Starcross Drill Hall

Was there a drill hall in Starcross? Whereabouts?

19/01060/FUL – Land Rear of Old Post Office, Bonhay Road, Starcross - Dwelling with associated parking, landscaping and associated works. Planning Inspectorate Reference: 3235779

Teignbridge District Council have decided to refuse permission to build this house which would interfere with the privacy of other houses because of its close proximity to them. Although Teignbridge District Council have refused permission, there's  a further appeal to the Planning Inspectorate
The thrust of the argument will be the former existence of a Drill Hall, which would make this site brownfield and therefore it would be encouraged to build on it. The idea of unlocking brownfield sites for development is for communities to identify brownfield sites for themselves; to encourage development on them for the good of the community. Here's the link which explains the thinking 

The Department for Communities and Local Government is no more.
It has morphed into the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Governments.
here's the link to what they do  which is to support communities with the provision of housing. Could they help to determine this decision?

Meanwhile, it would be interesting to find out about this Drill Hall. Did it exist or? Was it a hut used by our Home Guard? or was it a more substantial building?
The planning appeal document talks about a map of the 1880s which shows The Assembly Rooms which later became known as The Drill Hall.
but
The Starcross building which was The Assembly Rooms is the former Newclay factory, on Courtenay Corner. Newclay Products have moved to Heathfield.

Ordnance Survey maps of Starcross are held in the Devon Rural Archive at Shilstone  They  have complete Ordnance Survey coverage for 1887 and 1905.

The Devon Archives and Local Studies Centre at Sowton can be visited by catching an Exmouth train from Starcross.

They hold documents and maps about Starcross too. 

Perhaps someone with local knowledge can help with information about The Starcross Drill Hall please?

Volunteers Recruitment at Devon Heritage Centre

The annual volunteering celebration and recruitment event at Devon Heritage Centre, Sowton is on Monday 5th March fom 2pm until 4pm.

For more information, please contact:

Brian Carpenter

Community Learning Officer

Devon Archives and Local Studies Service

Devon Heritage Centre

Great Moor House

Bittern Road

Sowton

Exeter

Devon

EX2 7NL

01392 888712

07939 106549

Email: brian.carpenter@swheritage.org.uk

www.swheritage.org.uk

Devon Deciphered book signing and talk DATE CHANGED TO DECEMBER 4TH

 The Friends of Devon’s Archives have recently published a book called Devon Deciphered, by John Booker, a retired archivist and palaeography lecturer who has volunteered at the Devon Heritage Centre since 2011 and regularly teaches palaeography here.

Devon Deciphered approaches the art of reading old handwriting from a specifically Devonian perspective, using documents created and held in the county.

Between 2 and 4 pm on Monday 4^th December at the Devon Heritage Centre, John Booker will be talking about the process of writing the book, with reference to many of the documents, which will be on display. 

Copies of the book will be on sale, and John will be happy to sign them.

Please pass this message on to anyone who may be interested.

There’s no charge for attending, and it isn’t obligatory to tell me in advance that you’ll be coming, but, if you can do so, it will be helpful.

Brian Carpenter

Community Learning Officer

Devon Archives and Local Studies Service

Devon Heritage Centre

Great Moor House

Bittern Road

Sowton

Exeter

Devon

EX2 7NL

01392 888712

07939 106549

Email: brian.carpenter@swheritage.org.uk

www.swheritage.org.uk

South West Heritage Trust is supported by Somerset and Devon County Councils

South West Heritage is a charity and a company limited by guarantee registered in England. Registered office: Somerset Heritage Centre, Brunel Way, Norton Fitzwarren, Taunton, Somerset TA2 6SF. Company number: 09053532 Charity Number: 1158791 VAT Registration Number: 197221592

Archives meeting

The Friends of Devon's Archives Spring Meeting will take place at the Devon Heritage Centre on Monday 3^rd April.  It is free for members of the Friends and costs £4 for non-members.

The programme is:

13:00-13:30: Gather at Devon Heritage Centre

13:30-14:30: Professor Robin McInnes OBE, on historic imagery and coastal heritage management.

14:30-15:30: Deborah Phillips, SWHT Senior Archive Conservator, on how to look after your historic documents at home.

15:30-16:00: Tea or coffee.

