Devon History Society awarded three prizes in its competition for pictures that evoke life in Devon in the 1920s – and summer shines through them all.
The recent explosion of pictures of the past on Facebook pages and local history websites shows that albums and attics have been raided during lockdown and new treasures brought to light.
Devon History Society asked local history groups to look into their own archives and come up with photos from 100 years ago that really encapsulated what life was like in Devon in the 1920s.
The panel of judges had a wide range of entries to consider – everything from a giant salmon taken from the Exe at Topsham to the road widening of Bideford Bridge.
The three they finally selected as overall winners were:
• The Sunday Schools’ seaside outing setting off from Newton St Cyres
• A fine day on the beach at Dawlish
• Harvest Home in the South Hams.
HISTORY BEHIND THE SEASIDE OUTING IMAGE
The winning Newton St Cyres photograph shows local church and chapel members in Newton St Cyres when they turned out to join the combined United Methodist and Parish Church Sunday Schools’ outing, or to watch its departure, on Tuesday, July 1, 1924.
The clear shadows cast by the roofline of the old Crown and Sceptre show how lucky they were with the weather – just the kind of day for a seaside trip.
The photograph shows the four large buses which had been chartered for the day. Mr Cornish is the driver of the lead bus, and Miss Gladys Cole, beside him, was one of the organisers.
The Cole’s lived opposite the Crown and Sceptre, where Mrs Cole (in white) is standing in the photograph. Walter Cole, who ran a smallholding where the village car park is now, also kept cows and had a local milk delivery business with a horse and cart. Gladys’s sister Win, and Miss Win Harris, daughter of the landlords of the Crown and Sceptre were also involved in making arrangements for the trip.
George Rowe of Cartaway Farm, the young man with his head sticking out of the window of the leading bus, was another of the organisers.
The buses drove via Exeter over Haldon Moor, where the scenery "attracted much attention", and through Kingsteignton to their first stop at Teignmouth for lunch, boating and other amusements and a "splendid tea" at Jervis Café.
Then it was back via Dawlish, where another two-hour stop was made, and home through Starcross, Exminster and Alphington. Buns, oranges and sweets were handed round and home was reached at half past nine.
This postcard, published in the Newton St Cyres Millennium book in 1999, was supplied by local postcard collector Tim Sedgwick and was taken by Brinicombe, a local photographer.
Unfortunately the Crown and Sceptre was burnt down in 1962, together with the thatched cottage beyond it, so the scene is not immediately recognisable today. The house at the far end, until recently the Post Office, remains.
PRAISE
Julia Neville, Devon in the 1920s Project Manager, praised the way in which the winning images evoked the atmosphere of the 1920s.
She said: “The Harvest Home image shows us how much of the traditional way of life survived the First World War with relatively little change.
"The Sunday School outing and the beach at Dawlish remind us of the growing importance of leisure to people in the 1920s – locals as well as holidaymakers.
“We’ll use these images throughout the project. But by sharing them now we hope to attract the attention of people who had family in Devon in the 1920s. We’d love to know who the family in the Harvest Home photograph was.
"We’d also like to hear from anyone else who remembers the stories their parents and grandparents told them about the 1920s. Please get in touch via Devon History Society at: https://www.devonhistorysociety.org.uk/contact/ .
The Devon in the 1920s project is a joint venture between Devon History Society, Devon Family History Society and the South West Heritage Trust. Due to launch in Spring 2020 its opening event has been postponed but on-line work on research material and the collection of family histories continues.