THE THREE grandsons of Sidmouth s influential architect Robert William Sampson, who died in 1950, attended a reception on Saturday to mark the opening of a Sampson exhibition.

THE THREE grandsons of Sidmouth's influential architect Robert William Sampson, who died in 1950, attended a reception on Saturday to mark the opening of a Sampson exhibition.

Sylvia Brownlee, who lives in a Sampson house in Sidmouth, put together items for the exhibition, which is on at Kennaway House daily from 11am to 5pm until Monday, August 31.

Some 80 attended the reception and, said Sylvia, the Sampson grandsons, Dr Robert and Dr Alastair Gilchrist and Dr Charles Waterfield, boarded the Toastrack charabanc driven by Tom Griffiths, for a tour of their grandfather's houses.

This took them from Fortfield Chambers, along Seafield Road, Convent Road, then Bickwell Valley to the Victoria Hotel, Alexandria Road, Arcot Park, Sid Park Road and back to the seafront ending at the Kingswood Hotel.

"Of course there are many other areas where Sampson houses were built, but it was impossible to cover them all," said Sylvia.

At Kennaway House they were welcomed by Town Council chairman, Councillor Peter Sullivan, who, quoting from a Sidmouth Herald of Sampson's day said: "Your grandfather changed the face of Sidmouth. He was one of our most prominent and highly respected townsmen."

He then proposed a toast to Sampson and his grandsons.

Ed Harrison thanked Mr Sullivan, making special mention of all those who had contributed to Sylvia's book Sampson's Sidmouth.

He also thanked Sylvia for writing it, and preserving the memory of R W Sampson for the future.

Sylvia is keen to track down the person who took photographs of the Toastrack at The Triangle bus stop at 4.30pm and said: "You captured an historic moment with the three grandsons of R W Sampson being on board."

Please call (01392) 888 502 to be put in touch with Sylvia if you can help.