Woolacombe & Mortehoe Voice

Monkfish and Mortehoe – 1998

This week Friends Restaurant continues its stay in North Devon. You will remember that last week I had been visiting the Cleeve House Hotel in Mortehoe….

Private Frutoso Chavez

Frutoso Ramos Chaves was born January 21, 1922 in Pecos, Reeves county, Texas, the oldest son of Urbano Franco Chaves and Isabel Ramos. He had five…

Private Ellis Swanzy

Private Ellis Swanzy known by his friends as “Bo” was KIA on Omaha Beach Pvt. Ellis Swanzy “Bo” Abney (ASN 34635336) was born on April 10,…

Dynamic Dunescapes Painted Cows

Ten painted cow sculptures can be found on Woolacombe’s sand dunes, starting on the 25th June to celebrate the first World Sand Dune Day these beautiful…

H.M.S Weazle

H.M.S WEAZLE The coast of North Devon is well known for its history of shipwrecks, however the one that took place on the 11th February 1799…

Eliza Yeo 1840-1917

Eliza has often been described as ‘a real character of Mortehoe’. For those of you who have visited the Mortehoe Heritage Museum you will have seen…

A look back at Woolacombe Weddings

With the wedding season in full swing, we take a look at some of the weddings that Woolacombe & Mortehoe have over the years. All were reported in…

Pte Herbert Dyer

Herbert was born on the 23rd August 1912 in North Devon. His parents were James and Mary Dyer, following their marriage they went on to have…

Rockham Bay Hotel, Mortehoe

The Rockham Bay Hotel, previously started its life as a smaller hotel, run by William and Andrea Charlesworth. In 1946 the the hotel was descried in…

Hall 70 Woolacombe

Woolacombe’s village hall can be found on Beach Road, and is available to hire by calling 01271 870247. The hall is the hub of the village…

Elizabeth Berry – Notorious Wrecker

The North Devon coast was often named “The Sailors Grave” it was said that sailors would rather drown at sea than come intothe shore’s of Mortehoe….

Mortehoe Post Office

The Royal Mail can date it’s history as far back as 1516, however it would not be until 1635 that the postal service would be opened…

Hotel Pandora

Pandora House Hotel was built in the 1930’s and is believed to have been the first purpose built boarding house in Woolacombe. It was built in…

Richard James Trebble (1926-1945)

Richard James Trebble was born in 1926 to Arthur and Minnie of Woolacombe. The family lived at WaveCrest. Richard along with his friends, Ray Easterbrook, Alf…

The lifeboat for Mortehoe, 1871

Morthoe Bay, Morte Point, Rockham Bay, and Bull Point, have an evil repute in the sailors’s log. It has been buoyed with such warning as might…

Sub-Lieut Derek Worth

The Worth family lived in Woolacombe, Frederick, Derek’s father,  worked at the Woolacombe Bay Hotel during the second world war, as their own house had been…

Strange proceedings at Mortehoe

In 1887 an event took place in Mortehoe that would be later reported in the press as ‘The Strange Proceedings at Mortehoe’, it would be a…

The Woolacombe Bay Hotel

The Woolacombe Bay Hotel was constructed in 1887, and was initially called the “Shakespeare Hotel”, before it was renamed the Woolacombe Bay. Photographs of the Hotel…

Woolacombe Weavers (1938)

The girl weavers of Woolacombe find their craft slimming.  “Weaving exercises so many muscles,” explained grey-eyed brunette Miss R. Woollan.  “You are always moving legs and…

Dodge, Dunkeswell and Disaster

On May 8th 1945 Nazi Germany surrendered and the Second World War in Europe came to an end. With the fighting over, there was no longer…

The Grange, Mortehoe

Mr Thomas founded the Grange as a Ministers Seaside Home, he would be the first warden of the home, visiting The Grange whenever he could, but…

The Watersmeet Hotel

The Watersmeet Hotel by Sue Hill, Barricane Books Find this lovely, gracious hotel at the far end of Woolacombe’s Esplanade, facing due south, with its grounds…

Barricane House

Barricane House in Mortehoe is believed to have been given it’s name as it was the closest a horse drawn carriage could get to Barricane Shell…

William John Cousins

William John Cousins was the eldest son of William and Charlotte Cousins, born in Mortehoe in 1884. William’s parents married in Lee on Christmas Eve 1878,…

Thomas Randall (1879-1916)

Thomas Randal was born on the 5th February 1879 to Richard and Jane Randall (nee Rose). Thomas was one of seven children, when he was born…

Victoria Tay

Chasing a kite across Woolacombe Beach is a childhood memory that is as clear as day to me. I had a Garfield kite, and my dad…

Herbert Perryman (1885-1915)

Herbert Perryman was born in 1885 to Alfred and Mary Perryman. He would marry Ella Moule in 1908, where following their marriage they would live in…

Kelly Moss

We fell in love in Mortehoe. Our first real date involved a road trip to Mortehoe in 2009 (my now husband was a drinks delivery driver…

Mortehoe & Woolacombe Station

The London and South Western railway line was extended from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe in July 1874, when the Mortehoe railway station was opened. On Tuesday 9th…

Kenneth Vernon Dodgson (1891-1915)

