3 day trip to Devon - Saturday 23 Jul 2016, Ashprington, Dartmouth & Paington

Ashprington, Totnes, Devon - a place I was taken by in late August 1963 by Nancy & Frank Litton to show me a typical English Village. This was part of a circular loop from Paington to Dartmouth (and the Castle) and up through Asprington to Stoke Gabriel, then back to Paington. This was during the week Contingent members had time to visit relatives and friends

Having chosen to try find Asprington, I hadn't anticipated this would put us on those narrow hedge row lined roads that don't offer much of view and where you have to recall the last passing bay should you meet an oncoming vehicle - to work out who should reverse back to let the other vehicle get past you.

A close up of the memorial with Ashprington's Church of St. David in the background







The church of St David is fifteenth century, although the font is Norman. There are many carvings within. The communion chalice is pre-Reformation (13th century). The west tower is earlier than the rest of the church; it is tall and of four stages. The south aisle, south porch and the north side of the church are all battlemented. (Wikipedia)

Looking at the hills beyond and thinking maybe it is just the roads that are hedgerow lined. The views are to be had off-road.

I'm thinking later, why did I not go talk to these locals before heading off to Dartmouth Castle, my next 'retracing my steps' destination. And looking at Google maps now, such a roundabout way of going from A to B. Something I couldn't tell from following the Sat Nav instructions and concentrating on the narrow roads.)

Thank goodness Jeantine was acting as navigator, monitoring and interpreting the Sat Nav for me and taking this photo to illustrate the roads we seemed to be stuck on.

We had left Ashprington around 3:20 and this photo is at 3:55pm, looking down at the Dart river as we walk to the Castle, where parking was at a premium on a narrow lane up around the slopes above the Castle.

Looking down to the shore near the entrance to the Castle. We just looked in the shop and around the top without choosing to pay an entrance fee and go down below. Walking back to the car around 4:20 - planning to drive down to the car ferry.

We managed to extricate ourselves out of our tight parking spot up the side of the hill above the Castle and started heading downhill toward what I thought would be the road to the car ferry, until, our Sat Nav said take a sharp left and climb back up. This didn't seem right but, not knowing the area I thought we should follow the instructions. However when we got back up onto the high ground above the river valley, I stopped just past an intersection, not liking where the Sat Nav seemed to be taking us.
I had the feeling we were heading back on an inland route. I see now on Google maps we have two options; 1/ via A379 and B3205 - Best route - This route includes a ferry. 2/ via A385. Both options taking 45 minutes, Best Route at 9 miles and the other option at 19.7 miles.
Then a local pulled up and asked if we needed help. They pointed us back along the way we had just come and to take a certain left turn - and sure enough that lead us down to the car ferry. Once around the block to sort out where the end of the queue was for the ferry, we were moving forward toward the boat.

Closing the gap with the other side. The ferry is guided across by cable across the river.

The gap is closed, we've made it to the other side - and look there is a train going through. The Steam Train from Paignton.

My photo of the Dartmouth Ferry as it was in 1963









Now I was happier with the Sat Nav taking us around the coast toward Paignton but, we didn't stop at Brixham, as I hadn't done my research ahead of time to realise that was where this photo from 1963 was taken ...

Boat repair yard near Paignton & Brixham Place where MTB's were built during World War II [Agfacolor]
We got to Paignton without my having any real clear idea of where Nancy and Jack Litton might have lived. I had a vague memory of how the train journey from London to Torquay was on time all the way - most unusual for the times of a run down rail network. This meant Jack wasn't expecting the train to be on time and so wasn't there to meet me at the platfrom so I caught a bus to Windy Corner and walked to the Litton's street. Back in NZ I found a 1999 post card from Nancy acknowledging my news of my mother's death and saying how she had moved from Langdon Lane after Jack and Frank had died. It was somewhat later when I can across my scan of a page from my photo notebook and reference to 'For bus to Glampton, ask for Windy Corner'

Thanks to an 'Inheritance Letter' relating to the Estate of Henry William Harding Date of Death 15th March 1979 - with a typed address for No 3, Mrs Nancy Litton, 22 Langdon Lane, Glampton, Brixham, Devon - I had a hand written (Ray Mankelow hand) note stating N Litton, 4 Broadsands Court, Broadsands, Paignton Devon, England TQ4 6LD
Doing a Google Map search I came up with this link https://goo.gl/maps/Vu15MFwvfbcyNtTp6 Does this look like the place I photographed in 1963?
Nancy & Jack Littons' 'Attaboy' bed and breakfast where I stayed in one of the guest bedrooms

My recall is this photo is just down from Nancy and Jack Litton's place. Looking at the map of Glampton in 2018, against my expectations, the hills in the distance don't appear to be filled with housing.

Notes made at the time

One memory from being taken to Torquay in 1963 was seeing a poster for some artist called Cliff Richard. I can't say I knew much about him in those days - as a 15 year old. In 2016 not being able to identify where abouts in Paignton I might have been back in 1963, we continued on to Torquay.

After a couple of circuits of busy Torquay we parked in a car park building and made our way down to the harbour and went for a walk on the breakwater.

6:10pm. A boat coming back into the marina, through the sea wall gap. Torquay hosts the big observation wheel during the summer months - that wheel is based at Hyde Park in London for the annual Winter Wonderland attraction.

