Before Chaloners and Exeter Roads were built the main road from Ilfracombe ran up Church Street, Abbotts Hill and along the old Barnstaple Road. Church Street had been the heart of the old village and things didn't change until the early 1900's when a few shops opened in Caen Street. When the two new roads were built the village centre became focused on Exeter Road and Caen Street.

Number 1 was a grocer's shop until the mid 1990's. In the 1920's it was run by Herbert Hill, his wife was the neice of James and Annie Middleton and they had inherited the shop from them. They sold flour, corn mea,, bran, dog biscuits and meals as well as poultry and chicken mashes, oyster shell and bird seed.

A view down Church Street from the top

Rowlands Watch, Clock and Jewellery repairier in Church Street. By 1926 Regiunald John Rowland had premises in Heanton Street. One of his clocks still survives in the Vivian Moon Centre in Braunton.

In 1926 John Wheaton had a saddler's shop at number 13. His wife Polly was the sister of the grocer opposite. The garage of the existing house was the saddler's shop. People remembered Jack Wheaton, who wore a black patch over his eye. He retired in the 1940's.

Frederick Huxtable had a motor cycle repair shop at number 21 in 1926. His son Lawrence continued the business. Before the Second World War a customer could order a brand new bike from a catalogue and Mr Huxtable would telegram and order and the new bike would arrive on a passenger train at Braunton Station at 6pm the same day.

Shelby May was famous for his ice cream. He started at 6am to make it and sold it around the village from a cart - one or two penny cornets. In summer he would take his ice cream out in the basket of his bicycle and sell it at the top of the hill going down to Saunton beach. His shop also sold bread, cakes and groceries: "the Finest brands of Tinned Fruits at Store Prices, Fetes and school treats Attended. All kinds of Dried Fish through the Winter Months."

Beyond the stream in Church Street was the Corn Mill of CH Symonds which sold seed, corn and animal feed as well as 'all inds of manure for farm and garden.' The photograph shows the buildng after a fire in the early 1970's.