Want my own home, she says as site is cleared

Determination of 77 year old widow ‘Granny’ Geary has put Bideford Town Council in a spot.

Most of the houses in Torridge Street, Bideford East, including No. 7 where Granny (Mrs Mary Geary) has lived for 48 years, have to be demolished under a slum clearance order. In fact only Mrs Geary’s and the house next door, now vacant, remain. But Mrs Geary refuses to budge because, she claims, the Town Council have not found her suitable alternative accommodation.

She has been offered a place at High View and a prefab but does not want to move into either.

Her daughter, Mrs Berice Howells, who lives just round the corner at 8 Sunnyside, said she had been told that there was a possibility of a vacancy at Newton Road but this would not be for at least 12 months.

There had been a house in Union Street which was suitable but Mrs Howells alleged, this had not been offered to Mrs Geary.

The Housing Officer admitted a position of stalemate, but said they would continue to investigate all possibilities. ‘Our endeavour is to find her a house’ Mr Netting added.

Asked about the position of Mr T W Sherborne, a member of the Council who owns some of the property and who is clearing the site, Mr Netting said that the Council had instructed that if he did not do the work it should be done by default. There were other houses to be demolished so that Mrs Geary’s home could be left for the time being. In any case, the department would not be awkward.

Mr Sherborne told the Gazette on Monday that he would have to start work on the house next door to Mrs Geary next morning. It would only be a day’s work to demolish it and that would leave No. 7 isolated and in danger of possible collapse. If it did not collapse it would not be waterproof. ‘I cannot wait any longer’ he added. ‘They will have to get her somewhere else now.’

The full Gazette article is dated 25 August 1961