top of page

News

Talks Booking Secretary Required

The Whimple History Society organises a programme of, typically, five talks per year on subjects of local and more general historical interest. Hitherto this task has fallen to the Heritage Centre curator, but as the size of our collection of artefacts and documents has grown, so the curator's job has become busier, so we feel that it is time for us to appoint a dedicated Talks Booking Secretary. Could this be the job for you?

Our curator will take full responsibility for talks up to the end of February 2026, so we are looking for someone who can organise talks for September 2026 onwards. The talks need to be planned in advance, so we would hope to have someone in place by September 2025 to do this.

The role entails:
 

  • Identifying and booking speakers

  • Reporting to the History Society committee on the talks booked and arrangements for the event - this can be done in person, either as a committee member or a guest of the committee, or in writing if you prefer

  • Arranging the booking of the venue (usually the village hall)

  • Designing and printing posters, and putting them up around the village and anywhere else considered appropriate for the particular talk

  • Passing the posters to our website manager for advertising on our website

  • Advertising on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages (we can assist with this if you are not confident with social media)

  • Making sure that people are available on the night to deal with greeting the speaker, taking money on the door, refreshments, the raffle, and tech

  • Being available to introduce and thank the speaker on the night
     

We will give you some pointers on how to find speakers, and can also provide training in how to design posters if that is needed.

 

If you are interested then please use the Contact Us form below to discuss this further.

We are very pleased to announce the publication of a short book by our curator, Tina Kelly, about the history of Whimple's Congregational Church, which was operational for nearly 100 years between 1862-1973. Read about its origins in the religious turmoil of the Reformation, its involvement with missionary work in the South Pacific, and the tragic life of its most popular Minister, Rev. Thomas Redler. Copies can be purchased from our shop during normal opening hours, or through our online shop hosted by the Devon Museums website HERE.

We are thrilled that the September 2024 issue of One Magazine contains an article featuring a Whimple Orchard Walk terminating at the Heritage Centre and taking in lots of Whimple's cider making history along the way. The magazine is delivered free to addresses around Exeter and East Devon, but if you did not get one then it can be viewed by following the link Advertise your business in Exeter - ONE Magazine (one-mag.co.uk) and scrolling down.

 In March 2024 we hosted a group from the Exeter and East Devon branch of CAMRA at the Heritage Centre. We are very pleased to say that they enjoyed their visit, and you can read more about it in a review by one of their members in the centenary 'Summer' edition of their quarterly magazine, ExeAle, available here Exe Ale Magazine - latest - Exeter & East Devon CAMRA.

One of our new displays for 2024 is about the making of traditional farmhouse clotted cream by farmers' wives in Whimple during the first half of the twentieth century. One of our trustees, Margaret Burrough, comes from a long line of clotted cream producers. In 2011 Margaret appeared in episode 9 of the BBC TV series, Edwardian Farm, demonstrating the art of making traditional farmhouse clotted cream. You can watch the episode in which she appears by following the link Watch Edwardian Farm - YouTube (Margaret features 23mins 50 secs into the episode)

Whimple Heritage Centre logo

Lockyers Linhay

Church Road

Whimple

Devon

EX5 2TA

Tel: 01404 822499

Email: info@whimple.org

​

Charity registration No. 1051725

Opening Hours:

1st April - 30th Sept

Saturdays & Wednesdays

Noon - 4pm

Bank Holiday Mondays

10.30am - 4pm

Accessibility:

The Heritage Centre museum is located on the ground floor of the building and is wheelchair accessible. The Heritage Centre archive is on the first floor and is not, but by prior arrangement with our archivist records can be brought down to the ground floor for viewing.

Public Transport links:

Train

Nearest station is Whimple which is approximately 1/3 mile distant.
See 
South Western Railway for train times

 

Bus

The nearest bus stop is located 400ft away in the village square served by the 382 service.
See 
Hatch Green Coaches for timings

There is also a bus stop served by the Stagecoach 44A service located at Hand & Pen crossroads on London road, approximately 3/4 mile distant.

See Stagecoach for timings.

Contact Us

For more information. please send us a message:

Thanks for submitting!

Places to Eat/Drink Locally:

New Fountain Inn

As the Heritage Centre is adjacent to the New Fountain Inn why not combine your visit with a drink and meal at this local pub and make a day of it?
www.newfountaininn.com

Whimple Stores

The village shop located in the Square just a short walk from the Heritage Centre offers take-away and sit-in coffees as well as various snacks and cold beverages.

The Thirsty Farmer

The "Thirsty" as it's known locally is located on the North side of the village near the railway station.

© 2025 by Whimple History Society

bottom of page