Mike and Hilary Wreford look back to the early 1950s in Okehampton when members of Okehampton Rural District Council posed for this portrait outside their new offices in Oaklands Drive. Both the offices and the rural district council have now passed into history.This photo from the archives shows councillors and members of staff of the Okehampton Rural District Council proudly posing for the camera outside the new council offices and council chamber in Oaklands Drive in Okehampton. It dates from the early 1950s.

The long-standing clerk to the council WJ – John – Knapman is in the back row to the far right, alongside LE Lethbridge, who was chief public health inspector of many years. Another long-serving council officer was Tom Marshall of Belstone who became the deputy clerk.  

Among others in the group are George Gratton and DC Philip of North Tawton, although with the passage of time it is difficult to identify many of the others. Perhaps Times readers will be able to put a name to a face?

In those days, before local government reorganisation in 1974, none of these councillors claimed any allowances and fees and willingly gave their time although this did rather preclude those who could not give their time so easily.

The council covered a large rural area taking in the towns of Chagford, Hatherleigh, North Tawton and surrounding villages. Each village or parish was represented by a councillor who lived within their patch and held passionate views on it. None of them stood for election under a political banner and they were fiercely independent in their views. Each of the councillors had much smaller areas to represent than councillors on West Devon Borough Council today. It is a sign of the times that there are no women in this photograph – and that all the men are smartly attired in suits with polished black shoes!

Obviously with the lack of manpower, funds and rationing there had not been much development in those post war years. The council embarked on a programme of council house building and also on improving the sanitary conditions in the rural area along with the provision of new sewage works and mains.

There was no mains electricity in villages such as Spreyton, Meeth, Patchacott, Iddesleigh, Germansweek, Inwardleigh, Monkokehampton and Broadwoodkelly as soon as this became available under the South West Electricity Board’s (SWEB) rural development scheme, the council was quick to negotiate with SWEB to take a supply for its council houses.

The council chamber also held the magistrates’ court on Thursdays and the coroner’s court as and when required, with Lt Col Derek Forrest Brown presiding.

With local government reorganisation and the formation of West Devon District (now Borough) Council the building was no longer required and was demolished. The site is now part of the McCarthy and Stone development.