I SUSPECT that many of the folk enjoying their lunch or coffee in the town square recently had only a vague idea of how the square had come about.

Some perhaps thought it had always been there, or that the local council had fostered it. Neither would be true. The town square very nearly never existed, and at this particular moment in time its history needs re-telling.

In 1988 the town square consisted of the four “cornerstones” of the original haulier’s yard, four identical buildings, two derelict on the Parliament Street edge of the square and two buttressing the end of the North Street and Market Street terraces, one a laundrette and one a car parts stockist.

To one side of the central space sat the fire station, awaiting a move to its present site in Charlotte Street.

The same year a planning application was submitted by Mid Devon District Council for a three-storey old people’s home occupying the whole site.

Two local business men, Colin Ritchie of Ritchlight and Paul Janion of Windmill Foods, horrified at the prospect of the open space disappearing, decided they must oppose the development which they believed would turn North Street and Market Street into sunless canyons.

They enlisted the help of the writer (an architect) who shared their sentiments.

I believed in turn that we should invite a local resident to join the group and knew of one “mover and shaker” who fitted the bill perfectly, Rod Brookes-Hocking, a lecturer and theatre director living in North Street.

Rod jumped at the idea and the four of us became CHOC, “Campaign for the Heart of Crediton”.

With Rod in the chairman’s seat we set about our task.

The first step was to start a petition, which we hoped would garner much local support.

It exceeded our hopes, attracting more than 6,000 signatures in the space of weeks, all in favour of creating a town square.

The next step was to persuade the district and town councils that this was in fact a golden opportunity to create something of lasting value to the town.

Both opposed the idea of a square, questioning where the old folk’s home could go.

I drew up plans for an alternative location bordering the carpark.

An architect friend, David Treadaway produced a delightful aerial view of the square as it could look, and together we made a model of the square that went on public display, and won over many a doubter.

Defeated by the sheer scale of the opposition, the councils began to waver. A final blow was required, and it came from an unlikely source.

An elderly solicitor on our panel discovered a statute in the legal annals of England, laid down by King James, that stated that the land should be kept open in perpetuity for the people of Crediton. We had our square.

Colin and Paul died many years ago, but should, I believe, be remembered for their care for the town.

Rod Brookes-Hocking died suddenly only some days ago. He drove CHOC’s campaign.

Latterly he raised the money for the benches that you sit on in the square.

There will be other tributes to Rod as he did so much for the town: I’d like this letter to remember how much he did to achieve our wonderful town square, finally completed in 2002 to the design of Nigel Grainge, Architect.

We didn’t act alone. The following people gave us valued support: David Charlesworth, (solicitor), Tom Connell, (shopkeeper), Doug Conibear (Conibear Brothers), Geoff Conyngham, Terry Eakers (builders’ merchant), John Forward (sometime chairman), Ian Gulley (Crediton Milling), Peter Hamilton (theatre director) , M.Iley (solicitor), David Jaques (accountant), A.King-Robinson (solicitor),  Mike Sanders (The Bike Shed), Steve Sims (accountant, poet), David Treadaway (architect).

Eddie Holden

Crediton Architect