About Radway Meadow

Radway Meadow was a field owned by Sidmouth butcher Henry Farrant.

On June 25th 1879 a local mason George Turner, then living in Radway Cottage, purchased a triangular shaped piece of land bordering the mill stream (now covered over) for £50 from Henry Farrrant and built two dwelling houses on the site; nos. 1 & 2 Radway Meadows. His initials G.T. and the date 1879 can just be seen cut into the render above the dining room window. He died on 6th October 1901 leaving both houses to his wife Fanny, their son John and his wife Annie. 

Fanny Turner died in January 1912 and in May 1913 John and Annie then living at No.1 (76) (their tenant Fred Pound living in No.2 (74)) sold both properties to Wallace Dowell and his wife Lillian for £650 (although he needed a £450 mortgage - paying £4 a year!).  After Wallaces death in 1954 Lillian Dowell continued to live in No.1, selling No.2 to Mr Hennessey and Miss Purchase in June 1955 for £1000 after serving a notice to quit on her tennant, Mrs Evans who lived in the ground floor flat. 

On Lillian Dowells death in 1975, No.1 Radway Meadows was bought by builder J.D. Hopping esq.  Since then it has been divided into flats, with Mrs Hopping occupying the ground floor, then used as a holiday home for the Hopping family until 1999, when it was bought by us as a holiday home to be near our own family.