The Top Shop
Sometimes referred to as The Old Manse, East View House was most likely built by the Bible Christians and lived in by a major figure within the organisation, one time Shebbear College Headmaster John Roundsfell. John’s father was a Minister on the Shebbear Bible Christian Circuit.
Known locally as the ‘Top Shop’ was so called because there was a general store/grocers on the square at the same time. East View House has much history to it and is currently occupied by Jack Bowden of Bowden Architects.
Jack was just 6 years old when his parent’s, Malcolm and Karen moved into the building, then known as The Old Manse. Malcolm set about carrying out major works on the building to make it as it is now.
The Hocking family lived in the building at the time of the 1911 census and ran a business as a Taylor’s and Outfitter’s. James was head of the household and with son Alfred, they were both Taylors, daughter Carrie served in the shop. Alf Hocking was listed as running a Grocer shop in the Kelly Directory in 1919. It was around this time that Hocking and Greenslade built and ran the new bakery that was built next to East View House. Ken Chamberlain in an interview in Reflecting Shebbear magazine remembers them selling a wide range of goods including coal and animal feed and offered a twice weekly delivery service.
Gerald Moore recalls that the shop was owned by Taylor’s & Hooper, then by WK Evans who also had a shop at Black Torrington. It was then taken on by Mr & Mrs Charles Salmon from Dorset.
in August 1949 it was taken over by Mr & Mrs Morgan, trading a RB & WL Morgan. Mr Morgan died in 1952 and Lillian Morgan continued running the shop in the 1960s, although she struggled financially. Gerald also recalls that Mr Beamer came to work at the shop for a short while. Mr & Mrs Earle where there for a few years, Mrs & Mrs Mike Barker were the last couple to have the shop and it closed around about 1982.
Isaac Buse and Reg Curtis with the Hocking and Greenslade van during the 1930s
The Bakery
Built around 1920 by Hocking and Greenslade.
We know from Rosemary Wedlake’s book that it baked its last commercial bread in 1970. Owned by Master Baker Mr S F Buse, he lit the ovens one last time on 30th September of that year.
Korna House Cafe
Korna House Café was run by Olive Ackland in the 1970s from 2 Korna House. Olive and Ron also ran a guest house from the same premises.
First built around 1897 to replace a pair of thatched cottages that had burnt down, Richard and Fanny Blight were the first tenants of the Shebbear Land Charity’s new dwelling. He ran a bakehouse and a newsagency from here. In Kelly’s Directory in 1902 and 1919 Richard was recorded as running a Refreshment House, which we assume was from here, so this sounds like it was a café back then. Perhaps they baked the bread and then a café seemed a logical addition?
Cobbler’s and Wool Shop
The Ackland family have had a long association with Korna House, Ron married Olive, a native of South Africa whom he met in London whilst on National Service. It was her that suggested the name Korna House, with Korna being Afrikaans for corner.
Ron tells us that his father, George ran a cobblers business from a building just at the top of Pitt Hill, it used to be separate from the main building, but has now been incorporated into it.
George, photographed with is grandson, purchased the shoemaking business from Bill Bale for £80. ‘His shop was something of a meeting place for the locals as there was always a fire going and other than the pub there was no where to go. Among the regulars was Sid Beckley the local tramp. (Sid’s brother was a local builder and built the Beckley Wing at Shebbear College)’
The same building was later utilised as a wool shop by his wife, Gladys.
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Registrations of births, deaths and marriages used to be made by William Palmer, son of the sub Postmaster, Richard out of Church House.
It was later operated from Goaman’s Cottage in Haycross Hill, one of Shebbear’s few listed buildings. Goaman’s Cottages are now split into number’s 1 and 2, but was all one property at one stage.
Halwell Cottage
Halwell Cottage used to be a cycle shop run by Bill Blight as can be seen in this photo with his family. He also sold batteries and paraffin.
It just so happens to be the birth place of elder statesman of this parish, Gerald Moore.
In more recent years it was a confectionary shop that also occasionally offered an off sales tuck shop at Shebbear College.
Tyrella House
Believed to date from the second half of the 16th Century, Tyrella House was sold by the Land Charity (Feoffees) when they auctioned it in 1920.
Once being two cottages, with one being used as a draper’s shop in the first half of the 19th Century when run by the well known Balkwill family. It was advertised as both a draper and grocer later in the century.
Later recorded as a grocery shop, it was purchased by Bertie Bridgman in 1920. Within 10 years the post office was also moved into Tyrella House.
It wasn’t named as Tyrella House until 1984, previously, it was the Village Stores, or before that it was always referred to by the name of the family that lived there.
Much investment was made into the house in 1974, when Ken and Jeanette Gibson knocked down an outbuilding known as the pump room and built a three bedroom annexe, as well as upgrading throughout.
The Halsey family were the last to run it as a shop, which shut it’s doors to the public in 1989. Paul and Lyn Watts purchased Tyrella House in 1999, the shop fittings were all still in place and not a useable residential area, so a major renovation took place over a period of time, and the annexe was then turned into a holiday let business in 2009 and later a bed and breakfast room created out of the old shop area.
