Plym Valley Heritage Chair Report 18th May 2026
At our meeting on Thursday 19th March our speaker was Local Historian Debbie Lister. Debbie presented an illustrated talk entitled “Amy Cross from Elburton.”
Born in 1882 Amy was the daughter of cork factory owner Richard Cross of Stonehouse. At an early age Amy set her sights on becoming a career woman and enrolled at Studley Horticultural and Agricultural College for Women in Warwickshire. After working in Bere Ferris with poultry and in market gardening Amy joined the Women’s Land Army and later the YWCA. In 1921 she was able to acquire a market garden at 8 Arcadia, Elburton where she established a poultry farm with 800 chickens. She also kept goats and bees and a vegetable garden. She married her husband Arthur when she was 66 and he was 28. She died in 1957 after a long and successful business career. As a local resident herself Debbie was able to to bring to life Amy’s pioneering spirit and determination to succeed.
At our meeting on Thursday 16thth April our speaker was Local Historian and Author Alan Bricknell. Alan presented an illustrated talk entitled “Plymouth, Devonport and Stonehouse in the 19 Century.”
Alan took us back to life in the three towns when they were overcrowded and insanitary. Families lived side by side with pigs and other livestock. There was no drainage and diseases such as cholera, typhus, measles and small pox were rife. Each town had its own leat but they were all polluted due to their use for industries such as a soap and candle factories, a dye works, a sugar refinery and manure production. The air quality was extremely poor too. A workhouse was established on Catherine Street. There was a gas works on Coxside which provided much needed street lighting in the winter months. This illumination, however, was not enough to deter the “Body Snatchers of Stoke Damerel Church” whose activities and eventual downfall were described for us by Alan.
PVH COMMUNITY INTERPRETATION BOARDS
Our current community project is to design and supply two interpretation boards. One for Hooe Barn, the other for Hooe Green.
Their aim is to explain and inform about the history in their immediate area
These will be A1 size (59.4cms x 84.1cms) wall mounted in a stainless steel frame with full colour artwork encapsulated in Resin.
That for the Barn will be wall mounted, the one for the Green is lectern style.
To date the project has been supported by Cllr. Rebecca Smith MP and
Cllr. Kathy Watkin.
We have permission from the Barn owner to mount a board on the West wall and we are awaiting permission from PCC re the Hooe Green board.
Meanwhile design work is proceeding and we have arrived at this final draft which has been sent to a selection of board manufucturers.
Further information will be posted here as things develop.
The PLYMSTOCK TAPESTRIES
This website is now hosting a virtual view of the tapestries. Click here
Visit Plymstock Library to enjoy the real thing!