Arlington

Joan Cornish(nee Morrish) rang me on Monday and I told her about your project and she is happy to tell you anything she can. We talked for over an hour about Arlington and one thing she told me was that it was Mrs Florrie Bowden who worked at the Court laundry helped by Mrs Morrish. I can?t think what Mrs Alice Nicholls used to do (Arthurs mother); she was Mrs Emily Worths sister (nee Folland). I expect you know that Jack Worth and family used to rent the Old Rectory, (Glebe House) after the Trust took over the estate and they used to do visitors and teas before the Trust started doing teas. They also had the workmen from Vanstones of Torquay lodging there. They were the contractors for the repairs etc at the Court. They also, along with Mrs Nicholls, lodged the 3 workman from Snows of Glastonbury who felled all the timber on the estate after the Trust took over. They used to travel in an ex-American army ambulance and would take anybody from the village who wanted to go, to dances around the area - nobody could drink cider like them!. I remember one dance at Parracombe, I had gone with Mum and Dad and when we left the dance in the RAOB Hall in Parracombe, the driver, Douglas Bush (who is till alive by the way in Glastonbury) took a short cut up through the camping site belonging to Harry Latham, he drove all up between the tents etc, how he didn?t have an accident I don?t know. We have laughed about this many times; no such thing as breath tests and as I said they could drink cider. The timber lorry driver was called Frank Cook from Glastonbury and he met and married Florrie Worth whilst lodging at Glebe. (you probably know all this, forgive me if so). Mr and Mrs Lewis lived in No2 New England (Doris Westlakes parents) prior to that they lived over Froggy Street. Mr Lewis worked in the gardens, Sid Bowden being away in the war. He also used to come down everyday to the Post Office with Miss Chichesters private leather mail bag, then it would come out from Barnstaple again in the morning with her personal mail which Dad would deliver to the Court. Dad was in the Special Police along with Jack Tossell, Dicks brother, and was also responsible for finding accommodation for the evacuees that came down from London. Imagine - they had to go up to Barton Court which must have been empty at that time, no running water, no electric light, no heat, no transport. It must have been terrible for them after coming from the city of London. A lot of the bannisters were missing at Barton when we moved there; poor devils had burnt them to try to keep warm. A lot of them couldn?t stick it and went back to London but some of the Lilley and Bastable family who were in No4 New England, eventually settled in Landkey and descendents are still there today as far as I know. (Ask Joan about the story of the Mother of this family that Mr Morrish told Joan)! My great Uncle Louis Bushen and his wife Margaret lived in Garden Cottage up till the 60's - he was a carpenter by trade but was the Estate Foreman as his father, Louis Bushen senior had been before him, both in the employ of Miss Chichester and her mother before that. Louis senior, my great grandfather, lived over Beccott, down the cottage where Fred and Mary Green used to live, next to the Cornish family. You can see that this house is different than the other; my great Aunt also lived there. Will write more later. Valerie Piper (nee`Jordan)

ARLINGTON PARISH

Then and Now