AFTER seeing black and white photographs of an ancient dividing screen at Tudor Cottage in the Sidmouth Herald s Nostalgia page, its owner has invited our readers to see the screen in all its glorious colour.

AFTER seeing black and white photographs of an ancient dividing screen at Tudor Cottage in the Sidmouth Herald's Nostalgia page, its owner has invited our readers to see the screen in all its glorious colour.

Chef Adam Marston Price, who hails from Birmingham, lives at the cottage in Chapel Street and has been trying to find out about its history.

The cottage, described as "a small hall house of typical medieval cruck construction" probably dates from the middle of the 13th century, although Adam thinks it could go back to Doomsday Book times.

The plank and mutin screen, dating from 1503, was used to divide the hall into two ground floor rooms.

It luckily survived being plastered over and was re-discovered in the 1970s when restoration work was carried out.

There are four main colours in the screen, red, blue, green and yellow, and on the lounge side is depicted a coat of arms with rampant lion and dragon, which was used by Tudor royals Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

The other side is more subdued, but equally beautiful, showing cornucopia, winged heralds and majestic birds, all in a yellow on the dark oak.

Adam said: "I used to come here for my holidays. I used to stop in Seaton, but really preferred Sidmouth, so when the opportunity came where I could afford the buy this place, I did. I like something with a bit of history."

Adam, 38, landed his gem of a Blue Plaque home in 2000, and said: "The screen sold me the place. I was very taken with it. I like local history and I went to the museum and saw their pictures, which didn't do it justice."

The Herald will provide Sidmouth Museum with a copy of these photographs for their records.