Bideford Art School: a brief history.

Posted on 01/05/2018 by Tango Alpha

Bideford Art School (now Bideford Arts Centre), a listed building on the Pill, has an interesting history. It started life in 1896 as a technical college, a result of ‘self help’ Victorian values. Our photo above shows the plaque on the side of the building which mentions the Mayor, and also Alderman Narroway, who was a great supporter of Bideford Library. (His portrait can be seen there in stained glass.)

The last two decades of Victoria’s reign led to what was known as ‘municipal socialising’ where museums, art galleries, technical colleges were created for the public good. Bideford’s college developed into a specialist art school, possibly because of the nature of the area, a pretty place where artists gathered, and became well known for its art and craft teaching.

I recently spoke to John Butler, former curator at Burton Art Gallery and talented wood carver – (seen here in his studio in Butchers’ Row.)

John left school at 16 and went to Bideford Art School to do what was then known as the ‘Pre Diploma’ course. Following on from that he completed his art education,as many did, at a larger art school.

The students at the Art School benefited from high quality teaching and small groups.

There were some excellent artists trained there. Allin Braund became famous for lithographs and trained and taught at Hornsey School of Art in the 1930s. Rosemary Sutcliffe, author of ‘Eagle of the Ninth’ and many other books on Roman and Greek history, was a well known member of the Royal Society of Miniaturists; Leslie Worth, who became President of the Royal Watercolour Society, was born in Lime Grove. Bertram Prance became a cartoonist for ‘Punch’ magazine, as did George Belcher, and Michael Darling (occasional cartoonist for Buzz ).

Under the leadership of Jim Paterson in the 1950s it continued to flourish with potter Harry Juniper, and artists Judith Ackland (who with Mary Stella Edwards lived in the cabin at Bucks Mills and produced some fine water colours) and Sheila Hutchinson. Their work can be seen as part of the Burton Art Gallery’s permanent collection.

In the 70s the Art School became a general further education college, and art education was diverted to North Devon College in Barnstaple (Now Petroc), unfortunately with the resultant bigger classes.

RA.

 

Did you attend Bideford Art School ? Share your memories of it with us.

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Buzz Byte – April.

Posted on 29/03/2018 by Tango Alpha

If your computer or laptop/tablet is misbehaving, there’re a few things to try before going into panic mode and dashing off to your local PC repair centre.

The most common recommendation is to simply turn it off and then on again. You may need to leave it unplugged for 20 minutes or so before trying again, this is a very common trick and works for other electrical equipment too such as Sky boxes and Xboxes!! There’s a multitude of D.I.Y computer fix tutorials and web pages that you can follow if you want to try to fix it yourself but bear in mind that you could make the situation worse, especially if you’re are inexperienced, and you should never expect free advice from a computer store; some things are best left to the professionals. Check your software is up-to-date and that there are no updates needed; updates are released to improve the performance of your PC system, so by not installing them your PC may not contain vital software such as security patches.

We’ll visit Windows updates in a future column. What are the common errors that have computer users breaking into a cold sweat and require technical knowhow to fix?

The Blue screen of death, aka a stop error – This is considered the most serious possible error code and is caused by a hardware or driver related fault. All may not be lost, get the PC into a repair centre who can try to boot the machine in safe mode and fix the error. It can be a time consuming and complicated repair, but a blue screen doesn’t always mean certain death. It could just need a firmware update or hardware components may need replacing.

404/ Page not found – this isn’t usually a fatal error with your PC, just a web page that you are trying to access. Double check that you have spelled the wed address correctly as miss spelling will generate an error code, and is known as a client-side error! If this is all you get when you log on to the web then there is an error with the router, the line or the PC. BT engineers can check your line, if this is OK then a computer technician will need to text your equipment to determine where the fault is.

DLL file missing error – This error affects any DLL file across all the Microsoft operating systems. There are lots of DLL files that can cause lots of trouble. This is an example of what a DLL file error looks like. Error Loading C:\Users\Admin1\AppData\Local\Temp\ubielbpl.dll The specified module could not be found.

