Projects

Projects

With help from Starcross Primary School, we have made some mosaics from old tiles, bottle caps and plastic from car lights.
  
     

 So far, we've managed to scrounge the marine ply and concrete slab bases, and the waterproof tile cement.

Mosaics are planned to commemorate:
the sailed barges that carried limestone from Berry Head to the limekilns on the Cockwood straight;
the animals who perished in wars. (A purple poppy);
Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Atmospheric Railway, which ran through Starcross where one of his pumping stations still survives;
Mr Sercombe, the basket weaver;
Jack Wills, the bicycle repairer.


We hope to enter the Teignmouth Recycled Art in the Landscape sculpture trail in 2023. It will be another community effort.

We won the public vote for Kattanga the War Horse in 2015 and again in 2021 for The Starcross Mermaid. Thankyou to everyone who voted. The £100 cheques for Starcross Primary School were well deserved. The children made oceans by fixing CDs to blue scaffolding net and Kattanga's tail from video tape. In 2021, the children made Mermaid's Braids and manes and tails for the carousel horses, IN THEIR LUNCH BREAKS. ( No lesson time for workshops because of Covid19 )
Pictures of the sculpture

We would like to restore the Peacock tomb in
St Paul's Churchyard,

  

and also to create a memorial which is specific to our Victorian polymath. Captain George Peacock pioneered the Panama and Corinth Canals, invented a screw propeller and a saltwater purifier, as well as moored his fabulous maritime folly, The Swan of the Exe, here by the Starcross Pier.
  

The Starcross Parish Council have agreed to the principal of siting of a Stairs Cross somewhere on The Strand. The name Starcross could have derived from a stone cross which marked the landing of the ferry, at the top of stone steps. Research is ongoing.
Read about Stairs Cross here

Projects

• To make a children's rocker in the form of The Cygnet. 4 cygnets were originally made as tenders to The Swan of the Exe. which was a yacht in the form of a swan, launched in 1860 from Dixon's yard at Exmouth. It was designed by Captain George Peacock who retired to Starcross.
• To make a one-twelfth scale model of The Swan of the Exe
• Retired shipwright Malcolm Fairweather is the genius behind these 2 projects, and he makes no charge to so do.

Retired shipwright Malcolm Fairweather demonstrates an adze discovered at

our Men in Sheds event in St Paul's Church

To build a replica of the eel trap that was at the end of Starcross pier during World War 2, and helped to feed the village. Starcross Primary School will be guided by Janey Guppy to make this an entry in the 2020 Teignmouth Recycled Art in the Landscape sculpture trail. Janey also gives her time, expertise and materials; for no charge

• To make mosaics connected with the history of Starcross. The first one celebrates the days of  the Starcross Forge. Dobbin at the Forge is on display at The Westbank Charity Shop

Mosaic: Dobbin at the Forge