ottery St Mary, East Hill Pride Ottery St Mary, Escot Park and Gardens Ottery St Mary, Halls Estate Agents Ottery St Mary, Joshua’s Harvest Store Ottery St Mary, Leah Marcs Hair Design Ottery St Mary, Lovells Garage Ottery St Mary, Otter Nurseries Ottery St Mary, Ottery Health Store Ottery St Mary, Ottery St Mary TIC Ottery St Mary, Poppy’s Ottery St Mary, Redferns Ottery St Mary, Seasons Ottery St Mary, The Hare and Hounds Ottery St Mary, The Tumbling Weir Hotel Payhembury, Six Bells Inn Plymtree, Plymtree Community Shop Rousdon, Dower House Hotel Rousdon, Fringes Hair & Beauty Salon Seaton, Axe Valley Heritage Assoc Seaton, Bag End Bags Seaton, Eyre Court Restaurant & Hotel Seaton, Fulfords Seaton, John Wood and Co Seaton, Milkbere Cottage Holidays Seaton, Panic Design Seaton, Paperchain Seaton, PB Home Solutions Ltd Seaton, Seaton & Colyton Medical Practice Seaton, Seaton & Colyton Medical Practice Seaton, Starre Computers Seaton, The Ship Inn Seaton, Townsend Medical Centre Seaton, Woodfield Stores Shute, Devon Trade Centre Sidford, Raddenstile Veterinary Surgery Sidford, Sidford Health Centre Sidmouth, Baraza Sidmouth, Barnet Sidmouth, Belmont Hotel Sidmouth, Bradleys Sidmouth, Chapter Sidmouth, Clock Tower Cafe Sidmouth, Element Creative Hair Sidmouth, Emily’s Chocolates Sidmouth, Essential Therapies Sidmouth, Every & Phillips Sidmouth, Fords of Sidmouth Sidmouth, Fulfords Sidmouth, Ganesha Wholefoods Sidmouth, Gilbert Stephens Solicitors Sidmouth, Hair Studio Sidmouth Sidmouth, Halls Estate Agents Sidmouth, Hamilton Garage Sidmouth, Harrison-Lavers & Potburys Sidmouth, Hotel Elizabeth Sidmouth, Jorrocks
Sidmouth, Lexys Sidmouth, Michelmore LLP Sidmouth, Physiotherapy Clinic Sidmouth, Redferns Sidmouth, Royal York and Faulkener Sidmouth, Shirley May Yard Sidmouth, Sid Valley Hotel Sidmouth, Sidmouth Chiropractic Centre Sidmouth, Sidmouth Design Co Sidmouth, Sidmouth Garden Centre Sidmouth, Sidmouth Golf Club Sidmouth, Sidmouth Health Centre Sidmouth, St John’s School Sidmouth, Tesco Sidmouth Sidmouth, The Blue Ball Inn Sidmouth, The Dairy Shop Sidmouth, The Hair Loft Sidmouth, The Hair Studio Sidmouth, The Hair Temple Sidmouth, The Red Lion Inn Sidmouth, The Salty Monk Sidmouth, The Wine Shop Sidmouth, Total FX Hair & Beauty Sidmouth, Utopia Hair Salon Sidmouth, Waitrose Sidmouth, Your Move Edwards Stockland, Colystock Kitchens Stockland, Kings Arms Talaton, Talaton Village Shop Topsham, Darts Farm Topsham, Exeter Inn Topsham, Fired Earth Topsham, Georgian Tea Rooms Topsham, Le Petit Maison Topsham, Nest Interiors Topsham, Panorama Topsham, Paul Property Topsham, Place Settings Topsham, Suzanne Topsham, The Art Room Topsham, The Cafe Topsham, The Globe Hotel Topsham, The Passage House Inn Topsham, Top Knot Topsham, Topsham Museum Topsham, Turners of Topsham Topsham, Wilkinson Grant & Co Tytherleigh, Tytherleigh Arms Hotel Uplyme, Hunters Lodge Inn Uplyme, Uplyme Stores and Post Office Upottery, The Sidmouth Arms Weston, Deer Park Country Hotel Weston, The Otter Inn Whimple, New Fountain Inn Wilmington, The White Hart Inn Woodbury, The Maltsters Arms Woodbury, White Hart Inn Woodbury, Woodbury Park Woodbury Salterton, The Diggers Rest Yarcombe, The Belfry Country Hotel Yarcombe, Yarcombe Inn
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HOW “LOCAL” IS LOCALISM? I bet you gave three cheers when our current government told us its aim was to stop “top down” bureaucrats telling us what to do and how to do! Not so fast - let’s examine a few of its highlights and see whether we really are getting something for nothing.