Nickie Baglow (Complete Computing.)

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Protheroe Smith (1809-89).

Posted on 01/03/2018 by Tango Alpha

Protheroe Smith was born in 1809 in Bridgeland Street, Bideford, the son of a doctor, William Smith, and one of twenty children. He was educated at Bideford Grammar School and was destined for a military career, but injured his hip in an athletic activity, which put paid to his career as a soldier.

He decided on a medical career instead, and in 1833 qualified as a surgeon at St. Bartholomew’ s Hospital in London. Here he was appointed Lecturer in Midwifery and Diseases of Women, one of only two such posts in Great Britain and Ireland.

At this time, gynaecology was very much in its infancy, and very definitely a Cinderella subject. Smith was only the second person ever to carry out an ovariotomy without anaesthetics (on a woman who lived another 45 years), and the first to do the same operation with anaesthetics. An argument raged at the time, as to whether anaesthetics should be used during childbirth, as the Bible appeared to forbid it. Protheroe Smith argued from the Bible itself that the use of anaesthetics was perfectly acceptable, and wrote a well-known paper on the subject. The matter was sealed however, when Queen Victoria gave birth to her eighth child, with the use of anaesthetics. He was also an enthusiastic inventor of surgical gadgetry.

However his most important achievement was the founding of the first hospital in the world specifically for women.

In those pre-NHS days, hospitals were funded by subscription, but this proved to be an unpopular cause, partly because of its original name, the Hospital for Diseases of Women, which meant only one thing to the prudish Victorians: venereal disease.

It took five years and a lot of hard work for Protheroe Smith and a committee of pioneering doctors to gain proper support and funding, but the hospital finally opened in 1843 in Red Lion Square in London, transferring soon afterwards to larger premises in Soho Square, and renamed the Hospital for Women. By 1849 it had 5,000 outpatients, with 20 beds. Once opened, interest was shown by other cities in England and the USA, and general hospitals soon had gynaecological wards where females could be treated with more privacy and dignity, and medical expertise developed for women’s diseases. Before this doctors were generally ignorant of female complaints, and simply turned women away

A later report stated: “The foundation of this, the first hospital devoted entirely to diseases peculiar to women, is a great milestone in British medicine and gynaecology and has hardly received the recognition it deserves’.

He retired from his official post at the hospital in 1885 and died in 1889, aged 80. A memorial plaque celebrating his life and work can be found on the south wall in St. Mary’s Church.

Possibly Protheroe Smith has done more for humanity than any other Bidefordian, and his story should be better known.

Chris Trigger.

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Felicity’s traditional fish cookery; March.

Posted on 28/02/2018 by Tango Alpha

Charles Kingsley wrote the ‘Water Babies’ in Victorian times. In the story Tom, the chimney sweep’s boy, meets the gentleman salmon and the nosey drift of trout when he jumps in the river to become clean and safe! He plays with the mackerel and herring whom he meets at the mouth of the river where it joins the sea.

Here is an interesting recipe for smoked mackerel fishcakes -quick and easy. You could make 4 large ones for a satisfying supper, even served in a burger!

Smoked Mackerel, Chilli and Lemon fishcakes (for 8 fishcakes, or 4 burgers).

Ingredients.

500g potatoes.

Flat-leaf parsley.

Lemon juice.

Chilli flakes.

300g smoked mackerel fillets.

1 tbsp. flour (and some for dusting).

2 tblsp. Oil.

Method.

1. Peel, dice and boil the potatoes for 15 mins.

2.Chop the parsley.

3.Drain and mash the potatoes with the parsley, chilli flakes and lemon juice.

4.Flake the fish into the mash, add the flour and mix well.

5.Put them on a plate and chill in the fridge for 30mins. (or freeze for future use)

6.Heat oil in the large frying plan and cook on medium heat for 7mins.each side.

Serve with green vegetables and tartare sauce or horseradish sauce with added mayonnaise.

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These cheese scones are extra delicious served with cream cheese and smoked salmon. They can be served for fish teas.

Cheddar and Smoked salmon scones.

Ingredients

225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting.

