The British Library offers a wealth of information on many subjects. I decided on a quick search of Stratton, which is where it was all happening in November, 1896. Firstly, there were services for the Wesleyan Foreign Mission, a strong reminder of the power of Methodism around these parts. Meanwhile, […]

By Dawn Robinson-Walsh: Thinking back to 28th September, 1907, which is of course before any of our memories. In the Cornish & Devon Post of that day is a description of the fairground at Bude, which took place on a Monday. It seems there was fine summer weather and those […]

Our thanks to Julie Satchell for another wonderful article, this time inspired by the comment of one of our readers, and what a fascinating tale this is: When Marilyn Northcott added a comment on the article about the wreck of the Belem, seeking more information on the wreck of the […]

Another fabulous Bude maritime history article by Julie Satchell: Barnabas Stanlake Shazell & the Joseph and Thomas During a weekend wander round the graveyard of St Michaels and All Angels Church, looking for gravestones of shipwrecked sailors, an unusual name caught my eye. ‘Barnabas Stanlake Shazell’ drowned at Saunton in […]

  Written by Julie Satchell, a local maritime archaeologist, to commemorate the anniversary of the sinking of the Belem, November 20th, 103 years ago: The two large cylindrical metal objects which sit nestled in varying levels of sand just north of Northcott beach are the boilers of the steam ship […]

In the last couple of years, I have met with visitors from USA, Australia and Canada, all interested in finding the grave of Pamela Colman Smith (tucked away in an unknown spot in St Michael’s; this is covered in the book). They have also been interested in her life. These […]

Who remembers this event? It was a lighthearted event for Mother’s Day but just imagine, for a minute, struggling to have your basic hygiene needs met; having no knickers to wear, for example, when you have a fistula, or are on your period or are just out living your womanly […]

Yesterday, I went to see Lucille Opie, who told me this rather charming tale relating to the late Margaret Frost. We both thought people in Bude would enjoy it: In 1953, when we first came to Bude, a man called Ed Rutherford, tall, 6ft 5, came over to Bude from […]

Ray Boyd was a lovely chap. I first came across him as ‘Old School” on the Bude People site I used to run for Northcliffe Digital, where he added some wonderfully-received collections of old photos of Bude. It took quite a search to uncover who ‘Old School’ was, as Ray […]

One good thing about November is that I receive a royalties statement and I’m pleased to say sales of my Bude books are holding up in a tough retail climate, so … A massive thank you to anyone who has bought one or plans to buy one, for anyone who […]