16:00-17:00: Dr Ian Mortimer, on the Time Traveller’s Guide to Restoration Britain.

Ian Mortimer’s talk will launch the third book in the Time Traveller’s Guide series.  A table run by Waterstones will be selling advance copies afterwards and if you wish to have a copy signed this will be your chance.

The number of seats available is limited so, although there's no charge, it is highly advisable to book a place. You can do this by telephoning the Secretary of the Friends, Stuart Tyler, at the Devon Heritage Centre (01392 384253), or by emailing him at stuart.tyler@swheritage.org.uk.

Unearth meeting Thurs, 8th December in St Paul's Church 7:30pm

The * Villages in Action * Project Unearth*

Anyone interested in the history of our village is invited to join our enthusiastic volunteers; to share and discuss research about Starcross.

Lottery funding has been achieved by Villages in Action to: publish, online, the research from each of 8 Devon communities AND hire professionals to create and perform a multi-media production for each community.

 

Find it on Facebook

Volunteers needed at the Devon Heritage Centre

Between 2 and 4 pm on Monday 16th November, at the Devon Heritage Centre, the Devon Archives and Local Studies Service will be hosting an event designed to showcase and celebrate the incredibly valuable work which our many dedicated volunteers have carried out over the past year.
There will be presentations by volunteers about the work they have done, together with displays relating to projects which have been undertaken over the last year. The event will form part of the annual Explore Your Archive campaign, co-ordinated by the National Archives and the Archives and Records Association, which this year runs from 14th to 22nd November.

The event is open to both existing and prospective volunteers, and, if you’re someone who is interested in giving your time and skills to the service, we would be delighted to see you at the event. There will be opportunities for would-be volunteers to try their hand at different aspects of the service’s work, and ask questions of staff and existing volunteers.
New volunteers are required for a number of areas of the service’s work, including processing and cataloguing new collections of documents, digitisation and conservation, as well as helping with the Devon Remembers Heritage Project, which is the archive service’s contribution to Devon County Council’s commemoration of the centenary of the First World War, Devon Remembers.
The Devon Remembers Heritage Project will run until early 2019, and will encompass a range of activities which volunteers will be able to get involved in, including the possibility of indexing newspapers for the period, which are held by the Heritage Centre.
Light refreshments will be served during the afternoon.
If you are a potential volunteer interested in attending, please contact Brian Carpenter, Community Learning Officer, at brian.carpenter@devon.gov.uk.

 

Warren House, Kenton

Please does anyone know where Warren House was in Kenton?
We've had this enquiry:
  "
Census records for 1871 show my great grandparents
Henry Short and Jemima Perkins
living, both as servants, at Warren House, Kenton. This
house must have been of a considerable size,
housing 16 people - a
married couple, their 2 daughters, 4 sons, mother-in-law and
brother-in-law,
1 male and 5 female servants -
but we have so far been
unable to locate it in the area.
With your local knowledge we wondered
if you would be able to help us to do so.
Henry and Jemima
married in 1875 and had 5 children.
My friend Pat's great aunt married my great uncle,
their eldest child.
If you can give us any clues as to
the whereabouts of Warren House,
we would be very grateful.
"

Perhaps Warren House, Kenton, might be on
an old map in the Devon Heritage Centre?
There were rabbit warrens and saltworks in Kenton -
see this record about the lease of a house in 1785
which is held at the Devon Heritage Centre
The Warren in Kenton

Discovered this fine art drawing of on The Warren, Kenton,
which is in The Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.

When we have some £££, here's another society Starcross History could join

If anyone thinks we ought to join this society, please comment below

Thanks

Their website  http://one-place-studies.org is extremely slow to load, so I've pasted some of the pages here.

Welcome to the Society for One-Place Studies website

image: http://one-place-studies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Buckland-Brewer-Church-2007.jpg
There are many individuals, societies and groups across the globe researching the people of a community within the context of the place they live. The vision of this Society is to bring together those like-minded people and provide a platform for members to share good practice, ideas and methodology in one place, as well as promote the research being undertaken on their study area.

A charitable organisation founded in 2013 by six dedicated family and local historians from three continents, the Society is run by volunteers in order to advance the education of the public in one-place studies. Information and further advice is available to all, though members will have access to a wide range of enhanced benefits.

