If you walk down Fore Street today, past the cottages that lean gently into one another, you might not realise how much life has unfolded behind those doors. Yet this short stretch – numbers 23 to 33A Fore Street – has been an interesting stage for more than two centuries of village history. At its heart stood the butcher’s shop at number 25, a place that fed Bishopsteignton in every sense of the word. Begin the story here in the first of three articles.

Fulford Cottages are located at the top of Clanage Street, opposite the Old Commercial Inn, although they are no longer referred to as such. Fulford Terrace was another name for them but they are now incorporated into Clanage Street with one of the cottages, Church Cottage, being in West Street.

Woodbine Cottage in West Street has, over the years, been a working dairy as well as a home. It was connected to Delamore, the house on Forder Lane, and called Woodbine Dairy and Delamore Dairy at different times.

1956 George and Phyl Johnson became the new licensees when they moved into The Manor Inn with their two sons, Barry and Brian, both boys attended the local school. George and Phyl maintained the darts and euchre teams as well as introducing coach outings and other...