In August 2016, an enormous hole was dug in front of the Upper Almshouses at the top of Pilton Street by the contractor charged by Western Power with replacing the electricity poles and overhead cables on The Rock.  This photograph shows just how many cables and pipes there can be under our old streets.  This is the oldest part of Pilton and dates to well before we first had water, gas, electric, telephone and sewerage services under our roads.  And in the background is the drilling rig brought in by the contractor to help create a deep enough hole in the very hard rock for the new electricity pole going in the wall of the churchyard of the Church of St Mary the Virgin.  You can see why it’s called The Rock!

Large hole in Pilton Street for electricity repairs with the drilling rig in the background

On Friday 13th May, a new oak tree was planted in Rotary Gardens, Pilton in memory of Hamish Patrick who died in December 2014.   A crowd of over 50 people came to pay tribute to the man who ‘loved Rotary Gardens’ and had made it a brilliant part of the Pilton Green Man Day celebrations for the last 9 years. The tree was planted by Warwick Smale with the help of Bev Neighbour and Helen Clark-Hayton.

A crowd of over 50 people came to pay tribute to the man who ‘loved Rotary Gardens’.

The ceremony was planned before the recent felling of the large oak tree in the centre of Rotary Gardens which was planted towards the end of the 18th Century.  North Devon Council provided the tree and the plaque.