Architecture

Christmas Eve at the Front

An interesting letter has just been received by Mrs Packer, of Broadclyst, from her husband, Corpl Packer of A Company, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, who is serving with the Expeditionary Force in Northern France. In the course of a letter he describes a remarkable incident which occurred on Christmas Eve between the British and German trenches.

Ha’penny (Halfpenny) Bridge, the gateway from Bideford to Weare Giffard, gets its name, one automatically supposes, from the old toll days.

The remains of the old toll cottage are on the other side of the bridge, which has a deceptive ‘hump’ as those motorists who have gone over it at a crisp speed have found out. The meadow scene looks peaceful in our picture but on occasions during the winter the arches are flecked with foam and the road flooded by a turbulent river Torridge.

Gazette article dated 23 June 1950

In cities and towns which received attention from the Luftwaffe such scenes as that pictured above were a commonplace sight during the recent war.

But no bomb ‘winkled out’ this house – it has not yet been built.
Off the Northam Road, Bideford, Mr Arthur Beer has a site for four houses, but only three people with licences for houses to be built. Two of those three wanted end houses, hence the gap in the middle, a commentary on present day building regulations. The slats from the two houses bordering on the gap seem to be stretching out their hands in an endeavour to join up and fill in the gap.

Gazette article dated 7 July 1950

Bridging The Stream

Elmdale acknowledges work of 81 year old resident

Persistence usually brings its reward… as residents of Elmdale Terrace, Bideford, and its immediate neighbourhood can testify.
Built one-ended, the terrace opens on to the old Northam road. A stream bars the direct route to the Kingsley Road and bus stops. For those on the other side of the stream a visit to the sub-post office at Stanhope Terrace on the old Northam road meant a round-about journey.
But, through the persistence of residents and the work of 81 years old Mr Harry Verren, of 15 Elmdale Terrace, the obstacle of the stream was removed when, just before Whitsun, the Mayor of Bideford, Cllr W H Short) opened and christened the Verren footbridge which gives direct access from Elmdale Terrace to the Kingsley Road.
Introducing the Mayor, Cllr R L Cock (Chairman of the Council’s Highways Committee) said it might be thought the Council moved very, very slowly, but if the general public realised the difficulties that body was up against they would understand the delay. The Council could not put down a bridge at any time anywhere. There were all sorts of formalities to be gone through.
As an ex-Postman, he was able to appreciate the value of the bridge, said the Mayor. It actually served the same purpose, to a lesser extent, as the Long Bridge and he hoped it would act up to the weight of its responsibilities as the larger bridge had done.
Paying tribute to Mr Harry Verren’s work in building the bridge, the Mayor said the also owed a debt of gratitude to Bideford Dairies Ltd and to Devon County Council who had each given up a portion of their property to enable a footpath to be constructed from the bridge to the Kingsley Road.
Accompanied by Mr Verren, the Mayor cut the tape to open the bridge and a second tape to open the footpath.
As a cabinet maker he had been using woodwork tools since he was fourteen, and was happy to be able to use them still today, said Mr Verren when he thanked the Mayor for performing the opening ceremony. At last, after some years of pressing for it, they had got the bridge, but he had never thought he would be the one to build it. Mr Verren expressed his thanks to Mr W H Tapscott who had provided the planks for the floor of the bridge and to the Borough Surveyor (Mr F R Gray) for supplying the wood for the handrails.
On behalf of the residents in the neighbourhood, Mrs E B Littlejohns presented Mr Verren with an electric table lamp and Mrs Verren received a bouquet from Master Sidney John Harris.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Mayor and members of the Council and other friends were entertained by Mr and Mrs Verren, to whom a toast was proposed by the Mayor.

Gazette article dated 2 June 1950