1tsp. baking powder.

50g salted butter, diced.

100g Mature Cheddar Cheese.

150ml milk, plus extra for brushing.

100g mature smoked salmon.

Chives and lemon.

Method.

Preheat the oven to 220C or gas mark 7. Stir together the flour and baking powder, then using your fingertips rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Using a table knife, stir in ¾ of the cheese and then the milk to make a fairly soft dough. On a lightly floured surface pat the dough out to a thickness of 2cm and stamp out 5cm -wide rounds. Reuse the trimmings, to make 12 scones. Transfer to a baking tray, brush lightly with milk and scatter over the reserved cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Spilt each scone in half, spread the base with soft cheese and chives, add a piece of smoked salmon and replace the top. Serve with small slices of lemon wedges for squeezing over the salmon.

(Photo of scones is courtesy of Waitrose Cards.)

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Buzz Byte; March.

Posted on 27/02/2018 by Tango Alpha

Have you ever heard of a software programme called Adblocker (sometimes referred to as Adblock or Poper blocker)? What is Adblocker? It’s exactly what it sounds like, ‘a piece of software designed to prevent advertisements from appearing on a web page.’

According to research Adblock Plus is the world’s most popular ad blocker, being used on over 100 million devices. As individual requirements and preferences differ you need to look at the pros and cons of each package to determine which one best suits your needs. Most of these programmes are general adblockers, but you can get specific software designed for use with YouTube or Facebook. Again, according to personal preference if you like seeing on-line ads then don’t install it, but if you like to use the internet without being swamped with offers and enticements to buy products or services then install one of the many software solutions on the market. Packages should allow you to disable the functions on websites of your choice. However some sites use pop-up technology on their websites and you won’t be able to view them unless you disable it on that page. Companies are getting wise and you will encounter some sites that identify that you have an adblocker installed and ask for it to be turned off; you have to decide if you want to by reading the accompanying message from the

business/charity/individual. Having an adblocker installed should help your browsing speed as the software will prevent unwanted plug-ins or advertising tags.

In the past we have experienced compatibility issues with some internet browsers such as Internet Explorer or Edge but find that Mozilla Firefox or Chrome don’t provide too many problems. If you are having trouble accessing some or all of the features on a website, try changing the browser you are opening it in. If that still doesn’t work give your local independent computer company a call. If you use your phone to stream data and browse the internet some packages have dedicated mobile ad blocking, which would be different from the PC version.

Nickie Baglow.

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Bideford’s Iron Bridge(s).

Posted on 26/02/2018 by Tango Alpha

(“Bideford Gazette”, 17th June 1825).

 

Mention the ‘Iron Bridge’ and every Bidefordian will know where you mean – but there were once two such bridges. The first and earliest was at Landcross on the Bideford-Torrington road and was a prefabricated structure probably made in South Wales. It was brought to North Devon by boat in 1825 when the present riverside road to Torrington was being constructed. (See above.) It was rebuilt using steel in 1926.

The second ‘Iron Bridge’ is the more familiar one over the Torridge that used to carry the railway to Meeth and is now part of the Tarka Trail (below). This was built when the railway was extended to Torrington in the early 1870s – but its construction was not without controversy.’

In September 1869 the Mayor of Bideford, C.Pedler, wrote to the Board of Trade opposing the ‘construction of a railway bridge by the London and South Western Railway Company across the Torridge‘ on the basis it would impede the river for boats. The Board passed this letter on to Mr.Galbraith engineer-in -charge of the new line who replied ‘Bideford town council could not be serious in opposing the construction of the proposed bridge across the Torridge as it will improve rather than injure the navigation of the river.‘

In November of that year the council held a ‘Special Meeting’ to discuss the proposed bridge which saw tempers fraying – and when the vote was taken to oppose its construction the vote was split equally between those for and against. A journalist who attended the meeting noted ‘the proceedings were unfit for reproduction in any respectable newspaper.‘

The railway company merely pushed on with the scheme though in October 1870 councillors reckoned there had been ‘a deviation on the original plans and an encroachment on the river‘ – an allegation repeated in November 1871. Indeed so incensed were they over this presumed illegality they sent the Borough Surveyor up to London to trace the original plans to bolster their argument. Unfortunately the surveyor had to report that ‘from a careful examination he was satisfied that the work was being done according to the plans.‘ By now the bridge was virtually complete and so the councillors withdrew their objections – and the bridge went on to become an iconic part of the scenery on this part of the river.

