My home town in Devon. I left in 1975 to go to university in London, but returned home at least six times a year. I returned in 2004.
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The bus station and the tax office – the sad tale of a valuable local amenity that was turned into an eyesore
I have many memories of Newton Abbot bus station spread over some decades and, like many townspeople over a certain age I still regret its passing.
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Newton Abbot in Old Pictures: The Co-operative Bank in 2014
My bank as it was. I was very sorry to see it go, but so many banks have closed in recent years as people stop using them.
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The Fire Brigade, clay mines & a Volkswagen Beetle: what is the connection?
I recently came across a photograph I took in 1977 of a fire appliance, which immediately triggered memories of Newton Abbot Fire Brigade, the nearby clay mines – and why my father owned a Volkswagen Beetle. There was a powerful link between these seemingly disparate elements.
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Beating the Bounds!
This morning’s waste collection made me think of local councils and, whatever the outcome of the ‘reorganisation’, they will no longer be so ‘local’. Is a geography lesson required here?
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Newton Abbot in Old Pictures: The Globe Hotel To Let, 1992
By July 1992 the old Globe Hotel was up for sale, and had not yet morphed into another building in the Austin’s Department Store empire.
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Newton Abbot in Old Pictures: The Globe Hotel in 1981
The Globe was a fine hotel. Wouldn’t it be nice if the ground floor, which was a restaurant and bar, was the same today? Mr.Austin take note…
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Newton Abbot in Old Pictures: Alexandra Theatre & Market Street, 1981
The Alexandra Theatre has always been one of my favourite buildings in Newton Abbot and, as you can see, Market Street was a busy traffic thoroughfare in 1981.
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Seeing an ad for custard creams in a magazine from 1899 reminded me of a school friend who lived in a ‘Boys Home’…
What is the connection between an 1899 ad for custard creams, a boys home and a school friend I haven’t heard of since 1972?
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Imagine a river with gentle sloping banks, boats, gardens and cafés running through the centre of Newton Abbot. It nearly happened.
An 1870 plan covered the river Lemon and ended any opportunity for Newton Abbot to have a river with sloping banks, flower beds and cafés as its central feature.
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Post-war OS maps released showing Newton Abbot in detail in 1956
Can you remember where the Odeon was? Or Wolborough hospital? Maps from 1956 tell many a story…
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In 2005 I took my new camera out for a walk around Newton Abbot – and took pictures of pubs!
Just 10 of the 22 pubs in Newton Abbot in 2005, one or two of which have changed beyond recognition.
Colin Anderson 