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When we became the owners of Strattons we looked forward to seeing the paper deeds which we hoped would show a long list of previous owners back through its 250 year history. We were disappointed to find only the recent owners over the last few years so were interested to find the history of the cottage in other ways.

A trip to the Devon Records office did not really provide much information, although the 1841 census showed William Mudge owning and living in Strattons with his wife and young son and working as a saddler.

We have been very pleased that some information has come to us via people seeing our web site and especially from some who have stayed in the cottage.

Someone kindly told us about his stonemason ancestors who lived in the Strattons Cottages for many years in the mid 18th Century, appearing on the 1841 censuses onwards. The row of cottages appeared to be part of a hamlet called Strattons and his ancestors moved over the river from Ashton around 1750/1760, possibly around the time the cottages were built.

We have also been given information about other residents who lived in this group of houses from 1871 to 1911. The people seem to be a mixture of labourers including blacksmiths, miners and gardeners to teachers and one lady of independent means. Many of the villagers seemed to spend their lives in the village and marry within it.

For more recent history we have recently met an elderly resident of Christow, Stafford Clark, who has a wealth of information about the village and its history and has written books recording life in Christow during the last century. His family have lived in Christow for many generations and he has lived there most of his 87 years. He very kindly told us all he remembered about the cottages, having been aware of them and their surroundings from his childhood. We also saw the cottage on the extract from his map of the late 1800s.

During 2009 two sisters stayed at Strattons who had visited the cottage during the late 1930's and 40's when their grandfather was living there. The daughter of one of the sisters has very kindly passed on their comments and memories of the cottage:

The sisters really enjoyed seeing the cottage again and noticed many changes. Both the downstairs and garden had changed dramatically but unfortunately they have no memories of the upstairs rooms. In the 1930's and 40's the rooms were very dark and they particularly remember a lot of brown paint. Prior to and during the war years children spent most of their time outdoors and as there was no electricity it would probably have been dark when they went to bed. They remember watching their grandfather trimming his wicks so the only light would have been from oil lamps. They also have memories of him listening to his crystal set in what is now our sitting room and also remember a smaller fireplace. The sitting room appears larger now so perhaps there had been another smaller room between it and the terrace.

The sisters remember the staircase had moved since they were small. We can see evidence of the old staircase rising up from the hall and ending on the small landing outside the bathroom. The present staircase is not remembered although this appears to be old and we wonder when it was built.

The dining room and kitchen were originally two separate rooms and the painted black wooden beam is all that remains of the old wall. We know that there had been a door into the hallway from the dining room as there is evidence of it behind the dresser - although no longer any sign of it in the hall. The sisters remember this doorway in use but do not remember the fireplace in the dining room.

What we discovered from reading Stafford Clark's book was that before the village surgery was built in Layne Fields, the doctor used a number of local cottages to treat his patients. Strattons was one such cottage and was used by the doctor during the time the sisters were visiting their grandfather. They remember the patients waiting in the sitting room and the surgery being held in the dining room. The small alcove within the wall originally had a lockable door and was the 'poisons cupboard' from where the doctor would have dispensed medicines.

Their grandfather was a painter and decorator all his adult life and used to cycle daily to Exeter after moving to Christow in the early 1930's. As well as a small garden at the back of the cottage where there was an outside toilet he also had a larger garden across the road which extended over the land where the opposite property has now been built. The original steps are still there and it was here in this garden where their grandfather died in 1944 and was buried in St James' Churchyard in the village.

It has been very exciting for us to discover this information from the past and makes us enjoy our visits to Strattons even more. We hope the cottage's history adds an interesting aspect to your visit.