Axmag: Issue 3

A free magazine showcasing life in the Axe Valley Issue 3 

Covering Axminster, 

Colyton, Seaton and 

everywhere in between. 

Shute Festival 

Pages 14 and 15 

September & October 2019

a x e c l i F F 

S u n day c a rV e ry 

1 2 - 2 p m 

£ 1 0 . 9 5 

Why not have a round of golf too? 

Visitor’s Fees £25 

B o o k i n g i S a dV i S e d. To B o o k , c a l l 0 1 2 9 7 2 1 7 5 4 . 

The Garden Shop 

Colyton’s friendly garden centre - lovely indoor and outdoor plants, garden 

sundries, homewares, hardware, outdoor living, superb collection of gifts and 

cards, and our relaxing café serving fabulous coffee, breakfasts, light lunches, 

afternoon teas etc. 

Opening hours 9.00am-5.00pm (café closes 4.00pm) Monday to Saturday 

10.00am-4.00pm Sundays 

Easy and free parking 

King Street, Colyton, EX24 6PD [ 01297 551113 [ 07805 956157 

info@gardenshopcolyton.co.uk

Five Questions 

We were thinking of moving back from Austria 

when we found our house - my parents used to 

live in Lyme Regis so I was familiar with this part 

of the world. Its natural beauty, peace and quiet 

attracted us. Also, its excellent train links (when 

there are no disruptions) to London. 

Favourite part of the Axe Valley? Walking 

along the River Yarty towards Beckford Bridge 

with George, our dog. The river, the farmlands 

and livestock all changing with the seasons. 

Suzie McFadzean spent many years living 

and working abroad, predominantly in the 

healthcare industry. She retired early when 

she moved back to the UK, and now spends 

her time building her photography business, 

looking after her menagerie (coloured 

Ryeland sheep, chickens, ducks, a collie, and 

a husband!), as well as volunteering for 

assorted local charities including the Axe 

Vale Show, PPG, Arc Axminster, and Ferne 

Animal Sanctuary. 

Why did you choose to come to the Axe 

Valley? I blame the internet and my parents! 

If you had to change one thing about the 

Axe Valley, what would it be? Potholes is the 

easy answer, but regeneration of the high street 

is essential to maintain a local thriving 

community. 

Favourite shop in the Axe Valley? Mole Avon! 

Everything from washing powder to a sheep 

trough! (And Axmag! - Editor) 

Favourite place to eat or drink in the Axe 

Valley? Axminster is now full of lovely cafés, 

such as The West Country Higler. Further afield, 

for evening meals, The Cotley Inn at Wambrook 

has my vote. 

Editor: Gavin Troth 

Contributors: Suzie McFadzean, Barrie Hedges, Samantha 

Knights, Monica Weber-Butler, Trudi Day, Sue Brown, Chris 

Abbott, Linda Doughty, Wendy Brogan, Alex Steele-Perkins, 

Richard Wood, Simon Holmes, Annabel Glassby and Kelly 

Pritchard. 

Photography: Christina Lamb (cover), Suzie McFadzean, 

Freya Tovey, James Hill, Bigstock, Freepik and Pixabay. 

Telephone: 01297 647316 or 07871 047704 

All material is copyright and must not be reproduced, in any 

format, without permission. The contents are believed to be 

correct at the time of going to print, but we can’t be held 

responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any claims 

made by advertisers. The views expressed are not necessarily 

those of the publisher. 

Axmag is printed in the West Country on FSC-accredited 

stocks at an ISO9001 and ISO14001-accredited factory, 

www.axmag.co.uk 

Have a press release, event or article to send us? 

editorial@axmag.co.uk 

Want to place an advertisement with us? 

advertising@axmag.co.uk 

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 

Axmag is published by The Brand Mill. 

3

Things to do 

Wednesday 4 September | 10:30 - 12:30 

Block Printing 

Coastal Craft Collective, Seaton 

For adults and children. Have fun, relax and feel 

good whilst creating experimental and colourful 

patterns and pictures. £20. Call 01297 691362 to 

book. 

Saturday 7 September | 09:30 - 16:30 

Simple Frame Basket Making 

Seaton Wetlands 

Make a small round willow frame basket in a 

day. Suitable for beginners, but must be 12+ 

with two strong hands. Booking required. 

www.wildeastdevon.co.uk 


Open-Air Meditation Session 


Learn and practice meditation by the Dipping 

Pond at Seaton Nature Reserve. Please wear 

warm, loose, comfortable clothes, bring a mat, 

blanket and some water. An adjacent wetweather 

room is on stand-by if needed. £10. 

www.eastdevon.gov.uk/countryside 

Friday 6 September | 09:00 

Coach Outing to Cardiff / St. Fagans 

Axminster Heritage 

Visit Cardiff, capital of Wales and its largest city; or 

visit St Fagans including the open-air National 

Museum of History (free entry) which showcases 

historic buildings relocated from across Wales. 

£22.00 (£19.50 for AH members). Various pickups 

en route. To book, call Jane on 01404 831207. 

Friday 6 September | 17:00 - 21:00 

Seaton Eats Boutique 

Jubilee Gardens, Seaton 

A evening street food market overlooking the 

Jurassic Coast. 


The New Jersey Boys 

Axminster Guildhall 

The popular group makes another return to 

Axminster, recreating the sound of Frankie Valli 

and the Four Seasons. Tickets £19.80 at 

www.ents24.com. 


Modern Floral Watercolour Workshop 

Axminster Heritage Centre 

An introduction to painting flowers in 

watercolour, suitable for beginners. £16. To 

book, call Jane on 01404 831207. 

Saturday 7 September | 10:00 or 13:30 

Saturday 5 October | 10:00 or 13:30 

Children’s Sewing Club 


Engaging and enjoyable two-hour monthly 

sessions for children age 8+. CCC are passionate 

about teaching children to sew and will cover 

both machine and hand sewing over the 

coming months. £15. Call 01297 691362 to book. 


Music in the Garden 

The Arts Café Bar, Axminster 

Live music by PaSaJaDa - a ukulele band - from 

11am, then Four Tune Tellers - a barbershop 

quartet - from 12.15pm. Organised and 

sponsored by Axminster Arts. Free admission. 


Thursday 19 September | 11:00 - 13:00 

What’s That Bird? 


Learn about the birds at the Wetlands with an 

experienced volunteer guide. Telescopes and 

binoculars available to borrow. No booking 

required. Free admission. 

4

Things to do 

Sunday 8 September | 09:00 - 11:00 


Sunday 6 October | 09:00 - 11:00 


A Bird Hide on Wheels 

Seaton Tramway 

A birdwatching trip that gives you exclusive 

access to remote parts of the Axe Valley. 

Booking required. £14.95. 

Mondays 9, 16, 23 & 30 Sept. | 14:00 - 16:00 

Introduction to Calligraphy 


Learn about the art of calligraphy and develop 

your skills in a relaxed and friendly class. £20 per 

session or £75 for the 4 sessions. Call 01297 

691362 to book. 


Saturday 27 October | 14:00 - 17:00 

Illuminated Driftwood Trees on Canvas 


Come and create your very own illuminated 

driftwood tree on canvas. They make ideal 

Christmas decorations! £20. Call 01297 691362 

to book. 



Paint Pouring 


Paint pouring, also known as liquid or fluid art, 

uses acrylic paint along with a paint medium 

that encourages your paint to develop circular 

cells which create abstract masterpieces. 

£28.50. Call 01297 691362 to book. 

Tuesday 10 September | 09:00 onwards 

Saturday 12 October | 09:00 onwards 

Bird Ringing Demonstrations 


A rare chance to see birds as they are ringed for 

monitoring. Refreshments available. Free, but 

donations welcome. 

Tuesday 10 September | 14:00 - 16:30 

Making Fabric Twine 


Have you got fabric scraps that you don’t want 

to waste? Learn how to make fabric twine 

which can then be used to make great gifts or 

useful items for around the home. £12. Call 

01297 691362 to book. 

Tuesday 10 September | 14:00 

Leonardo De Vinci’s Life - The Man 


An illustrated talk by Jan Young. £3 (includes tea 

or coffee). To book, call Jane on 01404 831207. 


Monday 30 September | 10:00 - 13:00 

Monday 14 October | 09:30 - 12:30 

Art Journaling 


Imaginative and simple techniques that 

make drawing new subjects less 

intimidating and more fun. You will learn 

about composition, artful arrangement 

and finding subjects to paint and draw. 

£30. Call 01297 691362 to book. 

5

Things to do 


Friday 11 October | 10:30 - 15:00 

By the Loom 

Dalwood Pavilion, EX13 7EW 

Come along and learn new skills or use old 

ones with a friendly and supportive group. 

Everyone welcome: beginners and the more 

experienced. £3. To book, call Jane on 01404 

831207. 