Peter Christie.

Today. The iron (railway) bridge is now the property of Devon County Council and was recently repainted. The Tarka Trail comes under the management of Martin Caddy of DCC, who is Public Rights of Way Officer for all this end of Devon.

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One hundred years ago: February 1918.

Posted on 30/01/2018 by Tango Alpha

During an air raid on London a Gotha bomber was brought down by Captain Hackwell of the Royal Flying Corps. He is the second son of Mr W H Hackwell of Sudden Farm Langtree Torrington and he worked in a Bideford bank before the war. He enlisted in the Royal North Devon Hussars before transferring to the RFC. He was awarded the Military Cross for his gallantry.

British Summertime, introduced in 1915, was discussed in the House of Commons and it was agreed that it should continue again this year so that local farmers could make use of the extra daylight hours. However no decision was made regarding its continued use thereafter or its duration this year.

Bideford Borough Food Control Committee desire to purchase on behalf of the Ministry of Food sound potatoes in lots of not less than ½ ton. Bags will be supplied from Bideford Railway station. Also in a Notice to the Public. There is a grave shortage of meat especially in the great centres of population. The Government is considering commandeering cattle and sheep. Farmers are urged to send suitable animals to market.

Property for Sale. A W Cock Auctioneers of Grenville Street has to offer the following :-   The Hoops Inn. Fully licensed for 6 days per week, comprising of a parlour, bar, breakfast room, kitchen and large cellar, wash house with copper furnace, 3 bedrooms and WC. All recently rebuilt. Also included is Stabling and outhouses, gardens, an orchard, in all about ¼ acre. Also for sale the adjacent property known as Coombe Cottage.

At Bideford Borough Sessions on Monday last George Arthur, a youth, was fined 6 shillings for riding a bicycle on the footpath in Mignonette Walk. PC Tuplin stated the facts.

Buyers from a large area attended the Sale of antique furniture at ‘Hazelhurst’, Belvoir Road, Bideford. The following were some of the prices achieved –   An antique oak drawer chest £40, oak wardrobe £30. Jacobean chest £13. Antique oak dresser £15. William & Mary settee £11, Grandfather clock £13, oak corner cabinet £6.7.6d

These and many more items of local interest are available to read at the Bideford Community Archive at the Council Offices, Windmill Lane, Northam. Tel: 01237 471714.

Open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings or visit our website www.bidefordarchive.org.uk

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Felicity’s traditional fish cookery; February.

Posted on 29/01/2018 by Tango Alpha

Salmon Netting in North Devon, 1988. (Photo courtesy of North Devon Museum Trust).

Tradition and heritage of our local rivers, Bideford Bay, and beyond will be the subjects of my articles in 2018. I will include a traditional, local recipe each month.

We have a thousand years of salmon fishing on the River Torridge and over five hundred years of courageous fishermen leaving Bideford East wharves for the cod-rich Grand Banks off Newfoundland. Henry Williamson made North Devon fish and fishing famous in his stories of Tarka the Otter and Salar the Salmon, and his accounts of those living and fishing in North Devon. Many local authors have carried on this tradition. If you have any interesting tales of fish and fishing, please contact me at [email protected].

One of the first fish dishes I demonstrated in the 1980s was this recipe for A Celebration Salmon Pie, which I later called Admiral Sir Donald Gibson’s Salmon Pie. Now it uses farmed salmon, which is fine as it has many rich favours added, and the salmon with more fat is good for cooking encroute (in a pastry crust). Enjoy and celebrate.

Admiral Sir Donald Gibson’s Fish Pie.

Ingredients.

One whole (or tail piece of) salmon, or 2 tail fillets. 1lb-3lbs/500gms +

Stuffing.