The Society welcomes members from around the world with an interest in one particular place, whether it is a street, village, hamlet or town. Registering a study area (or areas) is optional, though recommended if members are active in their research.

Why join the Society for One-Place Studies?

 

Membership benefits include the opportunity to:-

• Be recognised as the ‘expert’ for your study area. As such, members will become the first port of call for those with ancestral or other interests in a particular place. This often leads to opportunities for the holder of the study to amass further information
• Advertise your research to a wide audience
• Be part of a worldwide community of like-minded people
• Receive a regular e-newsletter with contributions from experts in this field. The newsletter also gives members an opportunity to publish articles about their research
• Exchange ideas and have queries answered via an on-line forum
• Have an email alias, so that the contact details for your study remain constant, even if you change your ISP or email address
• Meet and exchange ideas with other OPSers, through actual and virtual seminars
• Receive encouragement through participating in joint one-place projects

If you choose to register your one-place study, you can establish a web page to advertise it. A one-off study registration fee will apply.

Resources

 

The resources of the Society for One-Place Studies are available to all. If you would like to contribute resources for these pages, please contact the Webmaster.

Members of the Society are invited to take advantage of many additional resources in the Members Area, including publications, books, websites, educational resources and academic papers.

Here is a link to the In-Depth Report about Feniton

Got something that will keep?

Do you have a Devon-related precious piece of paper, or book or photograph, or lots of them? Maybe they are yours, or you've inherited them, or found them in a house clearance, or bought them in a sale? The Devon Heritage Centre will be delighted if you would lend or donate them to their comprehensive archive. If you'd rather keep your memories by your side, but worry about what might happen to these treasures after you die, you could file a Devon Document Donor Card with them... well, it can feel like you are donating a part of yourself, so 'Donor Card' is very appropriate. A Friends of Devon Archives' Document Donor Card will ensure that they are preserved.

HERE'S a link to download a copy of the Document Donor Card.


"The Devon Document Donor Card is intended to save original papers relating to Devon such as diaries, letters, recipe books, manuscript maps, accounts, surveys, school records, deeds and leases. We are also interested in old photographs and unusual or rare printed papers... Staff at the.. Devon record offices will be able to advise whether particular material is of interest."
http://www.foda.org.uk/main/projects/donorcard.htm
Please note that some information on this link is out-of-date. - The Westcountry Studies Library has relocated to the Devon Heritage Centre.

The Devon Heritage Centre in Sowton

used to belong to British Telecom - obviously! Long corridors at the Devon Heritage Centre still have miles of wires from the days of  British Telecom.

Now, the vast rooms and corridors, at Great Moor House, hold  a splendid archive of anything on paper which has to do with Devon. There are photographs which exist nowhere else. Some of the photographs are on glass negatives. Here's the only known photograph of  the Exeter church of St Mary Major as it was around 1850. Sorry, but the top of this photo, of the photo, is chopped off, but the actual photo shows the curved roof of the tower. The church was originally 12th or 13th century. It was rebuilt in 1865, but the Victorian church was finally demolished in 1971. All that remains of St Mary Major today is an iron cross on a concrete plinth, inbetween Exeter Cathedral and Tinley's cafe. The site of St Mary Major could be the oldest Christian site in Exeter. Read all about the sad demise of St Mary Major HERE

A small, dedicated staff of around 20, together with a handful of volunteers, work constantly to keep up with the influx of material to the Devon Heritage Centre.
 New arrivals come in all sorts of containers.

These documents are lucky. They will no longer deteriorate; forgotten and neglected. They will be given an initial catalogue number, examined with great care, and the deterioration process will be halted. If they are damp, they will be put into the document drying rooms and left to gently lose their excess moisture.
When they are dried, they will be cleaned with care and affection... everyone at the Devon Heritage Centre is passionate about the documents that are entrusted to them.

In the cavernous map room, experts take what are sometimes crumpled, torn and motheaten maps, and restore them. Here's an old machine which still does an excellent job. It can iron the maps and documents to enable state-of-the-art technology to finish the restoration.

As well as documents, the Devon Heritage Centre is guardian of many valuable and unique books. Here's a selection:

Boyd's Marriage Index Devon

Shillingford St George Parish Register 1565 - 1837

Starcross Parish Register 1815 - 1837

Kenn Parish Registers

East Teignmouth Parish Register: Baptisms 1665-1834. Marriages&Burials 1666-1857

Teigngrace Parish Register 1689 - 19..

