Betty was born in Bishopsteignton in 1935 and has lived in the village all her life. She grew up in Hollowmead cottages 1-2 (joined). These two cottages used to be the gardener’s cottages for the Bishopsteignton House Estate. In fact, Betty remembers her brothers...
People
People living in, who have lived in or are connected to Bishopsteignton
Colin Back Part 5: Friends and Businesses
Next door to us was (grandad) Nilson; he had a grinding stone in the form of a wheel for sharpening tools and knives. It had a handle to turn the wheel with the stone going through a reservoir of water. If I did exactly as I was told i.e. fast or slow, I could turn...
Colin Back Part 4: Scars and other aides-mémoires
I still have two physical scars from my time at Bishopsteignton School. One from a burn when I put my arm over the rail that surrounded the ‘tortoise’ coke stove next to Miss Hawkins desk, the stove was for heating the infants classroom; the other is a scar under the...
Colin Back Part 3: Education and Environment
Most of the men in the village grew produce for their families. If they did not have a garden then a corner of a field would do or like my father, many had an allotment in Forder Lane. As well as vegetables for every season, many of the men also grew rows of Sweet...
Bishopsteignton Modern Wives 1968-1982
The first meeting of the Bishopsteignton Modern Wives was held on the 23rd of January 1968, in the village’s St John the Baptist Church. There were 21 women in attendance, and the first Chair was Mrs B. Grant.The group as explained by Mrs Grant at this first meeting…...
Colin Back Part 2: visitors, neighbours and games
Fore Street was always the hub of the village with mum’s walking their children to and from school then joining grans, aunties and other ladies, shopping and generally chatting and catching up on the latest family news. It was so relaxed and friendly, everyone knew...
Colin Back Part 1: family and childhood
Being born and brought up in Bishopsteignton was a unique experience, I suppose partly because in those days there was nothing else to compare it with. I am Colin William Back. Son of William (Bill) Back (1913 - 1985) who was born at 9 Radway Hill, Bishopsteignton and...
Molly Coombe (1929 – 2007)
Molly Coombe was born on 18th October 1929, the only child of Philip and Grace Coombe née Loud. The family lived at ‘Locarno’, which is probably one of the houses on Berry Hill in Bishopsteignton. Molly lived in the village all her life. The Coombe family have left an...
Sybil Atkinson (1909 – c.2004)
Sybil Atkinson lived in Bishopstegnton for a number of years, living on The Orchard in the 1970s. During her life Sybil made a big contribution to the village’s theatrical productions, both appearing on stage, such as in the Bishopsteignton Players’ 1980 production of...
Dot Perkins (1924 – 1996)
In 1958 Dot and her husband Mic took over the tenancy of the Commercial Inn on Clanage Street, and ran it for over 30 years. When Mic died in 1988, Dot continued to run the pub, with the help of managers, until 1994. Dot’s nephew Graham, recalls what good hosts Dot...