Crime Stories and an Enormous Crocodile

Yesterday evening, Adam Golding entertained us at our 3rd meeting, with some of the stories from Gordon White's remarkable collection. We learned about whole rows of Starcross cottages which burned down, and about more rows of Starcross and Powderham cottages which were summarily demolished by Brunel, to make way for his railway. Back in the nineteenth century, it was suggested that the railway would be difficult to maintain if it were to be built along the shoreline...

Gordon's history of the Royal Western Counties Hospital started right at the beginning, when it was privately run in converted cottages, and had only a handful of inmates. The capable woman who ran it was sacked because... she was a woman. New rules of new management stipulated that the person in charge had to be a man...

For those of us who prefer crime stories, there were stories of smugglers in the Courtenay Arms, and the tale of a brilliant (NOT) gettaway vehicle - a horse and cart. 2 carts fully loaded with stolen goods were discovered by the constabulary. The carts were not very well concealed, in a lean-to shed beside the thieves' cottage.

 Because there weren't many of us, everyone was able to look through Gordon's evocative photographs.

Starcross History has been given a small projector-screen. A projector, which can project images from a computer screen, remains on our wishlist.

Starcross artist Vicky Jocher and Monica Lang described The Swan of the Exe workshops they had presented at Starcross Primary School. The older children had been talking about pollution in the oceans, at a forum the previous week. All the children were really enthusiastic about this exhibit on this summer's Trail Recycled Art in the Landscape

They were shown Vicky's maquette. Then they made feathers out of the plastic milkbottles they had brought to school. A trawler net had been found drifting off Teignmouth, and some of this has been given to Starcross History. The children attached their feathers to this net, and they look forward to seeing the completed sculpture on Plot 12, near the Teignmouth Pier.

The Starcross History group were also shown Vicky's maquette. The group then visited the former village sweetshop, Myrtle Cottage, to see the nearly-completed sculpture, before its installation in Teignmouth next week. There are many more feathers to attach, and there will be a trail of marine creatures in the wake of The Swan.Vicky assured everyone that there would be a role for the fabulous, flourescent green alligator that had been found drifting, and which was kindly given to the group by the warden at the Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve. Monica had wondered if it would be an appropriate creature to be in the wake of The Swan. "Of course. It's a  saltwater crocodile" joked the warden.

 A hole had to be drilled into the dinghy given to us by Teignbridge, so that a wooden pole can be used to prop it up.

Vicky tries out the old drill attachment that Monica bought from a jumble sale a few years ago.

It worked! Vicky has cut a hole big enough for the wooden support.

Here's the sculpture from the back. We need more bright, plastic flotsam&jetsam

The swan's wings need to be white. The black netting used here was to demonstrate the sculpture to the Starcross History group. White netting has now been sourced from Exeter Scrapstore.

Where can this saltwater croc go?

Many thanks to everyone who came to the July meeting.

Especial thanks to Barbara Rich, our treasurer, who took orders for teas and coffees, served them all, washed up, sold badges, sold the atmospheric railway booklets, and organised the raffle as well as presenting the financial statement and finalising the application for an online bank account.

Another big thankyou to our speaker, Adam Golding, and to our artist, Vicky Jocher.

Starcross History is grateful to all of these people, who freely give their time and expertise.

We covered the £20 room hire, and made a few pounds towards our deficit.
Our online Lloyds bank account will soon be up and running. Then we can have an online shop and accept online donations.