Cornish Parish Registers

Whatever documents/photographs/maps/books you have, be assured that giving or loaning them to the Devon Heritage Centre will ensure their preservation.

FREE archives workshop. May 11th.

Political Research and Archives Workshop

Monday, 11 May 2015, 10:00-13:00

Devon Heritage Centre, Bittern Rd, Exeter, EX2 7NL.

As part of the From the Grassroots project, the Devon Heritage Centre will be running a free workshop in archival research. This event will be of interest to people considering a career in the archives sector, as well as those who just enjoy researching local/political history.




In this workshop you will learn more about the cataloguing processes that archives use, including CALM for Archives, which is a Windows-based collection management system for archives.

With a focus upon political archives, professional archivists will demonstrate how to make the most effective use of archives, enabling you to maximise the efficiency of future visits to both record offices and online resources.

During the workshop you will also have the opportunity to take a tour of the Devon Heritage Centre. This is a rare opportunity to have a behind-the-scenes view of how a professional archive is managed in the areas that are not accessible to the general public.

The search room

Spaces are very limited.

Please contact Kayleigh Milden by Wednesday, 6 May to book a place:

Kmilden@histparl.ac.uk        

Tel: (01392) 384838

Thankyou Devon History Society for this information

Invitations to 2 FREE history days in Exeter on 20th April, and Colyton 13th May.

Starcross History has today received 2 invitations to 2 FREE OF CHARGE EVENTS. The 1st is a belated invitation for its members to attend a day dedicated to Devon in the First World War. This event is THIS MONDAY, 20th April, and the details are published below.

Brian Carpenter, Devon County Council's Community Learning Officer, has apologised for the short notice, but writes that the Devon Heritage Centre 'will be happy to see any of your members here if they wish to attend'.

Brian Carpenter

Community Learning Officer

Devon Archives and Local Studies Service

Devon Heritage Centre

Great Moor House

Bittern Road

Sowton

Exeter

Devon

EX2 7NL

01392 380573

Email: brian.carpenter@devon.gov.uk

www.devon.gov.uk/record_office

www.swheritage.org.uk

DEVON REMEMBERS THE FIRST WORLD WAR 

Devon Heritage Centre, Monday 20th April 2015 

10.00:  Arrival and Coffee 

10.30:  Welcome and Introduction: Janet Tall, Head of Archives and Local Studies, South West Heritage Trust 

Heidi Watson-Jones, Project Co-Ordinator, Devon Remembers 

10.45:  Paula Clarke, Community Engagement Officer, Castle Drogo:  Castle Drogo Building Work: Inspiring a New Approach to Learning 

11.20:  Peter Mason, The Lustleigh Society, Dartmoor Life in the First World War 

Peter will talk about the research and development of the Dartmoor Life in the First World War exhibition which is running until September at the Dartmoor National Park Visitor Centre in Princetown. 

  

12.00:  Comfort Break 

12.10:  Dr.David Parker Devon and the First World War and Exeter: Remembering 1914-18 

David will talk about the research which led to the development of the arguments in his two books about the impact upon Devon of the war. 

12.50:  James Wallis, First World War Research Co-ordinator for the South West, University of Hertfordshire First World War Engagement Centre:  The Food and Farming in Wartime Devon Project 

1.00:  LUNCH 

There is a café in Great Moor House and a larger one, the Fresha café, about five minutes’ walk away.  There is also a pub, the Barn Owl, on the other side of the Honiton Road.  However, it may be preferable to bring your own lunch.  

2.00:   Jo Loosemore, BBC Radio Devon: World War One at Home 

Jo will talk about how the First World War affected local people and places, and how the BBC told their stories on radio, TV and online. 

3.00:  Close 

SPEAKERS: 

Paula Clarke is the Community Engagement Officer for the National Trust at Castle Drogo. Her role is funded by the major restoration work currently underway where she is working to achieve the aim of ‘making Drogo a much loved local place’. Her work involves outreach, project based activities with local groups and exploring learning opportunities. Paula has been at Castle Drogo for nine years in a variety of roles including Volunteer Co-ordinator until taking on her current role in November 2012. 

