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Heathercombe Brake School Photographs — 53 Comments

1. Pingback:School friends – For the fainthearted . . .

2. Hi, Many thanks, Would like to know if there still exists 60s intake register, would like to see my name.
   Steven Jones

3. Hi Steve,

   I don’t know. The only stuff about the school I can find online is about the legal situation of the Trust. I assume the records must have been sent somewhere. I can’t imagine they would have just been destroyed.

4. Thanks for your efforts in providing these photos.
   I was at that hell hole in around 1975.
   I’m hoping there may be some sort of compensation scheme set up in the future to claim against this awful institution

   Danny Kehoe

5. Were you at Heatree, Danny, or at one of the homes? As far as I remember, there was Heatherway, Clapperway, and what was called “old Heathercombe” but was the original Heathercombe Brake from which the Trust took its name.

6. I WAS THERE FOR HEALTH REASONS LONG BEFORE THE SCHOOL, IN 1956/8 OR THERE ABOUT’S,AND WAS TAKEN TO SEE BECKY FALLS, I HATED IT THERE.

7. I’m not sure if this is the way to go, but if you want to email me directly, feel free.

   I was at Heatree house. I remember a few names.

8. Were you at what they called old Heathercombe, Alan? The wooden buildings up a steep hill.

9. HI IAN POULTON,IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ,ALL I CAN REMEMBER WAS THAT THERE WAS A POND IN THE GARDEN, AND THERE WAS A PORCH WHERE WE HAD TO TAKE OUR SHOES OFF,IT WAS AROUND 1956/8 ,CAN’T REMEMBER MUCH AS I DID NOT LIKE IT THERE.

10. I don’t think I would have liked it there. It seemed a very bleak and lonely place.

11. Memories come flooding back.. Probably best to leave them where they are. bloody horrid place.

12. When were you there?

13. Steven Jones, if you are on FB search for heathercombe brake school and request admittance, there are a number of attendees from the 50’s & 60’s on there that I am sure will remember you

14. I remember going to holcombe down when Barbara and bill Perkins ran it

15. I remember aunty bett who ran heatree for boys

16. I was at old Heathercombe 1960s. Always cold & hungry. Not a nice place. No TV only religion. Children came & went every 2 weeks. With the exception of a few like myself who were too sick or homeless.

17. I was sent to heathland rise in 1966 then moved up to haetree house at the age of 13 left there in 1975. I remember Denise hitt, Darling cread and patrisha chilcox, I still think of Denise hitt my first girlfriend. Lads David palmer, Gary Brown, John Parker to name a few. I loved it not as bad as some seam to think, shame heathland rise is no more
    (Teignmouth)

18. By the way, what ever happened to Terry rawlings?

19. Sorry it’s me again dose anyone remember the run ins with pit house?

20. What happened to the Heatree house older boys who used to sneak out to watch Plymouth f C football matches, we had another lad who used to pinch the BMC mini bus? Mind you I’m talking 1960-1973 era. I’m glad I had a part of Heatree house history best days, our teachers then where Mr page nickname egg head, Mr Light nickname Mr Light bulb, Mr Davis nickname dicky Davis, Mrs tucker, Mrs pudecombe,? Of course aunt bett bless her sole R. I. P., and not forgetting the friendships I made, the ups and downs,distant memories good ones to…. Long live Heathercombe Break trust (Heatree house)

21. I had forgotten Dickie Davies. I think he left in 1975 or 1976. He had an explosive temper!

22. Ian do you remember the 2 bungalows part Up the lane? Mr light lived in the right one which female lived in the left one as I named the teachers there when I was but can’t remember her name! Ian my best friends at Heatree were Terry rawlings, Gary Brown, kennith marsh, Tony lindsey, Clinton sellick?. Of course do you remember Paul Webb, martyn hubble, David palmer just a few I can remember of hand. I’m so glad I’ve found this site as over the years and there a lot I’m 62 now but I remember such a lot, i don’t recall boys like Gary Miller, nigel Barnzley I could go but I won’t.

23. I can send you a file with all the photographs. Perhaps you could name some of those that just have numbers.

    Mr Prowse, the school maintenance man, lived beside Ernie Light, his daughter Gillian was one of the house staff.

    I remember Gary Brown and Terry Rawlings, but they were both older than me and left in 1975 or 1976, I think.

24. Hi Ian I left at the start of the summer holidays because my birthday fell in August of 1975,i started at heathlands rise Teignmouth in 1966 bit of a shock at the time as I’d only been in school at St Agnes here in Cornwall,

25. Ian when I was Heatree house I’ve just remembered Mrs Collins lived next door to Mr Light and some of us had an idea they were at it if you get my drift, I won’t go into much detail over this post so I will leave it there, do you remember Stuart madge? Ian what class were you in as I started in 3B then 4B I had the pleasure of Mrs Collins then Mr page, Mr Light for P E, he used to say you want fight after school time in the gym with gloves on! It’s funny when myself and kennith marsh had fights I’d beat with gloves on I got hammered? Mr page had a small room next to our locker room and in this room he had a small set of draws and in the top draw he had a row of plymsoles ranging from size 4 to a size 13, so if did something serious it was the cain from aunt or see my page, some of the other boys warned me not to go to Mr page well I thought better of and went to Mr page so depending on the crime was what size you had on your bare bottom, and yes I got the 13 and after 3 slaps you can’t feel your seat I’ve many more story’s from my days at the house……

26. Hi Ian as I said before, I left with 7 other boys (8)and the night before we left the new extension with £3-000 worth of damage, (not proud of by the way)Aunt bett came in the morning and said a lot of words about it, she you know who you are (8 boys standing there with red faces) if there is anymore trouble before the bus comes for your train I will call the police! When the bus came 8 of got on, went to the back stood on the seat, the staff on the front steps waving us off got eight bare bums out from the rear bus window their faces. We thought it was funny, years later, I hadn’t seen my mother for 16yrs due to hating her, we met up and she met my dear wife Helen with our 3 children, and mum mentioned about the damage I and the others did, she said ‘I had a bill come from your school for part payment in which was split among the parents, all I could was I’m sorry at the time I thought it was funny, now I’ve turned my life around and I’m now a jehovahs witnesses along with my dear wife Helen, our life is happier now to what it used to be…..

