Publications

Our publications include authored papers, original documents of local importance and oral histories. All are available digitally, and may either be downloaded free from the list below or obtained on CD or DVD. For CD or DVD versions, please contact us. To cover our costs, we make a small charge for these discs.

Downloaded pdf publications can be read using Adobe Reader. If you do not have Adobe Reader installed on your computer, please click here to download the software without charge from the official Adobe website.

Please note that our publications are copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any format, without the permission of Wembury Local History Society.

Peter Lugar Archive:  We are pleased to announce that Peter Lugar’s Memory Books have been digitised and uploaded to our website so they can be accessed online.  To view these click this link.

We now have a separate Family History page. Some publications originally on the page have been relocated there, including those relating to burials in St Werburgh’s churchyard and transcripts of Wembury Parish census records from 1841 to 1901.

Publications by other organisations are listed on a separate page.

Downloads

Langdon Mill – An article on Langdon’s original mill

A Wembury History Collings, A G (2008) An account of parish history from medieval times to the present day. Produced by a consultant, with input from members of our Society, this report originated from a heritage appraisal funded by the South Devon AONB.

Archives  We have recently undertaken a reorganisation of archive material. This is the up to date list of material catalogued.

Hedgerow loss in Wembury Horne, J and Johnston, S (2011) A map of hedgerow loss between 1915 and 2009, together with brief summaries of the extent of loss and the significance of the subject.

Replanting Langdon’s Landscape Park Romang, T and Pinder, D A brief account of the landscape park’s history and the 2007 project to replant the park with a new generation of native and ornamental trees.

St Werburgh’s – Wembury’s Grade I Listed Church

Wembury Archaeology and Heritage Dyer, M (2008) This short consultant-led overview, with input from members of our Society, originated from a heritage appraisal funded by the South Devon AONB.

Wembury Dock   Broughton, P (2000) The Wembury Dock and Railway Proposal of 1909

Wembury Heritage Database Dyer, M (2008) Details of more than 300 buildings, structures and sites of heritage significance in the parish. Professionally produced by Exeter Archaeology, the document can be searched using the search function (Ctrl+F) on your Adobe reader. Information includes 6-figure grid reference data to locate sites on OS maps; alternatively, locations can be identified by downloading the database maps detailed below.

Wembury Heritage Database maps  Detailed maps showing the locations of all buildings, structures and sites listed in the Heritage Database document listed above.

Wembury’s Listed Buildings 2016 An updated list of listed sites, monuments and buildings in Wembury with an introduction.

Wembury Parish Council Minutes 1895-1995  A short booklet, produced by the Parish Council, drawing together selected extracts to profile its activities over its first 100 years.

Frontline Wembury in World War I  An article describing early 20th Century defences in the parish of Wembury.

Jeremiah Siyabi – from Blouberg to Wembury  Produced as part of the Society’s commemoration of the centenary of the Armistice this article explores the story behind a member of the South African Native Labour Corps buried in Wembury churchyard.

The National Trust and coastal conservation in Devon  The National Trust is the largest coastal landowner in the county of Devon and this paper by David Pinder provides an historical survey of how this was achieved.

Wembury Primary School’s whole school poem: Box of Magic Moments – Lockdown 2021.  Written during the lockdown in March 2021 for World Book Day, the pupils were studying poetry. The idea was that children had happy memories or happy thoughts for the future. It was about their wellbeing and giving them hope.

Marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we have produced a commemorative booklet, Wembury in the 1950s. This gives insights into what happened here in Wembury on Coronation Day, and explores several ways in which life was changing in the parish during Her Majesty’s early years on the throne.

You can download a PDF copy of the booklet here:  https://wemburyhistory.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Jubilee-booklet-master-pdf.pdf

Langdon Court Estate 1927 auction sale:

Sale Catalogue    https://wemburyhistory.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Langdon-Court-Sale-Catalogue-1927.pdf

Plan No 1    https://wemburyhistory.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Langdon-Estate-sale-map-1927-13.7-Mb-scaled.jpg

Plan No 2  https://wemburyhistory.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Landon-sale-Knighton-map-1927-6.8-Mb-scaled.jpg

Plan No 3  https://wemburyhistory.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Langdon-Sale-Down-Thomas-map-1927-8.1-Mb-scaled.jpg

CDs and DVDs

From Raw Recruit to Radar: an oral history by Dee Jordan    An illustrated oral history recounting Dee Jordan’s experiences as an operator on a local secret radar installation during World War II. CD.   Watch by clicking this link:   https://youtu.be/R1HMwjAz3ms

Plymouth’s Second World War Rocket Battery by David Hoskin    Filmed in Wembury, the author recalls his experiences during his posting to this anti-aircraft unit. DVD                                    Watch by clicking this link:    https://youtu.be/lXznpQL9rRc

Historic Maps of Wembury  Includes the Langdon Estate map (1788/89); the tithe map (1838); and the Langdon Estate sale map (1927). CD

The Langdon Estate Sale Catalogue, 1872  Provides a wealth of information relating to a large estate in the late-nineteenth century. Short introductory text; catalogue facsimile in jpg format, one jpg per page; jpg copy of the sale map. CD

Wembury Review

We now have PDFs of Wembury Review from 2019 to the present. Please contact us for details.