2/3oz -200gms butter.

2/3oz-200gms of fresh ginger (grated).

1 lemon, zest and juice.

2/3oz -200gms sultanas.?1lb puff pastry – ready rolled pastry.

Beaten egg for glaze.

Mushroom and Champagne Sauce –

4 oz/250g button mushrooms.

1 oz/50g butter.

Cream or creme fraiche.

Champagne or sparkling wine – 2 large glasses.

Method

Melt butter, mix all stuffing ingredients.

Roll out pastry in rectangle oval shape

Put 1 fillet in centre of pastry.

Spread 3/4 of stuffing on top and cover with second fillet.

Cut pastry into 1″ (25mm) strips, starting from marking out the tail on thin end of fillets and working up to thick end.

Fold over and secure with beaten egg, from tail end in sequence.

Cook at 220 C for 20 minutes in centre of oven, then 200 C for 10-20 minutes depending on salmon weight.

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Thomas Burton; 1875- 1959.

Posted on 29/01/2018 by Tango Alpha

Everyone in Bideford knows where the Burton Art Gallery is, nicely situated in Victoria Park, adjacent to parking and Hockings’ Ice Cream van. But how many people know why it’s called the Burton Gallery? Was there someone called Burton? Well, there certainly was, and that man was a grocer. Thomas Burton was born in Surrey in 1875, and came to the West Country as an apprentice to Tanner’s grocers, of South Molton. We don’t know the bit in between, but the rest is recorded. Before long he appears as Manager of the International Tea Company in Yeovil, aged 23. He heard there were jobs in Bideford, and arrived in 1898 – ‘with a good stock of clothes, a good character and nothing more.’ He soon became Manager of Tattersill’s, the Bideford grocer. He fell in love, and in 1903 married a Bideford girl, Bertha Bishop, daughter of an Antique Dealer in Market Place. Their daughter, Mary, was born in 1906, but by that time, Thomas had his own grocery shops, one at the bottom of Grenville Street, and another in Mill Street. He was very successful and decided to go to London and seek his fortune. He was both grocer and fishmonger there, and again, made a success. In 1919, at the age of 44, he returned to Bideford, having sold his shops – the London enterprises to Lord Leverhulme, and the West Country shops to Macfisheries.

He was now a wealthy man, and could have sat back and enjoyed early retirement. But Thomas was not like that. He virtually threw himself into Bideford life. Already a Methodist lay-preacher, he became Circuit Steward and Sunday School Superintendent, and was Treasurer to the Bideford Trust, and Secretary to the Methodist Union. He became a Bideford Councillor in 1923, and served on the Finance Committee. He was much respected, and his Directorships were many, such as those of the Area Guardians (the Workhouse), Fire Brigade, Joint Hospital Committee, Gas Company and North Devon Permanent & Terminal Building Society. He was President and Chairman of the Liberal & Radical Club. He enjoyed music and sport, especially rowing, and was Vice-Chairman of the Regatta Committee. Bideford Council elected him Mayor in 1931, and his year of office was filled with engagements. That winter, he sponsored a Soup Kitchen in the Market for over 1000 children, the unemployed, the hungry. He co-founded Sudbury’s Glove Factory, giving employment to hundreds of women. He encouraged young people to take part in activities, both political and communal, and took 100 children from Bideford schools to Devonport, when he was invited, as Mayor, to see H.M.S. Bideford leave for the Persian Gulf.

His daughter Mary attended Westbank School (later Grenville College) while her parents lived in London. At 16, she graduated to Bideford Art School, and became proficient in drawing. Later, she married Jack Meredith, who managed the Hardware Shop in High Street, which Thomas bought in 1938. Mary carried on her love of art, collecting antiques and china. Elected to the Westward Ho! Art Society committee in 1932, she took an active part in its function. But this all ended in the 1940s, when Mary developed cancer, and sadly died on 4th May, 1949, aged 43. Thomas and Bertha were devastated at losing their only child, and wished her artistic talents to be remembered. Thomas anonymously offered £5,000 to Bideford Council for an art gallery, but then admitted that it was his gift to the town. On October 31st, 1951, the Mary Englefield Meredith Art Gallery was opened, and Thomas and Bertha signed the visitors’ book. Thomas died in 1959, and in his memory the name was changed to the Burton Art Gallery. It soon became Bideford’s best asset, filled with paintings and antiques donated from many quarters. Many important exhibitions from galleries all over the U.K. have been shown there.

