Tributes paid to well-known Walkham valley figure and artist after lifetime on Dartmoor

Tributes have been paid to a well-known painter, naturalist and former river warden with deep roots in the Dartmoor area who has died aged 78.

Robin Armstrong, who lived for many years on the western edge of Dartmoor, died on February 20 at Blackdown Nursing Home in Mary Tavy, near Tavistock.

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Born in 1947, Mr Armstrong spent most of his adult life in Devon, living for a time in Moretonhampstead and in later years in Horrabridge, close to the River Walkham, where he became a familiar local figure.

His death has prompted tributes from across the art and angling communities, as well as from residents of the Walkham Valley, where he was known both for his paintings and for his earlier work protecting local rivers.

Details of his life and career were shared with The Moorlander by contributor Chris Benfield.

Mr Armstrong had a varied early life. Originally from the Orpington area of London, he began working as an office boy before becoming a gamekeeper’s assistant in Sussex.

He later trained as an art student and worked as a merchant seaman before moving to Devon around 1970.

While establishing himself as an artist, he also taught and spent time fishing with environmental campaigner and writer Ewan Clarkson.

Between 1977 and 1989, he worked as a river warden on the Walkham and the Tavy, a role he later described, according to Mr Benfield, as “a game of cops and robbers”.

At the time, salmon poaching was a significant issue locally, and pursuing offenders in remote river valleys could be dangerous work.

Despite this, Mr Armstrong earned respect within the community, and some former adversaries later became friends and supporters of his art.

His experiences during those years were reflected in his best-known book, The Painted Stream, published in 1984.

After leaving the warden role, he worked full-time as an artist and dealer in paintings, fishing tackle and books.

He ran a stall at Tavistock Pannier Market, contributed illustrations to Trout & Salmon magazine and painted wildlife, fish, birds and landscapes, many inspired by Dartmoor and the surrounding countryside.

Friends recall that although he achieved commercial success at times, he often lived modestly, and many of his paintings remain in private collections across Devon.

Five years ago, Mr Armstrong was seriously injured in a road traffic collision and required hospital treatment in Plymouth.

He returned home but never fully recovered, spending increasing periods in hospitals and care homes in the years before his death.

Mr Armstrong was married three times and is survived by his two children and a granddaughter.

His first wife, Pat, who died in 2022, had a daughter, Tamsin, who lives near Bideford with her daughter, Eilisha.

With his second wife, Annie, he had a son, Owen, who lives in Canada.

He married a third time to Grace, but later lived as a bachelor again.

His funeral will take place at 11am on Friday, March 20, at Tamar Valley Crematorium (PL6 7BQ), followed by a wake at The Drake Manor Inn, Buckland Monachorum.