Cottage on a Shoestring

Years ago the Dimes family owned the Oldstone estate, and lived in the splendid mansion just outside Blackawton village. But time moves on. The manor house is now a ruin, and although Ursula had holidayed in the area as a child, she had long since moved to London.

It was little more than a whim that took her back to Blackawton for a brief holiday many years later. She immediately had a sense of coming home, and while re-exploring the village fell in love with a little derelict cottage.

In spite of minimal financial resources – indeed no more than a shoestring – Ursula decided to buy the property.

Her book tells of the trials and tribulations of refurbishment, but also the joys and successes encountered along the way, and of Ursula’s eventual decision to leave London and make the cottage her permanent home.

She lived in Blackawton for sixteen years, and in a delightfully anecdotal and unpretentious way describes a way of life in the village that is already beginning to slip into history.


In *More Tales from a Devon Cottage* Ursula remembers the village as a whole. She considers diverse topics such as long forgotten mills, the W.I., birds, the George Inn, the fire at Oldstone, the church, bees and many other moments from her memories all recalled with a warm glow.

Ursula's books are available for £5.00 if collected or £5.50 posted to any UK address; contact Anne on 01803 712662 to obtain a copy.