Harry Murch has written about his early life living on Pilton Quay in the early 1950s.
“I was born and lived in No.6 Pilton Quay until the early 50’s – the house to the right of the ladies with the sloping porch. There were steps down from the road to a small yard to one side of the front door and a small garden to the other (where my dad kept his ferrets). The entrance into the yard of Berry’s Corn Milling Works is in the centre of the photo adjacent to the car. The white house in the left foreground was the home of the Williams family. The brick build next to it was the home of the Ridd family. Mr Sid Ridd was the manager of Berry’s Works. The house in the immediate right foreground (behind the bush) was the home of the Challacombe family. The entrance to their house was around the corner in Reform Street.
The lady on the left (the shorter of the two) is Mrs Lee, who lived at No. 5 the Quay, which was where my parents lived when they were first married and before the family grew to numerous for the size of the property. Mary, her daughter, still lives in Barnstaple.
The properties were demolished in the 60’s as being ‘unfit for human habitation’ and auction rooms now occupy the site.”
Many thanks to Harry for sharing this with The Pilton Story.
Download this short document with the story.
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