The Museum was added later when the Gallery was extended in 1994. In 2016 a Trust took over management from Torridge District Council, and the Gallery is now known as ‘The Burton at Bideford’. There have been many changes over the years, but its founder will never be forgotten.

Diana Warmington.

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Freezing.

Posted on 02/12/2017 by Tango Alpha

In this age of man-made global warming it is unlikely that we will see a repetition of what occurred in Bideford in 1894-5 and 1963. Simply put, this was the freezing over of the River Torridge around the Bridge. Both of these happened during a prolonged period of extremely cold weather, but the impacts were very different.

The first, shown here in two contemporary photographs, saw headlines in the Bideford Gazette which read ‘Distress in Bideford – A relief committee formed.’ Many men worked in outdoor occupations and the long period of frost and snow saw many thrown out of work and in ‘distress’.

In response the Mayor and rector hosted a meeting to seek subscriptions to provide soup to families said to be ‘on the verge of starvation’. The Gazette reports the sums donated by the councillors present, which ranged from 52p to £5. Further money came in over the next few days – enough to open a daily Soup Kitchen at the Music Hall in Bridgeland Street, with a second kitchen opening at East-the-Water every other day and another at Old Town also operating on alternate days. In addition Messrs How & Co. announced the distribution of several tons of coal to the poor.

A week later the Gazette could report ‘From all quarters little children were converging upon the Music Hall; some carried jugs, and others swung empty cans, some were warmly clad, many, alas, were thinly clad, but all looked hungry, and there was an anxiety in the eyes of some of the little mothers as they hurried along Bridgeland Street, lest the soup should hold out until their turn came.’

Eventually some £120 was collected and spent on soup, this being enough to tide the poor over the worst effects of the cold snap.

Compare this to the freezing up of the Torridge in 1963 – shown in the photograph below. No-one was starving and no soup kitchen was required – but the Bridge Trust did employ a large group of unemployed men to break up the larger ice floes piled up against the Bridge piers in order to protect the arches from damage. Unfortunately the damage that was caused was later blamed for the collapse of the two westernmost arches five years later. This could never be proved, of course, but suffice to say it seems unlikely that the Bridge and Bidefordians will experience another cold period so extreme that the river freezes over – but we will see.

Peter Christie.

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Felicity’s sustainable fish cookery – December.

Posted on 02/12/2017 by Tango Alpha

 

Many people have asked me about the different smoked versions of Clovelly Herring that are so plentiful in December. Traditionally the herring would be smoked to eat through the winter months, so I have added a very simple recipe for ‘Kippercakes’ that can be made in a batch and use for quick delicious breakfast or supper.

Here are all the types of smoked herring we sell on our stall; more info on Appledore Sustainable Fish facebook.

Kippers – Split and cold smoked Clovelly herrings, either whole on the bone or boned.

Bloaters – Cold smoked whole fish: requires short cooking time.

Bucklings – Hot smoked Clovelly herring: whole fish smoked, ready to eat.

Cold smoked cured kipper fillets; Ready to slice thinly and ready to eat.

Red Herrings: smoked whole, and in the kiln for at least a week!  Combine into a fish dish.

The simplest way to cook our Clovelly kippers is to jug them in a modern way-

Remove the kippers from the packaging and place the kippers – boned or whole in the bottom of cooking pot with a close-fitting lid.

Pour boiling water over the fish until they are totally submerged and replace the lid, thus trapping the steam.

Leave to steep for 5-15 mins, depending on size, turning over if the kippers are large – most Clovelly kippers will only require 10 mins.

Remove from hot water and pour away this water in the drain outside – to stop the fish smell in the kitchen/house.

