Old North Devon Photos

[phil_lihp]

I recently came across a local Facebook group which is full of old photos people have added of the town I grew up in, Bideford in North Devon.  I dug out a few that I thought might appeal on here, mostly from the 70s and 80s.

 

 

High street, 1963

 

 

 

Local dealer ad, 1984

 

 

The new North Devon link road being built, you can tell there was a Talbot dealer in town.

 

Shonky bus company, these were still in use until at least the late 90s when I used them and were absolutely knackered.

 

 

[Squire_Dawson]

Ye goode olde days.

[AnthonyG]

Looks like Devon was always kind to older vehicles, given all the 1960s stuff in the third pic down, which must be from 1983 onwards given the A plate Fiesta. I remember holidays in Cornwall/South Devon in the early 1980s and stuff like A35s, Farinas and early Minis everywhere.

 

The 'Elvis' FE Victor or Ventora makes me chuckle, I can just picture the aging Ted owner with his drape coat, brothel creepers and 60 a day Woodbine habit.

[mercrocker]

Truck lickers will love that Nuttall outfit - Volvo F88 cab mated to Scammell dump truck and actually registered as an "HHT" (Heanor Heavy Transport who sold it to Nuttall).    Its since been restored.

 

Read more here....http://www.classictracksandtrucks.co.uk/HH.htm  

 

The first picture is also a reminder that not all Vauxhall Firenzas were striped and droop-snooted.....

[AnthonyG]

Mercrocker, it was your avatar in mind when I was imagining that Victor owner!

[phil_lihp]

Truck lickers will love that Nuttall outfit - Volvo F88 cab mated to Scammell dump truck and actually registered as an "HHT" (Heanor Heavy Transport who sold it to Nuttall).    Its since been restored.

 

Read more here....http://www.classictracksandtrucks.co.uk/HH.htm

 

The first picture is also a reminder that not all Vauxhall Firenzas were striped and droop-snooted.....

 

Now that's good knowledge and a great find, I confess to knowing next to nothing about trucks but it looked a rare beast with that odd headlight arrangement, nice to see it's still around (probably the only vehicle in those photos that is).  The photo shows it being used during the building of the North Devon link road, a monumental change to the area which had been on the cards in one way or another since the 1940s, as it linked North Devon to the M5 and therefore the rest of the country, I don't think many locals had ever seen a roundabout with 2 lanes before.  

 

I wasn't sure what the first car was, I guessed Firenza, without the droopy nose they're a very pretty car.

 

Glad these went down well, they're not mine of course but if I find any in old albums I'll add them in here.

[doobietoo]

I *may have bounced of the doors and walls of the buildings in the first pic after heavy nights at Bideford's drinking establishments in the past

[JayW]

Extra points for the now deceased BX in the bus pic. A Meteor too!

[mercrocker]

Mercrocker, it was your avatar in mind when I was imagining that Victor owner!

Haha!   Still got the drape and creepers but gave up the woodbines ten years ago!

[phil_lihp]

We're moving on to Barnstaple tonight.

 

 

 

No idea what this is.

 

 

 

 

Anyone know what these are?

 

It's a safe bet this did not survive into the 21st century.

 

[sheffcortinacentre]

pickup is a Subaru , other two are a colt celeste coming towards camera & other going away from camera is I think a Datsun 1200

[AnthonyG]

Pickup is a early Subaru, orange car is a Toyota Corolla 1200 circa '74 and the one coming towards it is a Colt Celeste circa '78.

 

I love the Sierra trims on the Mk5 Cortina.

[mercrocker]

Renner 12 not taxed since 1988 according to DVLA.   That primered wing might have lived on, though!

[andrew e]

This image (with the Sierra trimmed Mark 5) shows just how alien the Sierra was to the man who bought Cortina's.

 

[Ghosty]

Sierra trims on the Cortina look bloody fantastic. Like how there's two Corts and a Sierra, makes for a good comparison.

 

Like the Clubby 1275GT on Allegro wheels/trims too!

[Essex V6]

pickup is a Subaru , other two are a colt celeste coming towards camera & other going away from camera is I think a Datsun 1200

I think the car nearest is an early Corolla

[Guest Hooli]

£4995 for a Mk4 escrote in the original post, surely they have never cost more than £250?

[phil_lihp]

I'm also particularly enjoying the florid descriptions in the ad (actually for the same garage) below that photo.  You don't tend to see that any more.

 

Funnily enough, in about 1998 my Dad bought an E-reg Escort L 1.6D from that same garage in the same colour, it was very tidy, I think it had one previous schoolteacher owner and had tippex writing all over the engine for when various items were due to be changed.  It was very noisy, smokey and slow but I always liked it.  I think he paid about £2500 back then.

[phil_lihp]

Thread revival!  The local newspaper's website posted this picture up yesterday, an expensive accident in 1975 at Rolle Quay in Barnstaple.

 

[dollywobbler]

Ouch! Lovely to see a Series 1 still hard at work in the 1970s though. 

[chaseracer]

Like the Clubby 1275GT on Allegro wheels/trims too!

 

 

Pretty sure those are Hillman Imp rims'n'trims, oddly enough...

 

 

Nice vert jade 2CV6 Special blocking the pavement, and a Lancia Beta too  

[Tamworthbay]

Thread revival!  The local newspaper's website posted this picture up yesterday, an expensive accident in 1975 at Rolle Quay in Barnstaple.

 

there was nearly a repeat of that in polperro a couple of years back, a yank in a hire ford galaxy was reversing and put a wheel on the last stone back, unfortunately I was too busy shouting at him to stop to take a pic. Luckily for him he was ok but everyone watching needed clean underpants.