In the past, the government decided how many houses had to be built in each region, usually allowing the big regions to decide the figure for a whole region, along with lots of other things. “Banish this!” said the Good Fairy (aka Eric Pickles). “Let local people decide their own numbers!”. Then a Developer said: “Not so fast – we like these very high numbers where we are building and we want them to stay. We are going to take you to court because you have no power to do this”. So they went to court and won - until the Localism Bill becomes law, then each District or Unitary Council can set whatever figure it wants – more or less - sometimes less, sometimes MUCH more.
We have well over 370 outlets across the region, we now also distribute to GP surgeries, selected health food shops and complementary health clinics.
Businesses Do you have something really interesting to say about your business. Call 01395 512166 or email nigel@prestige-media.co.uk
To stock free copies of East Devon Coast and Country for your customers, please call 01395 513383
Our allocation of 10,000 + copies go out very quickly, if you require extra copies, you can find copies at one of the outlets listed.
Writers and contributors wanted! Do you have any interests that you would like to write about and do you live in east Devon? If so, we pay for articles from contributors, so why not give us a call on 01395 512166 or email nigel@prestige-media.co.uk
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To advertise in this magazine, call 01395 513383 or email: nigel@prestige-media.co.uk You can find more information about the magazine at www.prestige-media.co.uk Our rates start from £43 for a full colour display advert which goes into 10,000 magazines, distributed at over 370 outlets across the East Devon area (including Lyme Regis area also)
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Neighbourhood Plans to allow towns and villages to decide what goes where. Wonderful idea isn’t it? Again, not so fast. What the Localism Bill actually allows is fast-track development. It won’t allow you to say No - it will only allow you to say Yes Please And As Soon as Possible. Oh, and developers will be able to offer your council or your industrial park owners inducements to do this. Yes, a neighbourhood can be an industrial park or even a supermarket that owns a lot of land adjoining it - if your town or parish council doesn’t understand that it needs to get a grip on its neighbourhood first (it has first choice then neighbourhoods are up for grabs). It must then nail down a use for every bit of land (and I mean every bit) that isn’t already covered in a district or unitary or regional or national plan. Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that - the “neighbourhood” is bottom in the planning pecking order, not top. Finally, let’s take referendums. “Local residents will have the power to instigate, via a petition, local referendums on any local
Sarah Antonio Garden & Planting Design Landscape Consultancy • Garden design • Planting Schemes • Landscape Plans & reports 01395 265340 / 07932 481058 www.sarahantonio.co.uk sarahkantonio@yahoo.com
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
issue”. Great: we don’t want an incinerator in our town, let’s have referendum – that will show them! So, your local council (or you) spends, let’s say £1,000 £5,000 holding a referendum. Only three people turn up to vote and, as the incinerator is not actually in their part of town, they just see the benefit of being able to take their garden waste to it every Saturday and vote for it. Others think “Well, everyone is going to say No, so I won’t bother voting”. And what do you know, the District Council is allowed to have three as the minimum number of people who can vote, so you get your incinerator. Ah, you say, but what if three of us say No – then we won’t have one!. No, sorry - the council doesn’t have to take notice of referendums! I could go on, but I think you get the picture ….. and there's LOTS more where this came from. I am a founder member of Communities Before Developers (www. communitiesbeforedevelopers. org).
DISCLAIMER - All material in this magazine is copyright. The publishers are not responsible for any loss or damage suffered by any person, persons, or company as a result of any advertisement or article in this magazine. Adverts are accepted on the understanding that descriptions of goods and services are fair and accurate. All artwork is accepted on the strict condition that permission has been given by the owner for use in this publication. The opinions and comments expressed are purely those of the originators. We do not endorse any products or services advertised within this magazine. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that information is correct, the publishers take no responsibility for any errors or omissions. Any person or persons undertaking the circular walk featured within this publication does so entirely at their own risk. If you take children or dogs on the walk, they will require supervision. We strongly advise that prior to travelling to any of the events listed in our What's On sections, that you call the event organisers to check that the event is running at the times and dates specified.