Learn Embroidery Stitches 


Learn 10 embroidery stitches in a fun and 

relaxing atmosphere. You will be given an 8” 

wooden embroidery hoop, 10 embroidery 

skeins, a 10” piece of Aida and an embroidery 

needle. As you learn each stitch you will 

embroider lines on your sampler. £15. Call 01297 

691362 to book. 


Family Forage and Cook-Up 

Holyford Woods, Colyton 

Join the Ranger for a foraging walk in the 

woods followed by a cook-up with seasonal 

wild foods. Wellies recommended, all children to 

be accompanied by an adult, dogs on leads 

welcome. Booking required. £4 per person. 

www.wildeastdevon.co.uk 




Live music by folk singers Mig & Roo from 11am, 

then Buskerbeats - singalong classics, originals 

and covers, accompanied on a variety of 

instruments - from 12.15pm. Organised and 


Saturday 14 September | Doors 19:30 

Ferocious Dog + Support 

The Gateway Theatre, Seaton 

Ferocious Dog are said to be one of the best 

bands on the UK folk circuit as they brought 

Rock City to life with their stomping, energetic 

sound. Tickets £17 (or £20 on door, if available). 


Tuesday 15 October | 13:30 - 15:30 

Sugar Craft for Beginners 


A series of four sessions for those who would 

love to try making beautiful sugar flowers. 

£12.50. Call 01297 691362 to book. 



Paint a Mandala 


Come and learn how to paint a mandala. You 

don’t need to be able to draw to do this craft. 

Suitable for adults and children age 8+. £12.50. 

Call 01297 691362 to book. 



Introduction to Wet Felting 


This simple wet felting process involves 

manipulating and matting together fibres using 

water/soapy water and a bit of elbow grease! 

£25. Call 01297 691362 to book. 


Thursday 10 October | 09:30 - 12:30 

Drawing for Observation 


Observation of natural forms, such as fruit, shells 

and plants using a variety of materials from 

pencils to pastels. £20. Call 01297 691362 to book. 

6

Things to do 

Tuesdays | 10:30 - 13:00 

Thursdays | 13:00 - 15:30 

Weekly Craft Club 


Want to have a go at one of many crafts? 

There's something for everyone! Including: 

wet felting, block printing, silk painting, 

decopatch and mini ceramic bunting. Join 

Gillian for crafting, coffee and a chat! Bring 

your own project or try one of hers. From 

£5. Call 01297 691362 to book. 

Term-Time Thursdays | 16:00 - 17:30 

After School Crafting Club 


After school crafting for children. Different 

crafts to try over the weeks. £8. Call 01297 

691362 to book. 

Fridays | 10:30 - 13:00 

Weekly Patchwork Club 


People with all levels of quilting ability, 

especially beginners, are welcome. £5. Call 

01297 691362 to book. 


Cotton and Cold Water Dyes 

Dalwood Pavilion, EX13 7EW 

Learn how to mix a range of colours, use a 

variety of techniques to apply the dyes, and 

expect amazing results! £10. To book, call Jane 

on 01404 831207. 


Nikki Kitt 


Nikki Kitt is a spiritualist medium, currently 

touring the UK with her successful psychic and 

mediumship evenings. Tickets £10 at 

www.ents24.com. 


Sew a Reversible Bag 


In this workshop you will cut out, line with 

bumpf and sew a reversible bag. £20. Call 01297 

691362 to book. 

Friday 20 September 2019 | 19:30 

Quiz Night 


A fun, competitive evening of quizzing in aid of 

Theatre funds. Prizes on offer. £5 per person 

(maximum six people to a team). Tables must 

be booked and paid for in advance. 


Beaded Decorations 


Come and make your own beaded decorations. 

We have wire-shaped birds, butterflies, flowers 

and primitive hearts in an assortment of sizes. 

£12.50. Call 01297 691362 to book. 




Live music by Stampita - a mixture of folk songs 

and tunes accompanied by a variety of 

instruments. Organised and sponsored by 

Axminster Arts. Free admission. 

7

Things to do 


Introduction to Pyrography 


Pyrography - the art of designing with fire, 

involves using a heated implement to burn 

designs on natural materials. This workshop 

teaches pyrography on wood. £17. Call 01297 

691362 to book. 


Seaton Beach Clean 

Fisherman’s Gap, Seaton 

Part of the Great British Beach Clean. Bring 

gloves and a pencil. Sorry, no dogs. 


Next Steps in Wet Felting 


Have fun creating a piece of fabric using a prefelt 

method. Create your own picture or turn it 

into a cushion cover. £28. Call 01297 691362 to 

book. 


Pocket Notebooks using Medieval Bookbinding 

Eclectic Studio, Beer 

Discover simple techniques to create a 

charming pocket notebook. £35. Call 01297 

691362 to book. 


Felt Stocking Advent Calendar Bunting 


A relaxing day of hand sewing, creating your 

very own felt Christmas stocking advent 

calendar bunting. £30. Call 01297 691362 to 

book. 

Monday 23 September | 13:30 - 16:30 

Silver Metal Clay Jewellery Taster 


Explore the wonderful properties of metal clay 

and create a unique jewellery set in a single 

session. £60. Call 01297 691362 to book. 


Hobo Bags 


The hobo bag is a beautiful lightweight bag. It is 

lined/reversible with tie handles enabling you to 

wear it at whichever height you choose. £20. 

Call 01297 691362 to book. 


Make a Lampshade 


Make your own 30cm diameter drum 

lampshade. There is no sewing involved. £22.50. 

Call 01297 691362 to book. 



By the Loom 


Come along and learn new skills or use old 

ones with a friendly and supportive group. 

Everyone welcome: beginners and the more 

experienced. To book, call Jane on 01404 

831207. 


Coffee & Crafts for Macmillan Cancer Support 


A coffee and crafts session to raise money for 

Macmillan Cancer Support. No set charge - 

please donate and be as generous as you can! 

Call 01297 691362 to book. 

8

Things to do 


‘Tell It To The Bees’ Film Picnic Night 


In 1952 Dr. Jean Markham returns to her 

Scottish hometown to take over her late father's 

medical practice. She soon becomes ostracised 

by the community when she begins a 

passionate romance with a woman who has a 

young son. Picnic starts at 6.30pm, the film at 

7.30pm. Tickets £6. 


Hand Embroidery for Beginners 


Learn the best 15 hand embroidery stitches. 

Produce a sampler and find out how the 

stitches can be used creatively. £16. To book, 

call Jane on 01404 831207. 




Live music by Nine Pound Catfish - ragtime 

blues and hokum on guitar, banjo, mandolin 

and washboard. This event is the last of the 

Music in the Garden season, organised and 


Saturday 28 September | Doors 19:30 

Patsy Cline and Friends 


Sue Lowry's powerful renditions of classic songs 

Sweet Dreams, Crazy, She's Got You, and Got A 

Lot Of Rhythm In My Soul, will take you back to 

the toe-tapping, honky-tonk days of pure 

country music. Cabaret-style seating. Tickets 

£15 (or £17.50 on door, if available). 

Monday 30 September | 14:00 

Monthly Movie: ‘Maudie’ 


A moving biographical drama about 

Maud Lewis, a Canadian folk artist who 

continued to produce paintings in spite 

of a debilitating physical condition. £5. 

To book, call Jane on 01404 831207. 



Driftwood Creations 


Have fun creating your own personal work of 

art from locally-collected driftwood. £18. Call 

01297 691362 to book. 


Lino Printing Cards and Pictures 


Suitable for beginners and those with some 

experience. Learn how to transfer your designs 

and ideas into a print - ideal for producing cards 

or pictures. £18. Call 01297 691362 to book. 

9

Things to do 


Calligraphy Workshop 


Add colourful backgrounds to your calligraphy 

using sponge effects, pastels and watercolours. 

Please bring cartridge or watercolour paper and 

any paints and brushes you have. £16. To book, 

call Jane on 01404 831207. 


Busy Bee Sewing Day: Create a Garment 


Bring along your own pattern, fabric, scissors, 

and sewing machine (with plug!), and create a 

garment, learning expert sewing techniques. 

£16. To book, call Jane on 01404 831207. 

Saturday 5 October | 18:30 

‘Blinded By The Light’ Film Picnic Night 


This British comedy drama sees a teenager 

learning to live life, understand his family and 

find his own voice through the music of Bruce 

Springsteen. Picnic starts at 6.30pm, the film at 

7.30pm. Tickets £6. 

Friday 5 October | 19:30 

The Robbie & Olly Show 


A celebration of Robbie Williams and Olly Murs 

includings hits: Angels, Let me Entertain You, 

Rock DJ, Troublemaker, Wrapped Up, and Dance 

With Me Tonight. Tickets £18 at www.ents24.com. 

Sundays 6 & 20 October | 10:00 - 16:00 

Sew a Christmas Table Runner and Mats 


This two-day workshop is suitable for those 

who have some quilting experience. £62.50. Call 

01297 691362 to book. 