6:50pm Saturday evening at Torquay with our Cod and Chips from Sea Banks Cafe, 2 Abbey Crescent. — in Torquay. While I was up placing our food order, Barb and Jeantine watched another table vacate and in very short order, the seagulls swooped in and devoured what was left on the table in very short order. Never let a chance go by.

3 day trip to Devon - Day 2; Stoke Gabriel

Looking back to the Yew Tree. Barb and Jeantine listening to the Sexton explaining a little of the Yew tree history.

From Wikipedia, Stoke Gabriel village has an approximately 1,000-year-old yew tree in the churchyard of The Church of St Mary and St Gabriel, a church which has stood since Norman times. Legend has it that if you walk backwards seven times round the yew's main stem you will be granted a wish.

Jeantine can be seen under the yew tree - which is supported by wire rope and propped supports

Looking back toward the village and heading for a lunch break

Wikipedia says; "The village has two public houses; The Church House Inn and The Castle Inn."
I think we chose the Church House Inn, with my lunch receipt stating T.G. Inns Ltd, Church Walk, Totnes and amount for £26.40, which included my choice - the Cauliflower Cheese. I'm sure we would've posted to Facebook with the Pub wifi connection

After lunch it was back to the Church yard to get another photo of the Harding headstone looking toward the houses where the Sexton lived.

Then through the gate and down to the river we went

We can see the river

through the gardens

With an occasional thatched roof catching my eye. It's a pity modernity interferes with the nostalgic view with power lines.

Down at the recreational park by the mill pond with the church in the background

From Wikipedia, "The village is a popular tourist destination in the South Hams and is famous for its mill pond and crab fishing (known colloquially as crabbing). It is equidistant from Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes, and has a population of approximately 1,200" We must have dropped into the Rivershack to get a drink and to people watch as this link said, "The Rivershack, situated between the beautiful River Dart estuary and the tranquil mill pond of Stoke Gabriel village, it is truly a stunning location. Ideally situated for crabbing and river activities and walks."
There was steady stream of people coming in to buy a crabbing kit of bucket and net - and whatever else they needed. It seemed a quite a tradition and a good distraction to keep the kids occupied.

The sign says "Our coast supports some of the richest underwater reefs and sea caves anywhere in Europe and the areas shown have been proposed as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) The Mackerel Cove to Dartmouth Reefs area covers approximately 40km2 and is home to diverse and colourful jungles of filter-feeding sponges, anemones, sea fans and corals which live on bedrock reefs and in sea caves and thrive here in the plankton rich tidal currents along these shores."

1:56pm Typical muddy estuary

2:30pm Gable Cottage and house by the Pub as we head back to our rental car to head to Ashprington, Totnes, Devon - a place I was taken by in late August 1963 by Nancy & Frank Litton to show me a typical English Village

3 day trip to Devon - Day 2; Exeter to Stoke Gabriel & Paington

23 July 2016, day two in Exeter and the husband host from our Bed and Breakfast took us down to the Rental company we had chosen, Thrifty Car & Van Rental, and we were signed out with a manual Ford Focus with a Sat Nav system. I hadn't driven a manual for some time so it took a little while for me to remember to change down gears for intersections and going up hill. So just after 10am, off we headed on the A380 road to Plymouth initially, and then we found ourselves on country lanes with little to see apart from the roadside walls and hedgerows. Back in 1963, when I spent a week with Nancy & Jack Litton in Paington, they had taken me on a days drive to Dartmouth and then up to Stoke Gabriel to see the gravestone of our common ancestor, my maternal great great grandparents, Henry and Maria Harding. Then back through Totnes to Paington.
However with us based in Exeter (where we could get accommodation and, a rental car) it was logical for us to head to Stoke Gabriel from the north. When we arrived at Stoke Gabriel we found it was a tiny village and I needed to do 3 point reverse turn and couldn't work out how to put the car into reverse. Asking a local guy's help gave us the answer and we found parking in the walled area near the local pub.

Jeantine and Barb approach the Church gate, 11:26am

Wikipedia says; "Fisherman probably first came to Stoke Gabriel to fish salmon and gain access to the River Dart. The village has an approximately 1,000-year-old yew tree in the churchyard of The Church of St Mary and St Gabriel, a church which has stood since Norman times."

Off to one side of the Church was this heavy door and ...

Inside this space was a layout map of the graveyard

On the shelf under the layout map was a folder of the names interred here but, under the 'H' listings, the only Hardings listed, were from the 1980s, not the Harding we wanted from 1888.

Jeantine slowly worked her way along each row of headstones to finally strike pay dirt.

There it was, still there after all those years but no longer in one piece as it was when I last saw it.

Luckily for us the Sexton came through the churchyard before heading out somewhere and we were able to show him, to his surprise, our family headstone that was not on the Church list. I think he said a team of volunteers had mapped and annotated the entire church yard back in the 1970s or 1980s and he couldn't explain why the Harding headstone was not noted.

Photo by Jeantine as we discuss our find. The Sexton kept saying he couldn't understand how the team of volunteers had missed this headstone as the Church committee felt they had done a good job.

The location of the Harding headstone, relative to the Church tower - 12:35pm. Then after lunch at the village pub we came back through to get a locating photo looking the other way.

Post lunch walk through to get this locating photo at 1:41pm 23 July 2016

The photograph I took in 1963