Saturday Afternoon Meeting

 The Starcross History Society has decided to try a Saturday afternoon meeting. This will be on Saturday, 19th November, from 3.00pm until 5.00pm.

Everyone is welcome. There's no charge for admission, but we have to cover the room hire, which is £39.60p, so we'll sell teas and coffees, have a collection pot and a raffle.

PLEASE BRING A RAFFLE PRIZE

We will bring some items from The Starcross Archive, some of which is housed in St Paul's Church. We'd like a completely accessible space for this archive; somewhere public that has no steps.  If you have something from Starcross history that you'd like to share with us, please bring it along.

The Starcross History Society is interested in the preservation of important pieces of our history. The magnificent, stone built, Royal Western Counties Hospital was demolished and all the stone went up country to build posh houses. There wasn't a trace of it until members of St Paul's Church organised this stone memorial which was placed in the memorial garden, next to a wooden bench. 

The area is now a tranquil place for quiet reflection.

Another building that was threatened with demolition was The Atmospheric Railway Tower. The Starcross Brunel Tower Action Group made a big song and dance about it, and their enthusiasm was rewarded when Dick and Valerie Forrester and family, moved into it, opened it up as a museum, and SAVED IT. Its continued onservation hasn't been straightforward. Its present owners, The Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club, have a quantity of red sandstone blocks put by for repairs, but have been unable to use this resource because it's not from the same quarry from which  Brunel bought the stone. That quarry was closed many years ago. The Teignbridge Conservation Officer instead allowed a cemented repair to a roadside wall.

The Starcross History Society are quite baffled by this saga. 

We have been in contact with the descendants of the Peacock Cookson families. They are keen to preserve the pink marble monument in St Paul's Churchyard. When Monica, secretary of The Starcross History Society, first saw this monument, she searched around for the top section of what looked like it could have been a large stone cross on the top of the pink marble. There isn't a top section. A broken cross is the masonic symbol for a life cut short.

It's hoped to organise The Starcross History Club which will be an after-school club at Starcross School. The new club will be led by the children, to explore their interest. If any children would like to bring their parents along to this Saturday afternoon meeting, they will be most welcome.