Monday 7 October | 10:00 - 17:00 

Long-Stitch Bookbinding 


Learn how to create folios and sections, how to 

prepare the cover, and the different long-stitch 

styles. £40. Call 01297 691362 to book. 

Tuesday 8 October | 14:00 

Time for Tea: Reels in Time 


John Fowler, former projectionist at The Regent 

cinema, Lyme Regis, gives an illustrated talk 

about his life in film. £3 (includes tea or coffee). 

To book, call Jane on 01404 831207. 



Create a Beach-Finds Picture 


Make a picture out of stones, driftwood, sea 

glass and other beach-finds. £19.50. Call 01297 

691362 to book. 

Wednesday 9 October | 10:00 - 13:00 

Introduction to Shibori 


The ancient Japanese ‘resist dyeing’ technique. 

Learn how to use simple hand-stitching, folding, 

binding or tying to create beautiful and unique 

patterns using manual ‘resist dyeing’ techniques. 

£35. Call 01297 691362 to book. 



Mosaics Workshop 


Design a name plaque for your house, decorate 

a flower pot, make a picture or bring your own 

object to decorate. Day One will be designing 

and mosaicing, whilst Day Two will be final 

grouting. £40. Call 01297 691362 to book. 

10

Things to do 


Needle-Felt a Mouse or Fox 


Needle-felt a beautiful wool mouse or fox using 

soft and fluffy merino wool fibre. £20. Call 01297 

691362 to book. 


Wet Felting Slippers 


Have fun creating some cosy slippers using 

natural wool fibre. You will learn to use a 

template and resist method. This completes an 

all-in-one finish, with no sewing needed. £28. 

Call 01297 691362 to book. 


Five Ways to Wellbeing 


An introduction to the five ways to wellbeing - 

an effective way of looking after our mental 

health and wellbeing in our day-to-day lives. 

£17.50. Call 01297 691362 to book. 

Friday 18 October | Doors 19:30 

Crooked Furrow, Celiidh and a Pasty 


Back by popular demand! Proceeds go towards 

The Gateway’s new seating. £10 (including 

pasty). 

Saturday 19 October - Sunday 27 October 

Half-Term Activities 

Seaton Jurassic 

Timewarp trail, fossils for the future, and one-off 

workshops including a live history show. 

Booking required. See www.seatonjurassic.org 

for more details. 

Saturday 19 October | Doors 19:00 

Dowlais Male Voice Choir 


A welcome return of this hugely popular choir 

who give their services to raise money for 

charities - tonight's performance is for The 

Gateway! Dowlais bring a selection of songs 

and give them their own style with beautiful 

harmonies throughout. £10. 




Half-Term Drop-In Crafting 


Drop in and have a go at one of our many crafts 

- including silk painting, decopatch, ceramic 

painting, wet felting, sand art, pebble painting, 

mandala painting. painting terracotta pots, 

making mini-lanterns and sewing - there's 

something for everyone! From £3. Call 01297 

691362 to book. 


Autumn Crafts 


Use natural materials to create autumn and 

halloween-themed crafts, plus cook treats over 

the camp fire (weather permitting). £3 per child. 

Saturday 26 October | Doors 19:30 

The Darkside of Pink Floyd 


More than just your average Pink Floyd tribute 

band, The Darkside of Pink Floyd entertain 

audiences with a fantastic light show and 

passionate performances. Tickets £17 (or £19 on 

door, if available). 

11

Things to do 

Monday 28 October | 14:00 

Monthly Movie: ‘Red Joan’ 


Joan Stanley is a widow living out a quiet 

retirement in the suburbs when the British 

Secret Service places her under arrest. The 

charge: providing classified scientific 

information to the Soviet government. Directed 

by Trevor Nunn and starring Judi Dench. £5. To 

book, call Jane on 01404 831207. 


Christmas Block Printing 


Have fun and relax whilst creating experimental 

and colourful Christmas-themed patterns. We 

have a stunning array of colours and some 

lovely Christmas blocks for you to choose from. 

£20. Call 01297 691362 to book. 


Metal Embossing Nichos 


Create decorative metal embellishments with 

simple techniques. Nichos are small decorative 

recessed display boxes. They usually have an 

embossed frame which houses small 

meaningful objects. £30. Call 01297 691362 to 

book. 

We want Axmag to be the definitive 

guide to ‘things to do’ in the Axe 

Valley. 

Do send us your events and courses 

for November and December to 

editorial@axmag.co.uk. Listings are 

free. Thank you. 

Christmas 

Craft 

Workshops 

Book now! 

12

Axminster - alive and kicking! 

Totally Locally Axminster 

Axminster is alive and well and very much 

open for business. That’s the pledge from 

the town’s independent traders as the Trinity 

House department store enters its final few 

weeks. 

Conscious of the threat to footfall in the town 

centre, the traders have formed their own group 

known as Totally Locally Axminster to create a 

sense of pride and 

win support from the 

community for its 

‘buy local’ message. 

The group currently 

has the support of 

some 30 

independent traders 

and is continuing to 

grow. 

It aims to achieve 

recognition for small 

independent businesses as the ‘bedrock of the 

local community’ and to persuade local people 

that buying locally means more local jobs, 

better local facilities and a nicer place to live. 

Axminster is joining a cohort of more than 60 

UK towns who have turned to the multi-award 

winning Totally Locally to help save their town 

centres from the threat posed by the internet 

and big national stores. The initiative started out 

as a small idea in the north of England and has 

gone viral to become a multi-awardwinning 

worldwide movement. Other towns that have 

gone the Totally Locally route have seen a 

marked resurgence. 

The first public evidence of the local campaign 

will be a week-long ‘Fiver Fest’ from 5-12 

October in which traders across Axminster will 

each have good value offers for £5. 

The point made by the ‘Fiver Fest’ is a key one 

because the group has calculated that if every 

adult in the town and surrounding area spent 

just £5 a week with local traders that they 

would otherwise have spent elsewhere, it 

would feed £1.8m a year into the local 

economy. 

The group also points out that £10 spent with a 

local store is actually worth nearer £50 to the 

Axminster economy because the money 

circulates through a 

‘food chain’ as each 

trader pays wages and 

spends with other 

local suppliers. 

In Axminster, the 

Totally Locally 

motivation came 

initially from a small 

group of traders 

including the Archway 

Bookshop, Axminster 

Printing, Auxilia Business Services, Collate 

Interiors, the Courthouse Makers, the Sweet 

Shop, and the Community Waffle House. They 

have in turn approached others and interest has 

quickly grown. 

"Totally Locally isn’t anti-supermarket or antiinternet,” 

says Chris Sands, who founded the 

national initiative. “There is a place for all these 

things in our lives. It’s just highlighting how a 

small change in spending habits can make a 

huge change to your town. We have a choice to 

make the place we live that little bit better by 

just diverting £5 of our weekly spend back into 

our local economy. And everyone wants their 

town to be great, don’t they?!”. 

All the details of the October ‘Fiver Fest’ 

event will be available shortly via the 

facebook page @totallylocallyaxminster. 

Traders wishing to join should contact 

Barrie Hedges on 07899 923756 or via 

barrie@archwaybookshop.co.uk. 

13


Now in its fourth year, Shute Festival returns 

on the weekend of the 13th and 15th 

September 2019 with a programme of 

diverse speakers and events. 

This year, the festival will host the UK premier of 

an award-winning documentary, Free Men, 

about the life of death row artist Kenny Reams. 

He will be dialing in from his 9 x 4 foot cell for a 

Q&A after the screening. This is a particular 

coup for the festival and stems from a 

connection with one of the directors, Samantha 

Knights QC, who worked on Kenny’s appeal as 

an intern in the US in 2000. 

Located in the stunning surrounds of East 

Devon’s AONB, the festival will begin with a free 

walk to the medieval King John Oak in Shute’s 

former deer park, led by Legacy to Landscape. A 

diverse and enticing array of talks and speakers 

are lined up thereafter, including Tim Pears on 

his latest book The Redeemed (the last in his 

West Country Trilogy); Isabel Bannerman on her 

forthcoming book, Scent Magic: Notes from a 

Gardener; Owen Matthews on his Sunday 

Times Top 100-listed new book, An Impeccable 

Spy, and Christina Lamb, the Sunday Times 

chief foreign correspondent. 

Forensic scientist Angela Gallop CBE will be 

speaking about her work on some of the UK’s 

most high-profile murders, whilst poets 

Anthony Wilson and Fiona Benson will be 

reading and speaking from their published work. 

Nick Jubber will also be discussing his 

acclaimed travel book, Epic Continent. The 

festival will highlight some very topical issues 

this year, including Jaz O’Hara speaking about 

her transition from the fashion world to setting 

up an NGO working with migrants and 

refugees, and David Jones, founder of Just One 

Ocean, speaking about plastics in the seas. 

