This month, BH starts with a word of thanks to Chris Grimshaw and Chris Ford with their invaluable assistance in helping with listed building consent and a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant application.
This joint initiative with the Community Centre and Bishopsteignton Parish Council regarding museum status and a move to a bigger room will enable the whole community to benefit regarding better access and a greater opportunity to get involved.
Lots of visitors to the Hub are providing new stores of their village connections along with photographs and artifacts for our busy staff to catalogue.
Our revered village font of knowledge, Colin Back recently completed his 39 th family tree for yet another request from a Devon family with strong Bishopsteignton connections, which (surprise, surprise…!) resulted in the following tale as reported in the Herald Express in September 1939 about the since retired police constable William Wadlan latterly living in Grange Park.
By all accounts a brave PC Wadlan was involved in an arrest of a Chudleigh man stealing women’s knickers and silk stockings from a washing line. He challenged the man who was armed with ‘a piece of wood and a ladder’. The accused threw the ladder infront of the constable and ‘struggled violently’ in the ensuring altercation. He was eventually overpowered by PC Wadlan and in a statement the accused said he carried the chair leg to use on anyone who challenged him, the ladder to reach the washing and admitted to throwing the knickers and stockings in the River Teign! No wonder our South West Water bills are so high!
Other articles of September’s gone by include:
The Torbay and South Devon Express reported on 26 September 1950 ‘Beating of the Bounds’ where thirty villagers ‘retreated in confusion’ whilst walking the parish boundary, when a large bull appeared! This strange ceremony concluded in village children being given the ‘bumps’ on the village boundary stones. The report describes Mr W Ryder as ‘one of the prime movers of the excursion’ …. How descriptive! In other words ‘one of the blokes who organized it’!
The same publication reported the following day about a newly appointed Vicar in Bishopsteignton. Anyone who lived in the village in the 1950s and 60s would remember the Reverend WRH Ingram who has the vicar of Bishopsteignton for many years. He was formally the Curate at Cockington, Torquay. We kids at the Old Primary School now the Community Centre, would stand at the railings as Reverend Ingram ‘glided’ by in his cape, dog collar and a hat resembling Scott Tracy from Thunderbirds, as he dodged the cow deposits of Shute Farm.
Reverend Ingram being carried from a boat during a Beating of the Bounds
Two days later the Torbay and South Devon Express reported that “A man from Torquay stole a coat from a car belonging Mr William G Jackson of Bishopsteignton”.
After the police visited the Torquay man he claimed his wife had bought it for him in Plymouth. When questioned why the jacket was so ill fitting he said it was such ‘because he’d lost so much weight’ before eventually admitting he didn’t know why he had stolen it as it didn’t fit him anyway!
Placed on probation for two years and probably suggested he visits Moss Bros.
And finally……. We had our own, nightclub in Bishopsteignton, at Murley Grange, known as ‘Merlins’. Again from the same publication, this time September 1975
Take a look at the advert!
Dance till 1am! Licenced till 2 am!
Free admission before 22.00!
Free buffet! Wow!
Ladies free, Gents 50p! Scandalous!
I think the band on Saturday were a trio with club feet!
Finally, we will keep reminding you ……………….. Colin and Dave evening October 9 th 2025.