27. Was Dellar the new extension where the damage was done? I think it was completed about 1974.

    In 1977, some boys set fire to the storeroom for Mrs Puddicombe’s room and the arts room. Among the stuff lost in the fire was my copy of “Lord of the Rings.”. I hadn’t finished reading it and I didn’t find out how the story ended until the films came out.

    Would you look through the photographs and let me know the names of anyone you recognize and the number of the photograph and I’ll add the names.

28. Right here goes, it’s been alon time Ian one or 2 may be wrong we will see, 001 feeding the donkey Michel cartwright, 14 Gary Brown on the right, 17 tony lindsey on the right, 224 martyn Hubble, 232 Clinton sellick. Stuart made, Paul Webb. 233 Terry prosper on the right, 245 far left Colin Barnet, 254 Tony lindsey on the right, 264 Francis mewton, 266 2nd left Colin Barnet, 272 far left Clinton sellick, 282 back Julian lovell, 326 well this is aunt Bett last one 648 Nigel Barnzley and I do remember Stephen ankers he’s in one of the football photos I’m sure us two were thick as thieves. I hope I’ve been of help some of the last names may be spelt wrong, I knew alot kids in the photos can’t remember their names sorry…

29. This blasted thing keeps changing words, you will see Stuart madge, Colin Barnett. Sorry Ian

30. I hope I have put the names in the right places – I see I need to correct Stuart Madge!

31. You did good Ian,those really old photos I wonder how old they are now as I’m 63 at the end of this month, l knew the names of some photos, I knew a lot of faces but to put names to them I just could not remember sorry, there is one photo I thought was David palmer but I’m not 100% there again I’m sorry…

32. I’ve a few more names, I hope there right, 168 Francis mewton and Michel cartwright 2 on the right, 188 David palmer on the left (I could be wrong!) may I ask you Ian what years where you at Heatree house?

33. I remember the two houses foresters and mariners, I was a forester!

34. Hi, just caught your messages before going out.

    I’ll add those names later on.

    I was there from 11th November 1974 (an easy date to remember!) until June of 1977.

35. Does anyone remember my mum Patricia Bloomfield. Born 1954 so there in the 60s. She was from Essex

36. Mr Davies had a very explosive temper, though the thing I remember about him were his huge hands.If memory serves he left because his son died, I think through drugs. I do remember him breaking down as he spoke about it once.

37. Mr Davies was replaced by Mrs Bull, though I don’t think she was there for too long.

38. I remember a Foresters house meeting with Mr Davies where he asked a younger boy if he was looking forward to going home to his grandmother’s cooking.

    The boy said he was because the school food was terrible.

    Mr Davies exploded that such comments were not worthy of a Forester.

39. He used to drive a dark blue VW Beetle,with running boards I think. Strange the things that come to mind.

40. Ian Poulton, I remember you when you came back to work at Heatree with the holiday boys, that would have been 1979. Was it you who said you’d like to see a register? That is on Facebook ‘Heathercombe Brake School’ page. You’ll have to scroll down as Jonathan Boulter has put loads of photos on as well as all the HBS archive material which is really interesting. I worked there in the Ark, then with two years of holiday boys. You came to work there with Ian Graham who was my boyfriend at the time. Good to catch up, hope all is well with you these days.

41. Hello Mary, 1979 seems a long time ago in a galaxy far away. I remember you had blue denim dungarees!

    I don’t do Facebook anymore. It was too full of gloom and poison for my liking.

    Like Dr Who, I think I am on my third regeneration since those times. Having lived in Ireland for most of my adult life, I now teach in a school in west Dublin.

42. Hi Ian,
    Happy New Year hope all well with you & family? I really like this site,just been reading some comments etc,especially relating to HBS Teignmouth & Manaton * Respectively * Thanks btw for all the photos you kindly put here.I also read you say you not on Facebook any more.That’s a shame,but I understand your reasons for not being there.

    Speak soon,take care,
    Harvey Davies

43. Thank you, Harvey.

    The hard work was all done by Paul Pope.

44. Hi I was there from 1965 till 1971 it’s all a long time ago

45. I was at the School from 1969 to 1972 its has been a very long time

46. I was at HBS from 1978 till 1983

47. Ray(mond) Conabeer 1965-1970 at HBS

48. Hi does anyone remember Glenside the house opposite Heathercombe Brake I think it was used as a dormitory ….

49. I was at the school, Auntie Bett was Head of school, Hannibal looked after me I stayed in the Ark as a young boy.

    School had 3 horses Gorse Heather & Bracken.
    Teachers had houses within the grounds and they were So good!
    We went to Paignton on Saturdays and Friday eve to Exeter St David’s Swimming pool.
    I have a lot to thank this part of my young days to the amazing school.

50. Photo 147 far right third up age 7/8years old. Bernard Lee
    Used to stay with Raymond Connabear in the shorter holidays Hi Raymond!!

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