“We are completely thrilled to have such a 

diverse array of speakers coming to beautiful 

Shute,” said Paddy Magrane, co-director. “When 

we started in 2016, we couldn’t have imagined 

how the festival would take off”. 

An important aspect of the festival is how it 

supports the local community, channeling any 

profits back to the primary school at Shute and 

the fabric of the local church, which provides an 

atmospheric venue for the talks. The festival has 

also run an outreach programme for the 

primary school each year with a variety of 

workshops. There’s also an entirely free 

14


Owen Matthews | Credit: James Hill 

Christina Lamb | Credit: Christina Lamb 

children’s programme during the festival itself. 

Over the years, children have enjoyed film, 

pottery, bushcraft, Bollywood dancing and land 

art workshops. This year, thanks to a grant 

provided by East Devon AONB, the children at 

Shute Primary School have benefitted from two 

funded after-school clubs: an Art Club and a 

Wild Club. These clubs will continue to be 

funded for the autumn term at the School. 

Local businesses have been very supportive of 

the festival with Beviss & Beckingsale and 

Kilmington Garden Club already committed to 

sponsoring events, alongside London-based 

barristers’ chambers Matrix, and Bagley Wood 

Productions based in Oxford. “It is wonderful to 

have this support, which makes the festival 

financially possible,” said Samantha Knights. 

The Festival began in 2016 and was set up by 

Samantha Knights, Paddy Magrane and Bijan 

Omrani, all Shute residents. “We thought why 

not do a literary and arts event locally to bring 

in interesting ideas and people to the area? We 

asked around and everyone seemed 

enthusiastic and the speakers we approached all 

said “yes”. Shute Festival was born. We hadn’t 

thought beyond the first year but we had such 

lovely feedback that we decided to organise 

another and another” said Samantha Knights. 

The Festival has attracted some very highprofile 

names over the past number of years 

including Annie Freud, Sir Anthony Seldon, 

Sophie Hannah, Anna Pavord and Sir Ghillean 

Prance to name but a few. It has always had a 

strong connection to the local area and to 

landscape with a number of events each year 

on this theme. The Festival has begun each year 

with its local walk to the medieval King John 

Oak in the former Royal Deer Park at Shute. It is 

now situated on private land but access is 

granted by the local landowner for the purpose 

of the free walk organised by Legacy to 

Landscape, a local community-based project - 

celebrating the hidden landscape of East Devon 

- based on the former Shute Estate. 

Tickets are now on sale online at 

www.shutefest.org.uk and at Axminster’s 

Archway Bookshop, which has run the 

festival’s pop-up store from the outset. 

15

Crafting 

Decorated Pebbles 

Monica runs 

jewellery-making, 

art and craft 

workshops in her Beer 

workshop and at 

Coastal Craft 

Collective, Seaton. 

You’ll need: Sharpie 

permanent markers 

(black, silver, gold 

and copper), and 

assorted pebbles. 

Simple ink drawings can transform a plain 

pebble into a decorative ornament. 

Single tree: Draw a gold line two-thirds down, 

across the narrow part of the pebble. Add bands 

of silver and copper below. With the black pen, 

draw a Y in the centre (don’t go too high). Add 

different size Ys to create the branches. 

Variations: Draw the tree slightly to one side 

and add a small house close by. My pebble had 

small white markings all over and a slightly 

larger one close to the edge, which resembled a 

snowman, hence the winter scene. 

Swirls and dots: Flat and wide pebbles are ideal 

for a more elaborate pattern. Draw a broad silver 

line a third of the way down. Fill the small 

section with the copper pen. Draw a simple 

silver swirl in the centre as a starting point. Add 

different size swirls on top of each other and to 

the sides (alternate directions). Scatter some 

dots in the larger spaces. 

Fish: Draw a long oval shape with the black pen 

(make one end a little pointy). Draw a small fanshape 

for the tail. With a cross, divide the fish in 

sections lengthwise. Leave one section for the 

eye, and fill the remaining areas with different 

patterns and colours. 

Skeleton leaf: Draw a heart with a line in the 

centre (lengthwise). Add a narrow triangle to 

form the stem and lines for the veins. Decorate 

with dots around the leaf. 

Monica Weber-Butler 

Eclectic Designs Studio, Beer. 

www.esjd.co.uk 

Don’t forget - it’s illegal to take pebbles from our 

beaches! 

16

Trudi Day: Healing Art 

Devon Open Studios 

unpressured and in a calm environment. If this 

is something you think may be of help to you 

or someone you know, please contact me for a 

chat. 

Teaching people to paint is a passion for me, 

and I still get so much pleasure from helping 

students of all ages and abilities discover that 

they can paint after all! 

I’m lucky to live in Seaton, amongst the 

beautiful surroundings of the East Devon 

coast and countryside, after relocating from 

The Mendip Hills in North Somerset in 

Autumn 2016. My paintings often portray the 

glorious local scenery, land and sea - 

however, other favourite spots include the 

magnificent South Devon and Cornwall 

coastlines, and The Algarve, Portugal. 

I ran my own School of Art for over 12 years 

whilst living in North Somerset. During this time 

I noticed a phenomenon occurring with some 

of my students. Often folks would come to the 

class with problems such as bereavement, 

depression, anxiety and other health and life 

issues to name a few. 

The act of using paint, colour and creativity 

seemed to be helping to ‘heal’ those wounds. I 

was so fascinated by this that over the next few 

years I trained as a Colour Therapist, NLP Master 

Practitioner and joined the Sue Stone 

Foundation to become a SSF-accredited coach. 

This training and my own experience helps my 

clients feel safe and at ease whilst being 

creative, which opens a space to talk, 

I developed my own Complete Beginners’ 

Watercolour Course, which introduces to new 

students the structure of learning to paint in the 

fluid and exciting medium of watercolour. I’ve 

also been taking students to Portugal on tutored 

painting holidays since 2005, and run 

workshops and art classes on a regular basis in 

all mediums. 

With a gentle, but encouraging, teaching style, I 

help students of all stages of life find their own 

painting style and conquer their fear of that 

white piece of paper! 

Last, but by no means least, I will be taking part 

in this year’s Devon Open Studios event with 

Kerri Ann Briggs at her premises Botanica 

Gallery, 30 Queen Street, Seaton, formerly 

known as Imagine, Design, Create. 

We open on 7 September and run every day 

until 22 September from 11am - 4pm, with 

refreshments available throughout the event. 

Free ‘taster’ workshops (booking essential) will 

be held on 9, 14, 16 and 20 September at 2pm. 

For more details, see the free brochure widely 

available in shops and cafes. To find us, look out 

for the Devon Open Studios’ yellow flags. 

Trudi Day 

Find me on Facebook: Trudi Day Art 

Mobile: 07810 184665 

Email: trudi@trudiday.com 

www.trudiday.co.uk and healingart.org.uk 

17

Gardening 

THINGS TO DO IN SEPTEMBER 

Lovely September is welcomed in with a bit 

of Indian Summer we hope! The weather has 

been a bit up and down lately (Devonians 

are famous for their understatement!), but I 

hope that everyone is now reaping the 

rewards of a fruitful season in the garden. 

We had rather a glut of courgettes this year, so I 

had to be rather creative on the soup front! 

However, it’s always exciting trying to come up 

with new recipes and combinations of flavours. 

This year, September heralds a Significant 

Birthday for me, and it rather made me think 

back along the years, remembering family 

members now long gone, but who contributed 

so much to my life and how I am now who I 

am. My four grandparents were always very 

important, all imparting their skills and 

knowledge, always glad to share their love of 

the countryside and their time for a lanky girl. 

I remember coming home nearly always 

covered in some sort of muddy coating, as my 

legs were always a very long way from my 

brains! I must have been a real headache on the 

washing front as we only had a big tub with a 

mangle on the top. Close my eyes and I can 

hear the ‘thump, thump’ of the paddles, and see 

Mum pulling out the washing with huge 

wooden tongs. 

My dear Mama, thankfully still very much with 

us, instilled a love of gardening especially for 

herbaceous perennials. She was very patient, 

n Start planting new trees, shrubs and 

climbers. 

n Stop feeding trees and shrubs in 

containers. 

n Feed camellias, rhododendrons and 

azaleas with a high-potash feed for a 

better display next year. 

n Clear out summer bedding plants. 

n Why not try taking cuttings of pansies 

and violas? They are easy to do and at 

the same time it will encourage more 

basal growth in the parent plant and 

help it keep a better shape and prolong 

the flowering period. 

n If you haven’t already done it, trim back 

the old flowers of lavender. A regular 

trim (rather than a prune) will keep the 

plants in good shape and prevent them 

going too ‘leggy’ - never cut low into old 

wood. 

n Start planting new perennials. 

n Start dividing overgrown perennials. 

n Support tall, later-flowering perennials. 

n If you are a dahlia grower, keep them 

well-watered and fed, and don’t forget to 

deadhead old flowers from stems that 

haven’t been cut for the home. 

n Plant out spring-flowering biennials. 

n September can be a busy time in the 

garden - both vegetable and flower. If 

you want to save some seeds from some 

of your favourite plants, now is the time 

to do it if the pods are ripe. Choose a dry 

period to cut the pods and then store 

them in paper bags until the seed 

naturally falls from the pod. Remember 

to label the bag! 

n Plant up containers with spring bedding. 

