Hatherleigh History Society

30/08/2026

Jack King 1957 and New Year Hunt 1953 `Lost Decades`.

30/08/2026

Saturday 5th September we will be at the Community Centre with a team from Beaford Arts from 10am to 3pm to welcome people with their photographs of the "Lost Decades", 1940`s, 1950`s and 1960`s. The team will be able to look through your photographs and select those to be digitised by the Beaford photographer, help you fill in the permission forms and then return your photographs. This will help us preserve this missing part of Hatherleigh`s History for future generations. We hope to uncover hidden stories and threads from the past connecting to the present in photographs.
We will also be showing the Old Hatherleigh photographs which have been digitised as well as the very interesting and popular, Tim Lang scrapbooks from 1970`s-1980`s and Dennis Bater`s albums, he was a prolific photographer recording many events in Hatherleigh.

Lots of things to look at, visitors welcome, refreshments available.

10/08/2026

18/07/2026

18/07/2026

What an amazing Hatherleigh Festival we have had, many thanks to the Festival Committee and the volunteers for their hard work especially in this hot weather.
We were very pleased to have taken part in the Saturday exhibitions and grateful for holding it in the church alongside the Flower Festival. There were certainly plenty of visitors to come and watch the running show of the digital photographs by Beaford Arts of Old Hatherleigh as well as the static display, but even the Church became quite warm although not as warm as it was outside.
Thank you those of you who turned up with your photographs for us to see that would be ideal for the ‘Lost Decades’, 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s and will be bringing them along on the 5th September to be digitised at the Community Centre.
More on this shortly

16/07/2026

The Lost Decades continues...

This week we're sharing a missing thread following the Crocker family of Hatherleigh, offering a glimpse into family life and the people who helped shape the town's history.

We're now looking for any photographs taken in Hatherleigh between 1940 and 1970. Family albums, school days, shops, streets, celebrations or work... every image helps fill the gaps in North Devon's recent history.

Bring your photographs to our Hatherleigh Accessioning Day on Saturday 5 September, or email Caroline at [email protected] to find out more and share your photographs.

https://beaford.org/thelostdecades



Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

08/07/2026

Following on from the very successful showing of the Old Hatherleigh photographs at the 150th Anniversary of Hatherleigh Primary School, we will be in St John the Baptist Church Saturday 11th July during Festival .
Martin and I will run the new digitalized photographs by Beaford Arts on a screen throughout the day as well as other photographs on display.
We are still looking for photographs taken during the 40`s, 50`s and 60`s known as the `Lost Decades` , family snaps or albums of any occasions that happened in Hatherleigh, everything from weddings, carnival, sporting events, theatre productions, beating the bounds, clubs and associations. If you have some photos that you think may be just what we are looking for, please bring them along to show us over the weekend. There will be a chance to have your photograph added to the Beaford and Hatherleigh collections on September 5th in the Community Centre from 10am-3 pm. Beaford Arts will be there to digitalize your photograph there and then and for you to add details and the photographs returned back to you.

Looking forward to seeing and meeting as many followers of our posts as possible, the church is nice and cool as well! You can also enjoy the `Festival of Flowers` that is taking place over the next few days.

29/06/2026

Request - Bassetts Cross Black and White Direction Post.

Does anyone have a photo of the 'arm-less' black and white cast iron direction post at Bassetts Cross with the direction pointers still intact, or know when they disappeared? (This is the turning for Jacobstowe & Crediton as you leave Hatherleigh.)

Following a request I have only been able to find the early 1900’s postcard view of the junction with the bench next to the cross and a wooden finger-board on the opposite side of the lane.

The Google street-view image (sorry it’s rather grainy) shows the current arm-less metal post, with ‘Bassetts Cross’ written down the shaft.

Thanks!

20/06/2026

Thank you to all those of you who came along to the 150th Anniversary Celebration of Hatherleigh Primary School and stopped to chat with Martin and I and Caroline and Phoebe from Beaford Arts.
We were amazed by how many people were crowding into the room to view photographs, it certainly got very hot in there!

It was so lovely to talk to many of you that we have got to know over the years and to put a face to some of you who help put names to our posts on Facebook. We looked at some photos that quite a few of you brought along today that fitted into the ‘Lost Decades’, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, thank you for searching them out. Most of the photos are suitable for being digitised on the 5th September at the Community Centre when the Beaford Arts team will be there from 10am-4pm.

I think it was a great day for Hatherleigh Primary School, certainly a special celebration to remember. Mr Monger and his staff and PTA and volunteers all worked so hard and it was very apparent that this school has a wonderful spirit.

Thank you all.