Memories of the old days recounted by Frank Farr with the older people who did not have any. Everyone helped each other. There were whist drives and dances in the village hall in Middle Lane twice a week. What a happy little village it was.
Bygone Memories By Frank Farr
“Good Old Times” Just before Christmas, East Budleigh Silver Band would go around playing carols at Knowle village, East Budleigh, Yettington, Bicton and Otterton. They would walk or go on their bikes. When they played at Bicton House, The Rt Hon Lord Clinton would invite them into the ballroom to play and all his household would come in to hear. After they were given a good meal with beer to drink and a good donation. His lordship and ladyship were dear, good people to the villages around. At his lordship and ladyship’s golden wedding the party went on for 3 days. On the first day, Lord Clinton had all his friends, Lord Coldridge, Sir John Kennaway, Sir Clive Morris Bell, Sir Winston Churchill and several more come to mind. Lord Clinton was the biggest employer after the farms. The church choir would go around singing carols with the band. When the sweet Chestnuts started to fall in Bicton Park the deer would open them with their sharp hooves and eat the nuts. Nearly everyone had a few cockerels to kill for Christmas also some had geese and everyone tried to share
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There were 2 sand quarries in the village and a gravel quarry. There were 2 petrol pumps at the Rolle Arms. The tanks are still under the car park and now filled with water. In the fine summer evenings one would see several ladies making Honiton lace with their cat or dog laid beside them. We had a fish and chip shop run by Mr & Mrs Pullering - the building still stands today. Draught beer was 5d a pint and bottled 6d a pint. It was supplied by City Brewer at Exeter. There was pigeon shooting, you went to the gamekeeper and told him what wood you wanted to go in and he gave you a ticket with your name on it.
visitors and village people with a driver called Bill Rowland. There were 10 motor cars and lorries in the village. Mr Annis owned a steam Centrional driven by Mr Shoot and fireman Mr Cyril Gooding. I couldn’t have been more than ten or twelve when the ill-fated Graff Zeppelin (the R101) passed over East Budleigh on its way to France where it crashed killing all the crew. We used to climb the conker trees at the pound to shake the nuts down. We used to bake the conkers to make them harder. We also used to cut our names with a pocket knife in the soft bark. In September, we would go picking blackberries and sell them for 6d a pound. In the summer school holidays we would spend hours down at the river Otter. Sometimes you would be lucky and see a mother otter with cubs. The otter hounds used to meet at the river bridge at Otterton - this stopped in about 1947. We would spend hours picking wild flowers in the meadows; in one spot, a fine lot of wild orchids grew and still do. We made our own entertainment in those days and we enjoyed it. Happy days.
We still have a master baker and chef in the village a real good Devon man. The holly tree at the top of the village is over 200 years old and the houses behind it all built of cob. In the early 1900’s Mr Clarke kept the pub now renamed The Sir Walter Raleigh, he had a hansom cab which Floods in Budleigh Salterton he let out to
BUDLEIGH DIARY
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