18

Gardening 

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO 

n Force hyacinths for Christmas. 

n Plant autumn onion sets. 

n Sow spring cabbages. 

n Daffodils and crocus should be planted 

at the earliest opportunity. Tulips can be 

left until later. 

n If you have an earwig problem there 

are two things you can do. 1) Stuff a 9cm 

(3 1 / 2 ″) flowerpot with straw or hay and 

place this upside-down on a stake or 

cane. The earwigs will inhabit this 

overnight and can then be removed the 

next morning. 2) Smear some washingup 

liquid on the stem below the 

flower/bud. 

n Plant new strawberry plants. 

GET IN FRONT 

n Sow hardy annuals to flower next year. 

n Dig over heavy clay soil before autumn 

rains make it less workable. It may be 

beneficial to sow a green manure to 

overwinter your plot, or consider 

covering with old carpet or recycled 

black plastic to keep the weeds down. 

Your soil will also warm-up more quickly 

in the spring. 

teaching me and my sister all the names, and 

helping us with the Latin! It must have been in 

the genes, as my daughter has now taken up 

the mantle and is a gardener with the National 

Trust. 

Mum also introduced me to the following poem 

by W. H. Davies, which says it all really. 

Whenever I read it I can see my Grandad 

leaning on a gate, and just looking at the 

horizon. I have only included part of it here; 

19

Gardening 

why not search out the rest yourself? 

What is this life if, full of care, 

We have no time to stand and stare. 

No time to stand beneath the boughs, 

And stare as long as sheep or cows. 

No time to see, when woods we pass, 

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. 

No time to see, in broad daylight, 

Streams full of stars, like skies at night. 

PLANTS OF THE MONTH 

September is a great month for late-flowering 

perennials. Japanese anemones are always a 

favourite. Tall and bold, their simple flowers in 

shades from pink to white really celebrate the 

season. They're adaptable too, growing in sites 

from full sun to partial shade. There are some 

fantastic new varieties that have deep pink 

semi-double flowers which bring a vibrancy to 

a September garden. 

Commonly called Ice Plants, the thick fleshy 

foliage of sedum varieties (see photo on 

previous page) add interest throughout the year, 

from the moment they develop in spring. 

Varieties are available with foliage colours from 

green to grey and deep purple, and some with 

variegated green and white leaves look 

particularly impressive grown individually in 

small terracotta pots. 

Their flowers come in eye-catching colours 

from pure white to pink and red, proving as 

attractive to us as they are to bees and 

butterflies. They are a valuable feed source too 

at this time of year. 

Michaelmas Day is celebrated on 29 September 

and lends its name to one of the most valuable 

hardy perennials to flower through September 

and October, the Michaelmas daisies. Many are 

varieties of the New York aster, Aster novi-belgii, 

but several other types of aster are available 

THINGS TO DO IN OCTOBER 

n Finish planting evergreen shrubs. 

Mulching will help them to survive the 

winter too. 

n Plant new climbers, perennials, tulip 

and lily bulbs. We have a great range of 

spring bulbs now in stock. 

n Empty and clean summer hanging 

baskets, and refill with pansies or voilas, 

ivy, cyclamen etc. for winter colour. We 

have locally-grown autumn bedding in 

stock now. 

n Divide overgrown perennials. Two forks 

back to back in the middle of the clump 

and then prised apart works really well. 

n Lift and store dahlias, gladioli and 

summer-flowering bulbs. Allowing 

dahlias to stand ‘upside-down’ to dry out 

will help them not to ‘rot off’ during the 

winter. 

n Cut down the dying tops of perennial 

vegetables. 

n Lift and divide rhubarb. Cover with a 

mulch to protect the crown. 

n Continue clearing up the garden, and 

burn or bin debris. Especially, burn any 

that shows signs of fungal infection. 

n Rake up fallen leaves, and pile them up 

to make leafmould, or stuff into bags at 

the back of the compost heap. 

Remember to make a few holes in the 

bag first to let air in and water out! 

n Dig over empty areas of soil. I find it 

helpful to cover with old carpet or 

recycled black plastic to keep weeds 

down and the soil will warm up much 

more quickly in the spring. Alternatively, 

consider sowing a green manure. 

n Tidy ponds and remove pumps. 

20

Gardening 

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO 

n Finish planting spring bedding. 

n Finish planting spring-flowering bulbs. 

GET IN FRONT 

n Prepare for planting bare-rooted stock 

next month. 

n Make early sowing of broad beans for 

next year. 

n Sow sweet peas for next year under 

cover. 

also. A succession of blooms gives asters longlasting 

appeal, and they make great cut flowers 

too. Why not try some in your garden? 

Don’t forget, our knife and tool sharpening 

service will take place again on 5 September. 

Drop your items into the shop any time 

beforehand, and pay on collection. Prices start 

from £1.50 for straight-edged knives to £5.95 for 

mower blades and axes. For more information 

please give us a call at the shop. 

Sue Brown 


King Street, Colyton, Devon EX24 6PD 

Tel: 01297 551113 | Mobile: 07805 956157 

Email: info@gardenshopcolyton.co.uk 

www.gardenshopcolyton.co.uk 

Open: 09:00 - 17:00 (Mon - Sat) 

10:00 - 16:00 (Sun) 

Café: 

10:00 - 16:00 (Mon - Sun).

DIY 

Black Mould and Rejuvenating Tile Grout 

Hello and welcome to another DIY tip and 

advice column in Axmag. I am Chris Abbott, 

co-owner of Abbott’s DIY in Seaton and 

Ottery St. Mary, and in my 25+ years of 

working in our family business I have been 

asked all sorts of questions to DIY-related 

problems. So, this column will bring you 

advice and information which I hope you 

will find interesting and useful. Happy 

reading. 

As I am sure you know, over time, your nice 

white tile grout joints can discolour, and can go 

mouldy with the constant damp and wet 

conditions associated with a bathroom. 

We have several customers coming into 

Abbott’s with this problem thinking that the only 

solution is to rake out all of the grout and then 

reapply new grout in its place - which you can 

do, but it is a messy job. So it is well worth 

seeing if it is possible to salvage the grout and 

not have the harder job of removing and 

replacing it. 

So for cleaning, one of the best products on the 

market is HG Mould Spray. This product is far 

more powerful and produces better results than 

ordinary domestic bleach. It destroys and 

neutralises the mould, and helps protect against 

re-growth. It will also bleach the grout to mask 

any mould stains, and can also be used on 

mould on walls and silicone seals. 

If your tiles do suffer from mould growth, this is 

a task that will need to be done every few 

months, as over time the mould growth and 

staining will become too embedded for the 

bleaching action to mask the stains completely. 

Another option to rejuvenate your tile grout is a 

grout pen, which is like a paint pen. To use this 

you will need to clean the surface to remove 

any dirt or surface mould first. It’s probably best 

using something like domestic bleach for this. 

Then the grout pen will simply paint back a nice 

white coating over the grout lines. It is a onecoat 

application, and very tough, and waterresistant. 

You will just need a very steady hand, 

and a lot of patience for this task. 

Finally, if your grout is cracked, or the wrong 

colour, or beyond saving, the only option left is 

to remove it entirely and then re-grout - which 

we will cover in the next edition. 

Chris Abbott 

Abbott’s DIY, Seaton 

Reader Offer 

Free Seaton Tea Towel, Mug or Print! 

Coastal Craft Collective in Seaton sell hand-made 

products on behalf of local artists and run a wide 

range of crafting workshops. They are offering 

Axmag readers a free Seaton tea towel, mug or 

A4 print when you spend £40. The offer ends on 

30 September. You can browse their products and 

find full workshop information on their website. 

10 Marine Place, Seaton. 01297 691362 

www.coastalcraftcollective.co.uk 

22

Coastal Chic 

Interiors 

Even if you don't live by the sea you can't help 

but succumb to the beauty of the coastline. 

And who doesn't want to add elements to 

their home that will capture the magic of 

seaside living, whilst keeping alive precious 

memories of time spent by the beach? 

Whether you just want to pick out some 

beachy pieces to add to your home, or go for 

a full-on coastal scheme, here are some ideas. 

Coastal chic can be used to describe a broad 

range of styles ranging from the on-trend 

‘Hamptons’ style to the more laid-back ‘boho 

chic’, a classic nautical style or a tranquil 

calming coastal theme. Using a simple colour 

palette, working with the softer shades of the 

sea, sky and coastline, will add a sense of calm 

and tranquility to your space. Think soft greys, 

blues, pinks and off-whites. 

