Local History
Maria French Simon (Mike’s great-grandmother) took
a holiday in Croyde in 1885 and family links continue.
Letters from Croyde 1885 |
| Published July 2005 |
£3.99 |
| ISBN 0-9550168-0-0 |
48pp |
This publication reproduces Maria French Simon's letters, describes
Croyde at the time and is fully illustrated (pictures 1900-1920).
|
Some events in Croyde since 1885:
| 1890 |
Coastguard house built and coastguards increased to three. |
| 1904 |
Coast road around Downend completed, via Downend House. |
| 1919 |
Many houses get water supply, others continue to use wells. Introduction
of septic tanks improves stream quality. |
| 1931 |
Great flood in June led to a wall being built to contain stream. |
| 1932 |
NALGO holiday camp (now Unison Holiday Village) opened. |
| 1938 |
Post Office moved from opposite Manor Inn. Electricity arrived. |
| 1939 |
Constance & Florence Hyde gave Baggy Point to National Trust. |
| 1944 |
US military trained for D-Day and used Baggy Point & Cock Rock
as targets. They took over NALGO camp. |
| 1946 |
Ruda expanded and Webbers had caravans behind the dunes. |
| 1952 |
Mains drainage in village centre: a proper clean up of stream! |
| 1952 |
Village hall built. New post office/Brook Stores built. |
| 1963 |
Croyde Motors moved from previous position near Manor Inn. |
| 1970 |
Railway between Barnstaple and Braunton/Ilfracombe closed. |
| 1973 |
‘St Mary’s Road’ created for previously unnamed
main street.
Needed for postcodes, it reflected growing size of village. |
| 1975 |
The Thatched Barn café became a pub. In 2002 it annexed
Billy Budd’s
and became Devon’s busiest pub.
|
| 1984 |
The first surf shop, ‘Summer Days’ (later Le Sport),
opened in a former fruit shop. |
| 1994 |
Baggy House 2 built to replace Hyde mansion of 1893. |
| 2001 |
Foot and Mouth epidemic in mid-Devon led to spring closure of paths
and
a quiet summer. However 2002 was busiest ever! |
Croydecycle's Walking Maps contain local information.
|
