It was typical of the late great Peter Christie to write his own obituary. It is typically modest, factual, and understated, especially in relation to the mass of tributes which poured on to Facebook sites from Holsworthy to Ilfracombe.

As this was Peter’s column, it is only fitting for us to fill the gaps with some of messages of appreciation which appeared online for the man some called ‘Mr Bideford’. 

Peter was ‘a great ambassador for Bideford’, ‘an excellent councillor for our ward’, ‘an advocate for conserving local history, and preserving community stories’, ‘the greatest ever local historian of North Devon’ (certainly Peter would never have said that about himself!’)

As well as being four times Mayor of Bideford, writing 41 local history books and a Torridge councillor for 33 years, contributors remind us that Peter: ‘led annual history walks for Torridge Ramblers’, was ‘a great supporter the youth work we delivered in Torridge’, was ‘a founding member of Bideford and Community Archive’, ‘the cornerstone of Green politics in North Devon and Torridge’ and took part in ‘a lot of very interesting times on the Business Start-up Committee’.

He was still posting photos and stories to innumerable local history Facebook pages right up to a few weeks ago, posts which were obviously eagerly read and appreciated: ‘He provided hours of interesting reading about local history and about my old school’, ‘This man’s encyclopaedic knowledge of local history has enthralled me for over twenty years.’ Others remembered how he had helped them with their research into family history or local buildings: ‘A true gentleman and a proper subject matter expert on Bideford.’

Peter also left his mark on the physical landscape of Bideford. He had the plaque placed on the Town Hall commemorating the three Bideford women hanged for witchcraft in 1682. At Bideford Railway Heritage Centre, ‘he opened our Museum, unveiled various plaques at the station and assisted in funding to bring back the Bideford Loco nameplate back to the town’ and sitting on planning committees he was responsible for naming many new roads and streets.

Peter’s role in supporting and advising others was fondly remembered: ‘he helped me get into university’, ‘the reason I got stuck into politics’, ‘he supported our application to live sustainably on our land.’

For us as the Bideford and Torridge Heritage Group, this tribute from Weare Gifford Women’s Institute best sums up Peter’s importance: ‘His engaging presentations have left a lasting legacy, inspiring us all to delve deeper into our heritage and appreciate the stories that shape us’.