Dress the kippers with a knob of butter, a squeeze of lemon and freshly ground pepper.

Eat with brown bread-fresh or toasted and a squeeze of more lemon – Delicious!

Mackerel or Kipper Cakes.

Serves 4

Ingredients.

455g kipper or smoked mackerel fillets, fresh or defrosted, skinned

Beaten egg. Worcestershire sauce. 170g fresh breadcrumbs, lemon.

Method.

Preheat grill.

Place fillets into a food processor or blender. Process or blend until finely flaked.

Stir in egg, dash Worcestershire sauce and breadcrumbs.

Divide mixture into 8 pieces and shaped into 5cm rounds. Chill for 10-15 minutes.

Cook under low grill for 8-10 minutes, turning once.

Garnish with lemon and serve with salad and tomato and onion relish.

Excellent breakfast dish ; recipe from ‘Seafood Kitchen’.

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Bideford’s ‘prefabs’.

Posted on 03/11/2017 by Tango Alpha

During the Second World War huge numbers of houses were destroyed by enemy action, and as early as 1944 Winston Churchill announced an EFM (Emergency Factory Made) housing programme. In 1945 the new prime minister Clement Atlee began implementing the scheme and within six years some one million new ‘prefabs’, as they came to be known, had been built – and I lived in one as a child.

In Bideford some fifty were built at Bowden Green and named the Grenville estate. The rapidly assembled, prefabricated houses were simple but perfectly acceptable constructions and, unusually for the time, were ‘all electric’ with luxurious touches like fridges being available. The first was opened in April 1946 by the Mayor W.H.Chubb, who was accompanied by councillors and some of the first tenants. All this was reported in the Gazette along with some photographs as shown here.

The buildings were only designed for a 10 year life span but residents grew to love them so much they didn’t want to leave and it wasn’t until July 1964 that the town council decided to demolish them. This move immediately led to protests from the prefab dwellers – as shown in the attached cutting from the Gazette.

The tenants lost the battle, however, and their houses were removed and replaced by 3-storey blocks of flats – which in their time have now been demolished and replaced by new accommodation! Nothing ever stands still, but one has to wonder if the concept of ‘prefabs’ should be revisited to help tackle the nation’s current housing shortage?

Peter Christie.

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Felicity’s sustainable fish cookery – November.

Posted on 24/10/2017 by Tango Alpha

Here is a Devon version of ‘Stargazey pasties’ made with Clovelly herrings.

Devonshire Stargazey Pasty.

Ingredients.

450g puff pastry.

225g potato (cubed).

4/6 Herrings – filleted and sliced.

rashers of bacon.

1 onion.

50g butter .

1 tbsp. chives – chopped.

1 tbsp. parsley, chopped.

275g clotted cream.

Milk or egg for glazing.

Method.

Boil the potatoes for about 15mins.

Grill the bacon until the edges start browning, also slice and fry the onions in light oil until they are softened.

Chop up the cooked bacon and add to a bowl with the cooked diced potato, sliced herring fillets, chopped herbs and the softened onions and mix together.

On a floured surface roll out the puff pastry thinly and then cut rounds out to fit size 7inch/18cm side plates.

Fill the centre of each round with mixture on one half (be careful not to overfill). Add a spoonful of clotted cream on top.

Dampen the edges of the pasty with milk, fold and crimp the edges together carefully so that everything is sealed in.

Glaze with beaten egg and milk mixed, or just milk, and place on a non- stick baking tray.

Bake in the oven at 180C /gas mark 4 for 30 mins. until pastry is a golden brown.

Serve with seasonal vegetables or salad or take out with you on a walk or picnic.

Delicious with tomato chutney!

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Rope Walk – “The Battle of the Posts”.

Posted on 22/10/2017 by Tango Alpha

Rope Walk today is a narrow but well used roadway running parallel to the Pill. Its name obviously records the presence of the ropemaking industry which was once so important to the ship-owning merchants of Bideford – but how many know the odd story behind the disappearance of the industry?