Peter F. Mason has curated the current exhibition about life on Dartmoor during WW1 for the Dartmoor Trust and the Dartmoor National Park which is on show until September at the Princetown Visitors’ Centre.  He is Chairman of the Lustleigh Society which manages the Lustleigh Community Archive and a former national committee member of the Community Archives and Heritage Group.  He is the compiler of a series of features for the Dartmoor Magazine on Dartmoor Life in Old Photographs. 

David Parker is a retired Headteacher.  He has written and researched extensively on 20th century British social history, and his books include The People of Devon in the First World War, which was Devon Book of the Year in 2014, and Exeter: Remembering 1914-18. 

James Wallis is currently completing his doctoral research at the University of Exeter as part of an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded collaborative partnership with Imperial War Museums London. This is examining key permanent and temporary First World War exhibitions held within the museum over a fifty year timeframe.  

In November 2014, he was appointed Associate Research Fellow at the University's History Department. Focusing specifically on the South West, this research co-ordinator post feeds into the University of Hertfordshire's AHRC-funded First World War Engagement Centre, 'Everyday Lives in War'. This aims to connect academic and community research on particular themes relating to the conflict, as part of its centenary commemorations. 

Jo Loosemore produces World War One at Home (in partnership with Imperial War Museums) and the Listening Project (in partnership with the British Library and BBC Radio 4) for BBC Radio Devon.  She previously worked as Education Projects Manager for the Theatre Royal Plymouth and Community History Officer for Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery. 

If you wish to attend, please let Brian Carpenter (brian.carpenter@devon.gov.uk) know by Monday 13th April.  Numbers are limited to 50 people. 

The 2nd invitation is to a regional meeting of the Devon History Forum, which will be in Colyton Town Hall, on Wednesday 13th May. (dunnawurry - there will be time enough for you to get back for our evening meeting in the Starcross pavilion at 7:30pm)

The building on the right is the Heritage Centre containing:

• Family History Research Room
• Colyton family records, Colyton photos and archives
• Literature, gifts and mementoes
• Exhibitions

The building on the left houses the Merchant's Tea Rooms and Tea Garden. The Merchant's Tea rooms are an independant organisation located next to the Heritage Centre building.

 There will be presentations from 3 local history groups. Who knows what an Ottregian is? Read on... 

In the afternoon, there's a conducted walk around Colyton and its Heritage Centre.

DEVON HISTORY FORUM REGIONAL MEETING 

Colyton Town Hall, Wednesday 13th May 2015 

10:00:  Arrival and Coffee 

10:20:  Welcome and Introduction:  Brian Carpenter, Community Learning Officer, South West Heritage Trust 

10:30:  Trevor Hitchcock:  Honiton Yesterday and Today 

Trevor Hitchcock is the author of Honiton Inns and Honiton Yesterday and Today (Allhallows Museum Society, Honiton).  He will talk about Honiton, past and present.  

11:15:  Nigel Sadler, Sands of Time Consultancy and Ottery St.Mary Heritage Society:  Ottregians and the Great War – the Research 

Nigel Sadler is the author of First World War: The Postcard Collection (Amberley Publishing) and was involved in the research for the Ottery St.Mary Heritage Society exhibition Ottregians and the Great War.  He will talk about the research and preparation which went into the exhibition and what was discovered about the contribution of Ottery St.Mary to the Great War.   

12:00:  John Addie, Colyton Parish History Society:  The Colyton Heritage Centre   

John Addie is a long-standing member of the Colyton Parish History Society.  He will talk about the Colyton Heritage Centre project, which culminated in the opening of the centre in April 2014. 

12:45:  LUNCH 

There is a range of places which serve lunch in Colyton, including the Merchant’s Tea Room, which is next door to the Heritage Centre, and the Kingfisher Inn in Dolphin Street. 

2:00:  Town Walks and Tours of the Heritage Centre 

After lunch there will be the opportunity to go on a guided walk around Colyton and also to visit the Heritage Centre. 

3:30:  CLOSE 

There is a public pay and display car park in Dolphin Street, which is within a few minutes’ walk of both the Town Hall and the Heritage Centre. 

If you wish to attend, please let Brian Carpenter (brian.carpenter@devon.gov.uk) know by Friday 8th May.