Adding pieces made out of rope, rattan and 

wood will give a natural character to your room 

and using shells, pebbles, dried seaweed and 

driftwood will add a calm beach vibe. Just enjoy 

a walk along the beach to see what natural 

treasures you can find. Open up your windows 

by throwing back your curtains and let as much 

light in as you can. Loose white voiles will add 

to the fresh, relaxed feel, whilst candles and 

string lights will add a ‘boho chic’ ambience. 

If you prefer the more elegant coastal look, the 

‘Hamptons’ style is the one for you. Using white 

is key to creating a light, clean vibe - in fact, 

don't be afraid to use white on white, layering 

different shades and textiles to create interest. 

Wendy Brogan is an interior designer, stylist 

and owner of Brogan Buzec Lifestyle in 

Seaton, along with her partner Andrew Buzec. 

Wendy is available for design commissions, or 

you can pop in to her store for a chat about 

décor, styling, paint or just the weather. 

Add pops of colour, but instead of using the 

more traditional beach colours of red, white and 

blue, why not go for hot orange or a chalky 

pink, with a deep teal or inky blues? Give the 

space a touch of luxe with large, sumptuous 

throws, floor cushions and jute rugs, adding 

statement lamps and bold artwork to give the 

scheme the wow factor. 

23

Sport 

The Editor has a golf lesson 

Other than playing the occasional game of 

Pitch and Putt, and, ever since I was a young 

child, a tradition of following the final 

rounds of The Open, I don’t have a massive 

interest in golf. 

That said, over recent years, as I reached ‘middle 

age’, I’ve often thought that I would quite fancy 

making the jump from Pitch and Putt to ‘proper’ 

golf. A couple of things have always put me off, 

though. 

Firstly, my perception 

that the sport is 

somewhat elitist, 

creating fears that I 

would feel a little out of 

place, especially turning 

up in a battered 15- 

year-old car. 

And secondly, not 

being the most 

confident of people, the 

fear of showing-up 

myself in front of far 

more experienced 

golfers, tutting and 

sniggering, as I swing 

the club like a deranged psychopath, making 

little or no contact with the ball. 

Which is why a golf 

lesson at Axe Cliff Golf 

Club came as such a 

pleasant surprise. 

Which is why a golf lesson at Axe Cliff Golf Club 

came as such a pleasant surprise. Everyone was 

friendly and welcoming, whilst the course isn’t 

overly busy, which means you get plenty of 

time, and peace, to compose your shots. 

My tutor for the afternoon - my one-hour 

lesson grew to more like two - was Axe Cliff’s 

professional Andrew Thompson, now in his 70s 

but looking easily 10 years younger - who hit 

the ball with the sort of rapier-like precision that 

could only come from having played the game 

for 60-odd years. 

Me, on the other hand, had been playing for just 

60-odd minutes. So, how did I find it? Well, as 

you would expect, Andrew clearly knows his 

stuff, and quietly goes about ensuring you get 

the basics - your stance, how you grip the club, 

keeping your eye on the ball, and making the 

club do the hard work - right. 

Although he coaches at several clubs, Andrew 

admits that Axe Cliff is his favourite, for the same 

reasons that I liked it. 

Certainly, under the 

steady stewardship 

of Simon and Jill 

Wellington, and with 

the course’s 

landlords looking to 

help improve the 

course (and the 

access lane), the 

future looks bright. 

It certainly deserves 

to. It’s almost worth 

signing-up just to 

enjoy the 

spectacular views 

across Seaton Bay to 

Beer Head from 

some of the more cliff-edge holes, especially 

the 16th, one of several ‘blind’ holes (where the 

green is out of sight) on the course. The sea and 

the River Axe must be full of stray golf balls! 

£99 buys you a 30-day trial membership, giving 

you three free lessons with Andrew, plus 

unlimited use of the course and practice range. 

Then, if you sign up permanently, the Club adds 

£50 to your bar and restaurant account. 

If you don’t feel brave enough to take the 

plunge just yet, have a go at pitch and putt first. 

There are excellent 9-hole courses at Oak Mead, 

near Sidmouth, and Cricket St. Thomas, just 

outside Chard. 

24

Scallops 

Food 

Scallops with Cauliflower Cheese Puree, 

Pickled Cauliflower Salsa and Cheddar Crisp. 

Pre-heat the oven to 200°, or 180° if fanassisted. 

Take quarter of the cauliflower head and 

remove the hard stem and separate the florets. 

Slice these very, very thinly. Chop a red chilli 

into small cubes, without the seeds or pith, and 

place in a bowl with the sliced cauliflower 

florets. Cover with lemon juice and, if possible, 

allow to pickle overnight. 

Very thinly slice the remaining cauliflower head 

and steam for five minutes until soft, but not 

smelling of sulphur. Add this to the blender 

along with grated Barber’s 1833 Cheddar and 

200ml of cream. 

Next, make the Cheddar crisp. Place some 

baking parchment on a baking tray, grate 40 

grams per person of Cheddar and place in a hot 

oven at 180° until melted and bubbling. Remove 

from heat and allow to cool for a couple of 

minutes. Now, take a straight edge and a sharp 

knife and cut a rectangular crisp. Remove the 

trimmed pieces of the crisp and add to the 

blender along with the cauliflower, grated 

cheese and cream. 

Whizz the cauliflower cheese, mix and season. 

Take a handful of samphire and blanch. 

Pan-fry your scallops in a heavy pan with 

Barber’s Farmhouse Butter. 

Gently heat the cauliflower cheese puree. 

Place a circle of cauliflower cheese on a plate. 

Rest your cooked scallops on this, prior to 

plating-up the rest of the dish with samphire, 

cheddar crisp and pickled cauliflower salsa. 

Dress with edible cornflower petals and serve. 

Ingredients 

190g Barber’s 1833 Cheddar. 

Scallops – hand-dived, three per serving. 

One Cauliflower. 

200ml of double cream. 

One large red chilli. 

A handful of cornflowers. 

150g of samphire. 

One large lemon. 

50g of Barber’s Farmhouse Butter. 

25

Taste Test 

A portion of chips 

No-one in the Axe Valley lives too far from the sea, and a trip to the seaside wouldn’t be 

complete without a portion of chips - preferably with a nice piece of fish, mushy peas, tartare 

sauce, and plenty of salt and vinegar! 

Surprisingly, one of the earliest mentions of chips was by Charles Dickens, when ‘husky chips of 

potatoes, fried with some reluctant drops of oil’ featured in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, published in 1859. 

This is somewhat at odds, though, with Oldham Council’s claim that the first-ever chips were fried 

in the Lancashire town in 1860. 

were high, but, to be honest, we were a little 

disappointed, especially given the relatively 

high price. Comments were very mixed - 

one of us loved them. another thought they 

were very average, another thought they 

were unpleasantly greasy. They were dark 

and a little ‘mushy’ in appearance, but, on 

the plus side, were well-seasoned. 

Frydays, Seaton 

510g / £2.50 

The first chips we tried were from the 

highly-rated Frydays in Seaton. Expectations 

Frydays serve a full range of Chunk products, 

baked up the road in Ottery St. Mary, and 

certainly some of the best pies and pasties that 

you will find. Makes a nice change from the 

usual chip shop offerings. 

Presumably, trade is geared towards their eat-in 

restaurant, and people wanting to eat on the 

26

A portion of chips 

Taste Test 

beach, because, somewhat bizarrely, when we 

asked for the chips to be wrapped, to keep them 

warm during the 15-minute drive back to Axmag 

Towers, we were told that they don’t wrap the 

bags and boxes in extra paper. It’s excellent that 

most of Fryday’s packaging seems to be biodegradable, 

but so is a sheet or two of paper. 

Plump chips that tasted as good as they looked. 

We all agreed they were our favourite. If we had 

to nit-pick, they were perhaps a little too salty, 

but that’s easily rectified. 

Lemon Plaice, Axminster 

470g / £2.20 

Axminster’s Lemon Plaice has a somewhat 

mixed reputation; that said, service is 

friendly, the menu is large and varied, and - 

being the only chip shop in town - there’s 

often a large queue. 

Largely, the chips were crispy on the outside 

and fluffy on the inside, which in a ‘triplecooked’ 

kind of way sounds great, but these, at 

times, were so crunchy that they became quite 

hard to eat. They weren’t the warmest either, 

but were well-seasoned and not at all greasy. 

Seaton’s Fish Bar 

520g / £2.30 

Said to be the choice of locals, Seaton’s Fish 

Bar was initially established way back in the 

1930s, and enjoys a slightly better Trip 

Advisor rating than its more high-profile 

neighbour, Frydays, albeit from far fewer 

reviews. 

Colyton Takeaway 

515g / £2.00 

Easily missed, Colyton Takeaway is a small, 

traditional chip shop where the service is 

friendly and everything is cooked to order, 

so be prepared for a wait. 

