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A board in Oakford Lawn bears the following text:

For many years this field was part of the estate of Oakford House and was used on the 22nd June 1897 for a public dinner to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. In 1900 it was again used for the village centenary celebrations. Since 1904 it has been the traditional site of the annual village Ram Roast Fair. Previously occupied by Dr David Cromie, one-time village General Medical Practitioner and Torbay Hospital surgeon, it was purchased and lived in by Mr Lloyd-Bucknell who, as master of the Haldon Hunt, had loose boxes in his garden and stables sited where the Youth Club is today. The ruins at the far left corner are all that remain of the hounds’ kennels. In 1935 it was again used to host the celebrations to mark the Silver Jubilee of George V.

During the Second World War it was occupied by the Army, ARP and emergency services. Troops returning from the war were given a welcome home party on the lawn. After the War one of the village dairymen, Mr Gorwyn Partridge, grazed his cows here when it was owned by a Mr Reece.

In 1963, following the death of Mr Reece, the land was sold to Devon County Council as a possible site for a second primary school. The school was eventually built in Rydon Road and the lawn continued as a playing field for St Michael’s Primary School.

The Preserve Oakford Lawn Association was launched in 1987 in an attempt to stop any building development on the site. This became a serious threat in 1999 but negotiations resulted in the purchase of the land by the Kingsteignton Village Trust on the 30th November 2000. The object of the Trust is to preserve the lawn as an open space. The purchase price was raised over a six-month period by large and small donations. The major contributors are listed but the whole effort involved all aspects of village life, participants included an eighteen-month old toddler and a seventy-year old abseiler. Thanks for contributions are due to Ugbrooke Environmental Ltd, Kingsteignton Parish Council, Watts, Blake, Bearne & Co, Teignbridge District Council, C R Willcocks & Co, M & W Minerals Ltd and, in particular, the villagers of Kingsteignton.

Oakford Lawn has been purchased as a place of recreation and quiet retreat, we would request that users treat the area with respect so that it will remain a pleasure for all to enjoy.

Kingsteignton Village Trust

Created: Fri, 23 Nov 2012, Updated: Fri, 23 Nov 2012