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Churston Way Lodge Guest House history.


Churston Way Lodge was established in the early 1970s by David and Doreen Holmes. They moved to Brixham from Birmingham in 1967 to be close to David’s parents who owned a two-bedroom bungalow on the site of the guest house with a small general store on the side.



Picture 1: The original bungalow with the general store at the side.
Picture 1: The original bungalow with the general store at the side.


Looking for somewhere to live, the opportunity arose for them to buy land at the rear of the bungalow from a neighbour. They used this to build a large bungalow, connected to the existing building. Completing much of the work themselves, they decided to open the new building as a guest house.


Picture 2: Doreen hard at work with mother-in-law, Edna.
Picture 2: Doreen hard at work with mother-in-law, Edna.




Picture 3: The new bungalow under construction.

Picture 3: The new bungalow under construction.


Picture 4: The new bungalow under construction, taken from Miss Dickenson’s bungalow.
Picture 4: The new bungalow under construction, taken from Miss Dickenson’s bungalow. During construction David and Doreen found numerous horse shoes in the ground. They left them under the floor of the dining room for good luck.



Picture 5: The new bungalow shortly after completion with the general store.
Picture 5: The new bungalow shortly after completion with the general store.



It soon became apparent that it wasn’t cost effective to keep the general store open. After its closure it eventually became what is now Room 8.

With Doreen looking after the day-to-day running, the guest house proved very popular. David’s role was looking after the finances of the business and he was also the general handyman. He was often presented with tasks that he’d never attempted before and, in the days before the internet, he’d find himself having to research a job before he tackled it. As well as his work at the guest house, he also held down a full time job as a draughtsman for a local company. When he finished his day job he’d rush home to help Doreen serve evening meals to the guests.



Picture 6: An advert for the guest house in a 1974 brochure for Brixham.
Picture 6: An advert for the guest house in a 1974 brochure for Brixham.



Picture 7: The unusual sight of snow in Brixham. February 1994.
Picture 7: The unusual sight of snow in Brixham. February 1994.



David and Doreen sold the guest house in the Summer of 2001, moving to the neighbouring bungalow.

The new owners, Alan and Mary Brake went on to run it for four years until the Summer of 2005. During their stay they extended the owner’s accommodation into the roof of the original bungalow.

The next owners, John and Sandy Singleton stayed for less than two years before selling to Val Busby in the Spring of 2007.

Val ran the guest house with her mum, Kay, and added many of her own little touches – including combining Room 4 with Room 5 to make a larger suite. She retired in the summer of 2015 when we took over.

Churston Way Lodge proves to be as popular now as ever – regularly welcoming guests who’ve been coming to stay for over 30 years.

We will be continuing the tradition of offering a warm welcome to all of our guests and providing a home away from home. We look forward to meeting you soon.



If you have any memories of Churston Way Lodge we'd love to hear from you. Either give us a call, get in touch using the Contact page or, better still, tell us about it on your next visit. If you have any photos we'd love to see them too.


Many thanks to Doreen and David Holmes, the original owners, for their help with the history page and supplying the photos.




or call us on 01803 853315