These were great value - almost the largest 

portion at comfortably the lowest price. They 

were quite pale in colour and noticeably 

slimmer than those of, say, Seaton’s Fish Bar, and, 

with it, a little more dry. Taste-wise, they were a 

little bland and in need of more seasoning, but, 

again, that’s easily rectified. Overall, we liked 

them - the second-best chips here. 

27

Motoring 

Richard Wood’s Sunbeam Alpine 

Launched in 1959, The Sunbeam Alpine was 

a product of the Rootes Group, one of the 

UK’s ‘Big Four’ car producers - Ford, Vauxhall 

and BMC (the merger of Austin and Morris) 

being the other three - and proved to be an 

interesting alternative to the MGAs and 

MGBs, and Triumph TR3s and TR4s that 

dominated the British open-top touring car 

market back in the 50s and 60s. 

Sadly, of those ‘Big Four’ companies, only 

Vauxhall - making Astras at (threatened with 

closure) Ellesmere Port - and Mini - descended 

from BMC, and making most of their models at 

Oxford - are still producing cars in the UK. 

Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, where this 

Alpine was built, was closed by Peugeot - to 

which the remnants of the Rootes Group 

passed, via Chrysler - in 2006. 60 years of car 

manufacturing at Ryton, and 2000 jobs, finished 

- despite the plant being profitable - when 

production was moved, ironically with the help 

of an EU grant, to Slovakia. 

The Rootes Group consisted of four car brands - 

Hillman (the ‘bread and butter’ cars), Singer (the 

slightly more upmarket cars), Humber (luxury 

cars that rivalled the large, traditional Rovers of 

the time), leaving Sunbeam to produce the 

sporty, sexy stuff. Which leads us nicely onto 

Richard Wood and his splendid Sunbeam Alpine. 

If the Alpine’s styling looks familiar, you may 

remember it as the first car driven by James 

Bond, when Sean Connery drove a blue one in 

Dr. No in 1962, or nine years later, when Michael 

Caine drove a white one in the classic 1971 

gangster movie Get Carter. 

As they often worked with legendary industrial 

designer Raymond Loewy (famous for the 

design of the Coca-Cola bottle, the packaging 

for Lucky Strike cigarettes and his futuristic, 

streamlined locomotives), Rootes’ styling was 

often influenced by trends across the Atlantic. 

The Alpine - primarily aimed at the American 

market anyway - was certainly no different, 

most noticeably with the dramatic rear fins that 

28

Richard Wood’s Sunbeam Alpine 

Motoring 

featured on the first three versions. As styling 

tastes changed, these were reshaped on the 

Series IV, which you see here. 

Fitted with a 1600cc engine (later versions were 

upgraded to a 1725cc unit) and a 4-speed 

gearbox, this Series IV has synchromesh on first 

gear and the desirable factory-fitted overdrive 

on third and fourth gears, operated by a stalk on 

the left of the steering wheel. Overdrive acts as 

an additional gear, reducing engine speed and 

improving economy. 

Richard lives near Colyton and has owned his 

Alpine for 10 years. Built in November 1964, and 

registered on New Year’s Day the following year, 

the Alpine, originally Moonstone White with red 

interior, was first supplied by Rootes dealer G. S. 

Last of Brentwood, Essex. 

Lasts used it as a demonstrator for over a year, 

until it was sold to a local lawyer who, typically 

not short of a bob or two, specified pretty much 

every dealer-fitted option, including reversing 

lights and clock. 

The car passed through various hands before 

falling into disrepair and losing its detachable 

hardtop (which has since been replaced). 

Renovation work to the body was undertaken 

circa 2001, when it was repainted Carnival Red, 

an original Rootes colour, and the colour you 

see today. It was also turned into a convertible 

with a folding canvas roof. 

Richard purchased it 10 years ago, and while the 

bodywork was in good order, the same could 

not be said for the mechanical condition. It is 

suspected that the renovation work stalled short 

of the oily bits! This has been rectified, to a very 

high standard, by the owner’s good friend Peter 

Brown, a retired motor engineer. 

It is still fitted with its original engine, but new 

pistons and rings were fitted in 2009. It has 

been rewired and the Lucas distributor 

completely rebuilt by The Distributor Doctor 

(Martin Jay) in Wiveliscombe. Last year, the 

original engine block was repaired by Exeter 

Engineering Solutions, near Tiverton. The clutch 

has also been replaced, supplied by Precision 

Clutch Components of Henstridge, Somerset. 

Inner, middle and outer sills on both sides were 

replaced in 2016, and the rear quarters were 

remade and painted earlier this year by T&T 

Coachworks in Feniton. Whilst you would 

expect to find these types of specialists in, say, 

the Midlands, it’s reassuring to see so many 

companies here in the South West helping to 

keep classic cars on the road. Talking of which, 

there are said to be 800 Alpines left on the road, 

a decent number, with a further 500 on a SORN 

registration. 

Richard is the magazine editor for the Crash Box 

and Classic Car Club, which has over 400 

members across Devon. Their annual Historic 

Vehicle Gathering, at Powderham Castle, has 

been running for 46 years and has helped to 

raise over £200,000 for charity. You can find out 

more about the club at www.crashboxclub.co.uk. 

If you want to find out more about Alpines, the 

Owners’ Club website is probably your best bet, 

www.sunbeamalpineowners.club, and if you 

would like to see Richard’s Alpine (and over 200 

other classic cars) in the metal, visit the 

Sidmouth Classic Car Show on 21 September, at 

the cricket ground, overlooking the sea. 

If you live in the Axe Valley and own a 

classic car, we would love to hear from 

you. It doesn’t have to be as pristine as 

Richard’s, it could even be a 

restoration project that you haven’t 

quite got around to yet! Please email 

editorial@axmag.co.uk. 

29

Books 

Archway Life 

them to places they have never been and teach 

them stuff they didn’t know! 

I learn a lot from my customers, and through 

them discover books that I would never have 

read. Some customers have, in a matter of a few 

months, become good friends on account of 

our shared interest. It is a delight for me to be 

able to help those who are uncertain about 

their next read. I don’t always get it right, of 

course, but I get a real kick when they do come 

back and express their appreciation. 

Customers who frequent a small 

independent bookshop are without doubt a 

special bunch. I always suspected it, but it is 

only by moving around to the bookseller 

side of the counter in recent months that I 

have come to fully appreciate them as a 

breed apart. 

It really doesn’t matter what their age, breed or 

social standing. The sort of true book lover who 

visits shops like ours will often come through 

the door with a wondering sense of being 

about to discover something quite special. 

Some head straight for a particular bookcase 

while others will meander through the whole 

shop, taking in not just the books but the 

atmosphere (and the smell). 

Some are content with the fiction offerings on 

the ground floor and the local books that we 

squirrel away under the stairs. Others go boldly 

upwards via the spiral staircase to the first floor 

to immerse themselves in history, biography, 

cookery, nature, gardening, crafts and all the 

other elements that make up non-fiction. 

The great delight is when they come back to 

the counter clutching whatever it is that has 

taken their fancy. People who buy books always 

have that sense of anticipation as if they are 

about to settle to a delicious meal. Except that 

this ‘meal’ is one that will last many hours, take 

It is also quite special to be able to give advice 

on reading that benefits children, especially 

those who may have special needs or 

sensitivities. I admit that I often have to draw on 

the advice I in turn get from my daughter and 

other young customers. I also talk in-depth to 

the helpful publishers’ reps. 

It’s that sort of personalised support that you 

won’t readily get from most large bookshops - 

and you certainly won’t get it from Amazon! 

Tim Pears 

Thought we would concentrate our focus fairly 

locally for this issue - and where better to start 

than just down the road at the hugely popular 

Shute Festival. We are delighted to be providing 

bookshop support and really looking forward to 

hearing from authors like Tim Pears. Tim grew 

up in Devon, left school at 16 and worked in a 

wide variety of unskilled jobs - but he never 

stopped writing. 

His love of Devon gave him the perfect setting 

for his most recent works, the West Country 

Trilogy, which concludes this year with The 

Redeemed which is set in 1916. The central 

characters, Leo and Charlotte, are both 16- 

years-old – he heading off to war and serving at 

sea; she becoming a vet at a time when 

women rarely had such opportunities. The story 

follows them into a brave new world as war, 

30

Archway Life 

Books 

loss, violence and betrayal conspire to tear their 

lives apart. Brilliant writing. 

Ann Cleeves 

Ann grew up in north Devon and that’s the 

setting for her much anticipated new crime 

novel, The Long Call, which is due on 15 

September. A Sunday Times bestseller from her 

Vera and Shetland series, Ann is now launching 

into a new series which opens where the Taw 

and Torridge converge around Bideford and 

Barnstaple. A body is found on the beach near 

where Detective Matthew Venn lives, taking him 

and his team back into a strict evangelical 

community he had left behind. 

learn about chutneys and pickles that are lighter 

and sprightlier than the old-fashioned kind. 

