Branscombe Project © 2009-2012

The Branscombe Project began nearly nineteen years ago. A group of people, some of whom had lived all their lives in Branscombe, others relative newcomers, decided they wanted to find out more about their village and the wider landscape.

The time-span is anywhere from prehistoric times to the present, and the idea is to explore changing landscapes, changing lives, historical materials, and living memories.

We have taped over a hundred interviews, dug in the archives and in the ground, and walked the landscape. People have lent us photographs, documents, postcards and objects.

We put on annual exhibitions, winter talks, documentary dramas and ‘disappeared houses’ walks. We have covered topics as diverse as Branscombe Ghosts, Maps, Farming, Cliff Plats, Orchards, Shops & Trades, the Churchyard, Lace Making, Smuggling, Outside Loos, Road History, School History, Hedgerow Dating, Archaeological Excavation & Field-walking, House & Family Histories, Gardens, the Blackshirts, and the wreck of the Napoli.

Our events and activities are open to all - there is no subscription and no membership list.

We want to make as much of our work available on this website as possible. It will take time. We hope you’ll enjoy what’s here and find it useful.

Links
East Devon AONB
Sidmouth Herald
Genuki
Branscombe Village Hall
Devon History Society
Ron Branscombe’s genealogy
Ron Branscombe’s village history

Project News
Emails to the Branscombe Project
East Devon AONB: In the Footsteps of Peter Orlando Hutchinson

Contact us at:

contacts@branscombeproject.org.uk

If you know of anyone who left Branscombe to live in another country in the past, please contact us by email and we will add your stories to our website.

Read what we know so far here ...

WW2 Photo mystery

When we held our WW2 exhibition in October 2011 we knew very little about the Searchlight Battery based at Berry Hill.
We were lucky that Mervyn Tims came along as his father had been stationed there, and at others in this area. He has recorded his father’s memories of that time and has kindly given us permission to reproduce them here.

Click to read

We are pleased to add the 1911 census to our website. This means we now have all the census transcriptions from 1840-1911.
Soux White has done all the transcribing  for 1911 (John & Dan Ponsford did all the other years) - a lot of work! Thanks to you all.

Click here

Professor Chris Chippindale of Cambridge University will talk about the amazing Bronze and Iron Age rock art found in Valcomonica in the Italian Alps. Unlike most European prehistoric art, these engravings which cover the valley sides show scenes of everyday life – of cattle, houses, fields, people working – and fighting. Chris, an expert on this art, will not just talk about the prehistoric scenes, but about the setting and the way in which people moved around the alpine landscape and how they responded to the sounds and echoes that seemed to emanate from the rocks.

For images go to:

http://www.rupestre.net/alps/valca_figures.html

Phil will be talking about the work of the ‘In the Footsteps of Peter Orlando Hutchinson’ project (East Devon AONB). The project is revisiting archaeological sites first described and mapped by Hutchinson and carrying out conservation work, followed by survey and scientific investigation. The now completed Parishscapes project demonstrated that a community project tapping into the skills and enthusiasm of local volunteers can deliver worthwhile results and the POH project is continuing to develop this approach.

If you’ve noticed some changes to features alongside the cliff top path recently and wondered what’s been going on - read here.