The Branscombe Project

Talks & Events

 Talks usually take place in Branscombe Village Hall and start at 19:30.

 Everyone is welcome, entrance is free - donations gratefully received.

 (Click on the posters to zoom)

The Branscombe Project began in 1992. 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 nearly 200 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 biennial 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. We hope you’ll enjoy what’s here and find it useful.

NEWS

New Publications

The Branscombe Project have recently published 2 new books:

                                             An Idyllic Childhood in Troubled Times

                                             By Geoff Squire

                                             The Burnt House at Weston: Winners & Losers in an 18th C Devon Landscape

                                             By Barbara Farquharson & John Torrance

To read more about these books and to order please see the ‘Publications’ page here.

Click here for the Favourite Places Map

Memories of Branscombe Facebook page

Parishscapes Oral History Interviews

The Parishscapes Project (2006-2010) oral history interviews can now be consulted at the Devon Heritage Centre (DHC). The project was run by the East Devon Area of Natural Beauty (now East Devon National Landscape). The original mini digital video cassette tapes were deposited with the DHC at the end of the project but at the time this was not a format the DHC could play.

The 33 video interviews are centred on occupations and life stories which enhance our under-standing of the East Devon Landscape. Many of the interviewees have sadly passed away, but their contributions to our collective memory will live after them. Each interview lasts between 30-60 minutes. Some of the interviews were conducted out in the landscape.

If you wish to find out about the cutting down of the hardwoods on West Hill after World War II; hedge laying at Northleigh; the gypsy communities who lived on Farway; the Beer lime industry; the Ottery St Mary brickworks; the Colyton oak tannery; the last Budleigh fisherman; farming; traditional boat building; trades and skills, and many other aspects of the East Devon landscape, then book a visit to the Devon Heritage Centre.

How to access the interviews:

You will need to book a visit to the Devon Heritage Centre: https://swheritage.org.uk/devon-archives/. First, find the interview/s you are looking for on the online catalogue and note the references. Return to the home page and book a visit to the DHC. You will be asked which interviews (up to 4), you wish to consult.

The conditions of use for the videos are similar to those for original documents.

Talking Heads

The Branscombe Project created a video, titles ‘Talking Heads’, as part of the East Devon AONB’s 60th anniversary celebrations in July 2023.

To view the video click on the above image