A bid has been launched to secure a commemorative Blue Plaque on a building in an East Devon town that was used to house Second World War evacuees.
Sid House, in Sidmouth, is a Georgian property that has seen various uses, including being requisitioned during the war effort to house 14 evacuee mothers and their 16 young children.
The Sid Vale Association, which owns the volunteer-run Sidmouth Museum, has submitted the planning application in its efforts to get a Blue Plaque put on the outside boundary of the property.
The proposed wording on the plaque would read: “Dating from c.1818, it replaced a building on the Salcombe Regis Manor estate and is a perfect example of the ‘restrained’ Georgian style.
“The first owner, Thomas Lyde, died in the house which became ‘troubled’ as his ghost was said to return at intervals and sit on the gate of the field opposite.
“Clergy from Sidmouth, Sidbury and Salcombe Regis undertook to ‘spirit him away’ and exorcised the house. He has not appeared since.
“In the 20th century it was, for a period, a guest house and in WW2 it was requisitioned for 14 evacuee mothers and their 16 young children.”
Blue plaques are a historic marker scheme, celebrating people, places, or events of historical significance. In Sidmouth, they highlight the town’s connection to famous residents and important moments in its past.
There are 64 plaques in total which have been researched and erected by the Sid Vale Association (SVA) to commemorate notable buildings or former residents of Sidmouth and the Sid Valley.
The first 32 plaques were introduced in 1992, with the total going up to 35 in 2012. A further 29 were then added bringing us to the current total of 64.
Local schemes can be run in areas by local groups, and are separate to the national scheme, which will open for nominations again in May for its next round of Blue Plaques.
Run by Historic England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the national scheme expands on the value and success of the London scheme (which continues to be led by English Heritage) and local schemes across the country.
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