THE narrow junction of Highweek Road and Highweek Street will be remembered by many readers and is captured in this week’s picture in a photograph taken by the late Brian Wood. It was passed to me by Advertiser reader Graham Lucas, writes Steve Harris.

The junction was changed as part of the Highweek Street Improvement Scheme which was seen as essential to the relief of Newton Abbot’s traffic problems. It involved not just the realignment of the junction, but the demolition of a considerable amount of buildings along the street.

An archaeologist’s report in 1978, prior to the demolition, indicated that despite modern changes, the historic town plan could still be traced on the ground and gave a clear indication of the deliberate planning of the old town of Newton Bushel more than 700 years ago.

The report added that the proposed scheme would result in the demolition of nine buildings, four of them listed. The aforementioned buildings formed a significant group possessing historic and archaeological value dating from the late medieval period to the 19th century. It went on to say that their demolition would seriously erode the historic town plan through the widening of one side of the medieval main street of Newton Bushel.

In 1975, the demolition of a building in the street known as the Old Priest’s House was followed by an archaeological investigation which showed that the building was a survivor from the medieval period.

READ THE FULL STORY IN FRIDAY’S PAPER.