Audrey Rolfe (nee Parker) cuddling lambs on Walter Ackland’s farm which is now Church House. Audrey was evacuated to Shebbear during World War 2 and began a lifelong association with Shebbear. Audrey wrote a chapter for the Shebbear 2000 book giving an account of her times during the war.
Emily Halsey is shown outside the shop with Nigel Woods and his famous Cockerel that would regularly be seen riding around on the handlebars of Nigel’s pushbike.
Suomi
Suomi at New Inn was two dwellings in 1919 when put up for sale. A wooden structure, it had an unusual name meaning Finland in Finnish, perhaps it was a kit shipped from Finland, or being a lodge, it looked like it belonged in Finland?
Harriet Paige is recorded as a Shopkeeper in the 1889, 1893 and 1902 Kelly’s Directory.
The 1911 census shows 41 year old Laura Jane Paige as a Grocer living at Suomi.
The 1939 Register recorded Mrs Rowland, an 64 year old widow living alone and running the grocery business.
The shop was separate from the dwelling as can just be seen in the ariel photograph.
The replacement building, although still a bungalow, is quite different to the original as can be seen here.
Lavender Cottage
Renamed Lavender Cottage by Mr & Mrs Upson, who changed the name to avoid confusion with the other Aish Cottage just a short distance away.
Alongside the cottage is a shed that was a Cobbler’s and shoe shop operated by Edgar Moore for a number of years.
South View Stores
The Poor Houses were owned and maintained by the Shebbear Land Charity (Feofees) for many years, the image showing the flowers around the doors was when they were the Poor Houses, the nearest end is now South View Stores.
The Land Charity chose to sell off many properties they owned and managed in a big auction in 1920. The wedding dates from 1925 and is when Reg ‘Butcher’ Arnold married Beatrice. This end of the Poor Houses is now called Challacott.
The Poor houses were purchased by Maurice Martin in 1974 and he set about extensively reworking the building with a major extension, he contracted Dave Geary to undertake the work, who employed Stuart Boyd to assist him. During the initial phase of the work, a large internal cob wall fell on Dave, crushing him. The weight of the wall caused serious injuries and Dave was unable to breathe. Stuart and Dave recount the story in their oral history.
We are lucky enough to have a copy of the plans of the Poor Houses before they underwent the major work in 1974.
Once converted, Maurice ran the shop as a butcher’s, but it became the general village store after Tyrella House ceased trading in 1989.
After Maurice retired, Kevin Martin took over and was running it when Shebbear 2000 book was launched. We have photos of the authors, Ron Ackland and Ted Lott showing their appreciation to Kevin and his assistant, Judy in helping with sales.
South View Stores was also the last permanent location for Shebbear Post Office. This is covered under the Post Office section.
Shearing Salon
The Shearing Salon is a business started by Lucy Walker in 2017.
Located in the grounds of the South View Stores, it started life as one of a row of three lock-up garages.
Some years previously, it was rented to Karen Bowden who ran Clarriets from here, a retail outlet selling costume jeweller and various other gift ideas.
After Karen and Malcolm moved from the village, the shop reverted to storage until taken on by Lucy. Helen Brampton has also worked as a hair stylist for Lucy in the past.
When the garages were constructed in 1979 by Maurice Martin, they were quite close to a tree in the grounds of Beech House. This had the unfortunate result of the tree being lost, it was particularly unfortunate because Dr Hall had imported the tree propagated from the Tree of Hippocrates the world famous plane tree under which, Hippocrates was thought to have taught his pupils the art of medicine.
Dr Hall actually brought two saplings into the country, the other can still be seen in Exeter.
Rose Cottage
Rose Cottage was also known as Kellaway’s Cottage because the Kellaway family lived here. George Kellaway lived here with wife, Fanny and children Elizabeth, Edward, Selina, Ursula, Frederick, Frank and Augustus.
Many of the family members can be seen outside the cottage in this photograph, and in the background a gate can be seen that leads into the Vicarage grounds.
George Kellaway was living here alone at the age of 73 during the 1911 census and he used the workshop as a cobblers, he died in 1917.
The building used to be at the bottom of Back Lane and is now replaced by Huckleberry.
New Inn Sweet Shop
There is no corroborating evidence found of this unfortunately, but Joan Curtis tells of a sweet shop run by a lady in one of these, now demolished cottages at New Inn.
If anybody has anymore information or photos about these cottages, this would be very helpful.
Endford Garden Centre
Currently mothballed awaiting a planning appeal to develop the land into housing, the last use of this land was as purely a cement works casting various construction items. West Country Concrete Products took over the business previously run by the Lock family.
Graham Lock was not only a successful businessman, but well known in his younger days as a talented entertainer. Graham decided to diversify the business and create a garden centre with a huge key pond as a major feature. Graham was helped by John ‘Cockney’ Stupple to build the pond and it brought in visitors from many miles.
The shutdown of the facility at Endford has meant less large lorries coming into Shebbear, also less jobs.
A planning application was agreed for housing on the site, but the owner has put forward an amendment to reduce affordable housing and the Section 106 as he says that the figures no longer make sense.
Geoff Lock kindly provided old photos of the grounds when the garden centre was open and popular. It was not uncommon to come across people travelling from afar and asking where the garden centre was, such was it’s popularity. It was a much loved outlet by the people of Shebbear.
Last updated on 26 March 2025 by Paul Watts