Sidmouth historian: Remembering Pike's Cottages

Anna Sutton, whose family had lived in the town for many generations, wrote a wonderful little book in the early 1950s called A Story of Sidmouth.

The book details her memories of living in Sidmouth during the 1880s.

Here is an extract which refers to the old cottages located in Upper High Street, long since demolished and now replaced by the building which is currently being occupied by The Original Factory Shop:

"I'm glad to have remembered Pike's Cottages, in the first cottage lived a Miss Batten, well remembered by older inhabitants, especially the boys (now grandfathers), who tell me how they teased her.

A Miss Batten would be teased by boys up to no good (Graham Symington)

"Her assorted goods were displayed in the cottage window, which was lighted by a candle, through a small peep hole boys would blow out her candle and fire at her with pea shooters.

"Jimmie Jones and George Hall, who were scissor grinders and umbrella repairers lived in another cottage, with the last cottage being occupied by who we thought was Father Christmas, Mr Perry, a fine upstanding man with very blue eyes and a white beard, he was a model for many artists.

Pike's Cottages (Graham Symington)

"I remember him sitting patiently and cheerily having his portrait painted, his son Roger has now inherited that same cheeriness."

More by Graham Symington:

1. The history of the now-demolished Blackmore Hall
2. The history of Sidmouth's Connaught Gardens
3. A dancing bear, girls of bad character and smuggling: The history of Sidmouth's The Old Ship Inn
4. Sidmouth, Jane Austen and ITV's Sanditon
5. The history of The Byes, in pictures
6. Tar Barrels... in Sidmouth?