Around 1876 H.M.Restarick, a ship-builder of East-the-Water, took over the Rope Walk and, aware of the need for ever longer ropes, extended his ropemaking yard including some new posts – right across Chingswell Street and into the Strand. This obviously upset the local residents who immediately complained to the town council, who responded by ordering Restarick to take down the new posts as soon as possible.

Unfortunately Restarick was also a town councillor himself and he told his fellow councillors bluntly ‘Horses, carts, carriages, pedestrians etc could only pass subject to the convenience of the rope manufacturers’ and he really couldn’t understand why everyone was getting so agitated!

The council then ordered their Surveyor and his men to physically remove the contentious posts. They arrived at 7 a.m. one morning – only to find Restarick and some 50 of his employees guarding the posts. The shipbuilder then ‘dared the Surveyor to touch the posts’ – at which point the council men retreated.

Local papers satirically termed this ‘The Battle of the Posts’ as they reported a second attempt to uproot the posts at midnight where ‘a big strong fellow by the name of Passmore’ led the council men but as soon as he began work he was seized by Restarick’s men and escorted away. He was lucky as the ropemakers ‘had a bucket of tar and a bag of feathers near at hand and were very anxious to use them.’ To celebrate their victory they erected some ‘triumphal arches’ made of evergreens and topped with triumphant mottoes.

A month or so after this a council election was held where ‘pro-post’ candidates were elected in the heaviest poll ever recorded in town. The new council half-heartedly attempted to reach some agreement but Restarick refused and the posts remained at least until 1906 when, some 8 years after Restarick had died, the owner of the Strand Collar Works, which had replaced the Rope Walk ‘generously decided to forego his rights in respect of the posts on the Strand’ and they were removed. Exciting times in Bideford!

Peter Christie.

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Felicity’s sustainable fish cookery – October.

Posted on 26/09/2017 by Tango Alpha

Here is a wonderfully flexible and tasty recipe for a pasta cod dish. The original is a recipe from a restaurant in Rome -so an authentic Italian / Mediterranean dish. The best fish to use is salt cod. I used some fish from Newfoundland given to me by a cod fisherman from Petty Harbour near St Johns, when I visited in July. I also use fresh spinach for the vegetarian dish -both versions are delicious. You can use fresh cod or even local caught pollack as well.

Tagliatelle with Cod and pecorino cheese. (vegetarian version with fresh spinach leaves).

Ingredients

For the Stock-2 sticks of celery and chopped onion, fennel trimmings or seeds, parsley stalks and block pepper or peppercorns. 350g cod fillet (or salt cod fillet, if available).

50-100g of fresh washed spinach leaves – for a vegetarian dish.

1 small onion (could be red onion, for added colour).

6 tbsp. olive oil.

450g tagliatelle or spaghetti.

100g pecorino cheese, or ready grated Italian cheese.

Method

Simmer the stock ingredients together for about 15 min Poach the fresh cod in the stock for under 5mins, or soaked salt cod for 10 mins. Lift out with a slotted spoon, blot with kitchen towel and pull away from skin, and using a fork flake the fish and set aside in a bowl. If using spinach leaves wash the leaves and set to dry in a colander.

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente. Chop the onion into chunky pieces. In a large frying pan fry the onion in the olive oil until soft and lift the pasta with any residual water clinging to it.

Pull the pan from the heat, add the cheese and mix vigorously until creamy – adding extra pasta cooking water, if necessary. Add the torn basil and fish flakes (or spinach leaves) toss again, and serve.Add more grated cheese and garnish with basil sprigs.

This tastes absolutely delicious whether with fish or spinach leaves.

September was a busy Fish Festival month with Festivals in Newquay and Brixham. Wouldn’t it be good if we could have a fish festival in Appledore Fish Dock next year to celebrate both River and Sea fishing? Let me know if you would like to contribute to this idea? [email protected]. Next month is Herring Month with recipes for fresh and smoked Herring.

The Bideford Bridge Trust has awarded a grant to two Primary schools in Bideford for the Brilliant Fish Education group to run “History of Fishing in Newfoundland and Salt cod recipe demonstration/tasting sessions this Autumn.

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