Newton Abbot 1990: the Great Storm takes down the biggest tree in Courtenay Park, whilst demolition takes down shops and other buildings opposite the (old) bus station

Demolition: man-made and natural

This post – originally written in 2019 – has been revised with new information and improved photography. In the original I (wrongly) assumed the tree that came down in Courtenay Park was due to the Great Storm of 1987. I have done my research and found that the photos were taken in March and April 1990, not long after the Burns Day storm (sometimes known as Cyclone Daria) that hit north-west Europe on 25th-26th January 1990. Damage was actually more widespread geographically than in the Great Storm.

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Home from London on one of my regular trips to find destruction across Newton Abbot: a mixture of natural: the great tree in Courtenay Park brought down – and man-made: the demolition of houses and shops opposite the bus station.

The bus station was, I am pleased to say, still in existence. It’s turn for destruction at the hands of Planners who thought they knew best was yet to come. Once home to double-deckers – red for urban and green for country routes – the station was now home to the ridiculous micro-buses you see in some of the pictures.

At this time Devon General had pretty much given up on ‘normal’ buses, favouring micro-buses that were very uncomfortable, cramped, hopeless for people with disabilities and even moderate mobility difficulties, not to mention parents with babies and small children. They were also remarkably ugly. And, if you were daft enough to get even a moderate shop whilst in town, where would you put your bag? Thank goodness they did not last very long.

The row of shops and houses opposite the bus station was in the process of being demolished, at one time to make way for the second half of the multi-storey car park that was never actually built. Yes, Newton Abbot has half a car park! The land became a temporary car park but has remained a fixture to the present day (2024). At some point in the (hopefully distant) future it is likely to be a 5-storey hotel. Marvellous.

If you look closely at the photographs (click to expand) you will see certain things that may be of interest. For example, in one of the fallen tree you can just about make out the Vauxhall dealership right next to the railway station – now a row of rather ugly and poorly-built houses. In others you can see some of the shops at Bridge House, including a tiny Woolwich Building Society.

Click on an image below to view full-screen. On some smartphones and tablets you may need to click twice. Photographs are reproduced at reduced size; ask me for originals.