Margaret Joan Bannister - Blue Plaque
Joan Bannister (1908- 1991), was a legendary figure in Budleigh education who taught in the town for sixty years. She started to teach in the town in 1931 after she moved from London with her parents. She finally retired at the age of 82.
She began her school at the Church Institute in September 1931 with seven or eight pupils, and in 1939 the numbers increased to 26, with new pupils coming to the town to stay with aunts and uncles during WW2. Actress Belinda Lee and composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett were both brought up in the town and among Miss Bannister’s pupils.
A life long spinster, she ran her school on autocratic lines and is remembered with gratitude for being an inspirational teacher who encouraged her pupils in their love of learning and books.
The Blue Plaque is located at Green Mews near the Public Hall, this being the site of the former Church Institute where Miss Bannister first established her school. County Councillor Christine Channon unveiled the Blue Plaque in March 2025, with some of her former pupils and residents of Green Mews also present to celebrate the occasion.
References: Otter Valley Association, Fairlynch Museum, Michael Downes
Photos: Michael Downes, Fairlynch Museum