Kenneth Vernon Dodgson was born in Harrow on the 25th June 1891 to Reverend Francis Vivian and Constance Mary Dodgson. His father, Reverend Francis Vivian, had…

Parade House, Woolacombe

Once the home of Rosalie Chichester, Parade House has been turned into luxury self catering holiday lets, John and Briony who have a deep affinity with…

Sam Kruger

My love affair with Woolacombe and Mortehoe began 40 years ago when my Grandad moved from London to Lapford, some way down the A377. Many holidays…

Thomas Henry Nicholls (1892-1917)

Thomas Henry Nicholls was born in 1892 in Worcestershire to Samuel and Eva (nee Butler) Nicholls. Samuel and Eva married on the 25th March 1886 in…

Mortehoe visit (1861)

17th January 1861 MORTHOE. Lady Bruce Chichester has paid her accustomed New Year visit to this place, and was gladly welcomed by the poor of the…

Mortehoe (1859)

Mortehoe – North Devon Journal – 14th July 1859 The native beaches of this delightful spot are attracting numerous and daily visitors from Ilfracombe and the…

Eustace Edward Faull

Eustace Edward Faull was born in Glamorgan, Wales his was the son of Joseph and Eleanor Faull. Eustace’s father Joseph would die when Eustace was just…

Ulysses & James Harris Mortehoe Brothers

The People behind the Names – Ulysses & James Harris Mortehoe Brothers Private James Harris and his brother, Sapper Ulysses Marfleet Harris, were from Mortehoe and both…

Caroline Delin

I’m not alone in my infatuation and fascination with Woolacombe, after all you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t feel the same. It’s a very…

Pam Bodimeade

My love affair with Woolacombe began one frosty morning in Spring 1981. My (now) husband Neale had spent many summers holidaying in Woolacombe in the 70s…

John Fielding

My love of North Devon goes back nearly as far as my love of flight. From the age of ten in 1971 until well after I…

William John Cowler (1897-1916)

William John Cowler was born in 1897 to John and Ellen Cowler (nee Hewitt). The family lived in Woolacombe at Holmesdale House, where they took in…

Ellen Mooney

Hello everyone this is my story of wonderful North Devon, in particular, Woolacombe and Mortehoe. My mother was from Combe Martin and was one of two…

Ruth

My name is Ruth, I am now in my 20’s however, I have been coming to Woolacombe and Mortehoe since I was a child. It is…

Alfred Henry Toms (1866-1918)

Alfred Henry Toms was born on the 28th January 1866, he was the son of Samuel and Sally Toms of Barnstaple. Samuel Toms married Sally Gribble…

Herbert Bale (1848-1917)

Herbert’s father Richard Bale was born in 1848 in Berrynarbor, he was described as having a genial personality which won for him many friendships. He was…

Woolacombe School Celebrates 100 years

January 13th 1916 Woolacombe New School Opened by Miss Chichester, of Arlington. On Monday 11th January, the staff and children of Woolacombe School celebrated its centenary….

Robert Trebble (1899-1916)

Robert Hugh Trebble 1899 – 1916 Robert Hugh Trebble was born in 1899 to James and Ellen (nee Legassick) Trebble. Roberts’s Grandfather, John, a butcher by…

Nick Thatcher

Woolacombe has a special place in my heart and although I don’t feel I can visit again quite yet, it will be part of my future….

Woolacombe Improvements (1946)

22 August 1946 Woolacombe Improvements No “Miniature Blackpool” The recent announcement in the “Journal-Herald” that Messrs, Parkin Amusements were embarking on a £50,000 scheme for Woolacombe…

Woolacombe & World War 2

“I recall we could count nine rows of breaking surf, and would be lulled to sleep by the sound of that magnificent surf, the clouds would…

Percy Robert Coles (1887-1916)

Percy Robert Coles was born on the 11th October 1887 to Charles and Charlotte Coles. Charles father came from a dairy farming background, however Charles took…

Mike Hunter

Well into the festivities at a New Year’s Eve party about 7 years ago, it was drunkenly suggested we should all go for a dip in…

Debbie Finney

My Mortehoe, My Woolacombe By Debbie Finney It all started when my Mum and Dad came here for their honeymoon in the early 60’s. They fell…

The Narracott – Steve Brown

Local estate agent, auctioneer and now writer Steve Brown is ‘Woolacombe born and bred’, representing the third generation of one of the oldest ‘boarding house’ families…

Shipwreck A.C.L (1894)

Heroic Conduct of a Coastguard – as reported in newspaper. Considerable excitement was caused at Ilfracombe about 9am yesterday to a signal being fired to launch…

The Official Holiday Guide – Steve Brown

Local estate agent, auctioneer and now writer Steve Brown is ‘Woolacombe born and bred’, representing the third generation of one of the oldest ‘boarding house’ families…

SS Priestfield Shipwreck

The S.S.Priestfield May 10th 1912 Devon and Exeter Gazette The Priestfield Refloated Considerable excitement was caused in North Devon the day before yesterday, when the news…

The Hill Brothers

North Devon brothers William John and Thomas Henry Hill (pictured below) were two young volunteers who would sadly become victims of the first world war. Both…

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