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MANAGING your MONEY Investing for income Current market conditions are tough for those who need income. Very meagre interest rates on bank and building society accounts combined with high inflation have really put the pressure on as our everyday goods continue to get more expensive. Building a tax efficient investment strategy is important in these conditions. The composition of your investment por tfolio will depend on a number of factors and your age and attitude to risk are the most important. Age helps indicate your investment time horizon, and suggests whether you have the scope to ride out any shortterm volatility in the equity market. Your attitude to risk determines whether you can deal with that volatility, and how much diversification you need to mitigate the effects of a potential downturn. However, these are not the only factors for consideration. If you need an income from your investment, your decisions will differ markedly to those of someone who wants to maximise growth for a rainy day. Traditionally, investors seeking income are at, or near, retirement, or have an ongoing commitment, such as school fees, to consider. They will have completed their growth savings and are now looking for a payout from that earlier commitment.
This income could be required for a set period of time ; such as five years of a child’s education and might have to meet preagreed payments on specific days. Alternatively, it could be a lifelong decision, tied into your retirement. Either way, the objective is to generate an income that will meet those needs for as long as necessary. As such, an income investor will normally have a good diversity of holdings and combinations of property, equities and corporate bonds are appropriate. Income investors also need to be aware that their income might be affected by the movements of interest rates and inflation. Accordingly, they might need to protect their spending power, particularly if their investment is for the long-term. A well-planned portfolio can maximise the income you receive from your assets, both now and over the longer term. Capital growth will generally come second to these income requirements. You need to be sure you will not need any of that capital at short notice, or it could affect your long-term position. You can always keep an eye on market conditions, but proper preparation at the outset is much more important if your income is going to be available and maintained for as long as you need it. Don’t forget investing via ISAs can provide tax efficiency. Taking income from an ISA is beneficial because income is non-reportable for tax purposes and in the case of some ISAs, the tax on the
Helen has been advising clients in the East Devon area for the past 18 years and specialises in the provision of retirement and investment advice. Her firm also provides a specialist annuities service for people approaching retirement and newly retired which operates nationally. To find out more about her practice, you can view her company websites at: www.richmondindependent.co.uk For pension annuities visit: www.pension-annuity.co.uk
A well-planned portfolio can maximise the income you receive from your assets.
interest can be reclaimed by the fund manager. Another tax break for those over 65 is to use investment bonds which allow 5% p.a. withdrawals (tax deferred). This type of income can be tax efficient as they don’t count as income
Helen Mulvaney
BA (Hons), Dip M, Cert PFS Proprietor of Richmond Independent
for age allowance and might allow you, in some cases, to access all your age allowance. Those over 75 might consider the use of a purchased life annuity. This can also provide tax efficient and high income. Capital protection can be obtained to guarantee the income for 10 years. However, please note annuities can be very inflexible. Taking financial advice on these options will help you to get your strategy right and to select the most suitable products for your needs. Richmond Independent is an appointed representative of John Ellis IFA Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
Specialist advice on your retirement options from a company based in East Devon Call: 01395 512166 www.pension-annuity.co.uk The Pension Annuity Advisory Service is a trading style of Richmond Independent, which is an appointed representative of John Ellis IFA Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the FSA
East Devon Coast & Country
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www.brightsofnettlebed.co.uk
Coleridge wing chair with an English made solid beech frame and solid mahogany ball and claw legs with shell knee. Jute and hessian traditionally upholstered seat with hand sewn individual coil springs. Hand crafted in our Dorset workshops using traditional upholstering techniques. Width 84 x Depth 93 x Height 109 cm
Covered in 100% Scottish wool.
£1,260
including feather and down filled seat cushion
Prices to order Fabric from £1130 Hide from £1150 With a choice of leg styles and seat fillings. Matching footstools to order
A selection of English made wing chairs in hand dyed Scottish hide - taken from our stocks of over 1,000 items of classic furnishings
Salisbury - £1,525
Hambledon - £1,460
Osbourne - £1,460
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The Old Gaol . Strand . Topsham . Exeter . EX3 0JB . 01392 877443
Open Tuesday to Saturday
View our extensive stock of classic furnishings at www.brightsofnettlebed.co.uk
A Celebration of Life in East Devon
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Open Every Day
East Devon Coast & Country
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