We have a surprise speedy seller in The Story of 

Tools, the first book from the new lifestyle brand 

Hole & Corner. As a man who has been known to 

instal a shelf upside down, it’s all a bit foreign to 

me, but others are quite excited about its 

exploration of craftsman tools of all sorts, going 

right back to cavemen. As the blurb says: ‘What 

would a painter be without a brush, or a gardener 

without a fork?’ All I ever need is a hammer! 

People are also talking about Autism & Asperger 

Syndrome in Children by Luke Beardon. It’s a 

book a lot of parents have been waiting for, 

especially those who have received a 

potentially devastating diagnosis of autism or 

Asperger Syndrome. Dr Beardon guides you 

through the issues in gentle and practical 

fashion. The book also celebrates the 

undeniable strengths of an autistic child. 

Young adults’ books 

Popular current reads amongst our young adult 

customers include Becoming Dinah by Kit de 

Waal. Seventeen-year-old Dinah needs to leave 

the weird commune where she grew up. She 

needs a whole new identity, starting with how 

she looks. She is persuaded to make her ‘escape’ 

by illegally driving a VW campervan for 

hundreds of miles, accompanied by a grumpy 

man with one leg. 

Non-fiction 

Living as we do in the land of cream teas, we 

undoubtedly need to know how to make jam. 

There is no-one better to learn that skill from 

than Pam Corbin, who lives locally in east 

Devon, and has now distilled many years of 

experience into ‘Pam the Jam’. The book has 

over 100 tried and tested recipes covering jams, 

jellies, marmalades and fruit spreads containing 

far less sugar than is traditional. You can also 

Children’s books 

Lots of new stuff about to be published for the 

autumn run to Christmas, but Rose Rivers by 

Jacqueline Wilson is up there amongst our best 

of the moment. Rose is the daughter of a 

famous artist who is not content with staying at 

home like other Victorian young ladies. Meeting 

two ‘very unsuitable’ new friends gives her a 

route to follow her dreams. 

Simon Holmes 

31

Walk 

Trinity Hill Circular 

The East Devon Way is a walking route 

that links footpaths, bridleways and 

country lanes between Exmouth and 

Lyme Regis to create a 40-mile inland 

route through the heart of the East Devon 

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

3 

4 

1 

2 

With links to the South West Coast Path, 

the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site 

and the Exe Estuary, it’s the perfect way 

to explore the area in all seasons and 

enjoy the delightful countryside which 

includes hills, woods, rivers, commons 

and lovely Devon villages. 

5 

6 

8 

7 

This 4.5-mile walk takes you through the 

Trinity Hill Local Nature Reserve to look at 

the Cannington Viaduct and the East Devon 

Way. 

Difficulty: Leisurely 

Time: 2 hours 20 minutes 

Length: 4.5 miles 

Start location: Trinity Hill Nature Reserve 

OS Map: 116 Lyme Regis and Bridport 

1 After looking at the interpretation board, turn 

around 180 degrees and walk out over the 

metal step gate. Walk along the path, south-east, 

until it comes to a T-junction. 

2 Turn right, south. Follow this track until it 

reaches a forestry road. Continue along the 

road until it reaches a T-junction. 

3 Turn left, south-east, and continue along the 

forestry track until you come to a track leading 

off to the right. 

4 Turn right, south, and follow this bridle path 

through the woods. The large beech trees along 

the path are described as some of the ‘great 

trees of East Devon’. 

5 On reaching a T-junction turn right, west and 

follow the track to the road. At the road, turn 

left, south, until you see a footpath sign on your 

right. 

6 Turn right, south-west, along the footpath 

until you reach another road. Turn left, southeast. 

The East Devon Way comes in from the 

right, but follow the road down the hill. 

7 Look out for a footpath sign on the left. The 

path goes up the hill, north-west, and through a 

gate, then turns right along the field boundary. 

Continue through a gate into the wood and 

along the well-walked track. At a T-junction, 

turn left, north, and walk up the hill past a house 

on the right onto a narrow lane. Carry straight 

on up the hill bearing right at the junction. 

8 Look out for a footpath sign on the left, turn 

left, west, and walk up the path until you come 

out onto a wider forest track. Turn right, north, 

and carry on along the track retracing your 

steps back to the car park. 

There are a number of routes across the Trinity 

Hill Reserve, so take a different route back to the 

car park. 

32

Trinity Hill Circular 

Walk 

There are good views to Uplyme and of the 

Cannington Viaduct. The Viaduct was opened 

in 1903, and was one of the first in the UK to be 

constructed of concrete. 

Unfortunately, the builders ran into problems 

when subsidence was discovered between two 

of the arches. This was subsequently reinforced 

by a fill-in arch, which gives it an unusual and 

distinctive appearance. It is the only remaining 

part of the Axminster to Lyme Regis railway 

branch line, which was closed in 1965 during 

the ‘Beeching Cuts’. 

Internal & external PaIntIng & DecoratIng 

BrIck Works | PatIos | PoWer WashIng 

FencIng | FascIas & gutters FItteD 

call 01297 23632 or 07522 810455 

www.whitespropertymaintenance.co.uk 

Route developer: James Baldwin 

Route checker: Ted Swan 

Reproduced with the kind permission of 

Kelly Pritchard at East Devon AONB. 

Chances are, if you’re reading a printed copy of this 

magazine, you already know where to pick up a copy, but 

for those reading the online version, here’s a list of our 

stockists: 

Axminster 

ARC Charity Shop 

Archway Bookshop 


Axminster Railway Station 

Axminster Town FC 

Castle Inn 

Collate Interiors 

Co-op, West Street 

Mole Avon 

Axmouth 

Axe Cliff Golf Club 

Colyford 

General Stores 

Colyton 


Hawkchurch 

Community Shop 

Musbury 

Musbury Garage 

Seaton 

Abbott’s DIY 

Brogan Buzec Lifestyle 

Coastal Craft Collective 

Gateway Theatre 

Seaton Town Council 

Seaton TIC 

Co-op, Underfleet Way 

Shute 

Andrewshayes Holiday Park 

Brand-driven marketing 

for print and web. 

Brand Identities / Marketing Material / Websites 

Copywriting / Print Management / Publishing 

Kilmington 

Phone Box Library 

33 

t 01297 647316 | m 07871 047704 

e studio@thebrandmill.net 

www.thebrandmill.net

Art 

Annabel Glassby 

Annabel Glassby is a popular landscape and 

portrait artist with a distinctive and positive 

style. She divides her time between Bristol 

and Seaton, and exhibits her work across the 

South West. 

Annabel has been interested and involved in the 

arts all her life. She worked as a teacher in 

Bristol for over 35 years and loved sharing her 

creative skills with her pupils. It was not until 

she retired that she had the time to concentrate 

on her love of painting. 

“Five years ago, when my husband and I bought 

our home in Seaton, my love of the sea really 

took off. Exploring the Jurassic coastline of 

beautiful east Devon and Dorset inspires my 

painting. In my imagination, the sun always 

shines and so my work features happy summer 

days by the sea. 

Years ago, I enjoyed making several stained 

glass windows. It’s easy to see how that 

experience and my love of the Art Deco period 

influence the style of my landscape paintings.” 

Annabel is happy to take commissions for 

landscapes, and for human or animal portraits. 

She has just finished a new painting of Seaton 

from Axmouth Harbour which you can see at 

Coastal Craft Collective in Seaton. They also 

stock a wide selection of her original landscape 

paintings, prints and cards. 

Annabel’s exhibitions include the Front Room 

Arts Trail, Windmill Hill Arts Trail, The Fox Inn, 

Acapella, The Duchess of Totterdown, The 

Hideaway, The Southville Centre, Paintworks, 

and Pecorama. 

annabelg@hotmail.com 

Facebook.com/Annabel.Glassby 

www.coastalcraftcollective.co.uk 

01297 691362 

34

East Devon living 

from coast to country 

Looking for a new home in a stunning location? 

If you’re looking for modern living beside the sea, look no further than Pebble 

Beach, Seaton. Located 500m from the beach, this contemporary development 

offers seaside living and stunning scenery, just a stones throw from Seaton’s 

charming high street. With homes ranging from 2-4 bedrooms, we could have 

the dream home you’ve been searching for! 

Pebble Beach, Seaton EX12 2BP - 01297 795015 

If you’re seeking a home in the country, why not enquire at Cloakham Lawns, 

Axminster? Located on the outskirts of the quaint market town, this 

development offers a fantastic range of 3-5 bedroom homes in a semi-rural 

location. With glorious views across the East Devon hills and woodland walks on 

your doorstep, its the perfect place to call home! 

Cloakham Lawns, Axminster EX13 5HW - 01297 795101 

Speak to our friendly sales teams and discover 

how our purchase assistance schemes 

can help get you moving! 

Photographs depict a typical Bovis Homes interior. Homes subject to availability. Views dependent on plot.

Axmag: Issue 3

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