News
Whimple History Soc. Strategic Plan
It is almost forty years since the Whimple History Society was formed, and more than twenty years since the Whimple Heritage Centre was opened. We feel that the time has come to review where we are at, and consider the direction that the Whimple History Society and Heritage Centre should take in the future. We are very lucky that village resident, Alan Lascelles, has offered his services free of charge to help us with the preparation of a business plan, setting out our aspirations and goals for the next five year period. As a first step in the process Alan has compiled a questionnaire, which you can find by following this link or clicking on the image to the left. It will also appear in the October/November edition of the Whimple News. The Whimple Heritage Centre belongs to the whole community, and Alan is keen to canvas the views of anyone who lives in the village or has an interest in Whimple's history. Be a part of our future - please download and complete Alan's questionnaire today!
Whiteways Cyder in the 1920s poster
Whiteways Cyder in the 1920s poster
Festival of Devon in the 1920s
We are very excited this year to be taking part in the Festival of Devon in the 1920s. This is being organised by the Devon History Society, Devon Family History Society, South West Heritage Trust, and The Box in Plymouth, and it is the culmination of several years of research into what life was like in Devon one hundred years ago.
There are more than forty events and exhibitions taking place across the county, including a special new display, Whiteway's Cyder in the 1920s, at the Heritage Centre. We are very grateful to the Festival organisers for their help with the funding of the display. Further details about the festival can be found at www.devontwentiesfestival.co.uk.
Photo showing the 13 solar panels mounted to the South facing roof of the Heritage Centre
Photo of the SunGift electrician working on the solar energy solution.
Picture showing the smart technology based, hubs, Stevenson shield, temperature & humidity sensors etc.
Photo showing the 13 solar panels mounted to the South facing roof of the Heritage Centre
Working Towards Net Zero & Environment Monitoring
We are very pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant of £20,011 from East Devon District Council’s Carbon Action Fund to pay for the installation of solar panels, LED lighting, and energy efficient smart heating, all of which is projected to reduce the Heritage Centre’s energy consumption carbon footprint by 78%.
In addition, we have been awarded another small grant from East Devon District Council’s Cultural Programme to pay for ten temperature and humidity dataloggers plus associated network hubs and a water leak sensor, which will enable us to maintain optimal conditions for the preservation of the artefacts in our care.
The Carbon Action Fund and Cultural Programme are both funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and we are very grateful to East Devon District Council for all their support with these projects.
Wanted poster for new Talks Booking Secretary
Wanted poster for new Talks Booking Secretary
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:
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Identifying and booking speakers
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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
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Arranging the booking of the venue (usually the village hall)
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Designing and printing posters, and putting them up around the village and anywhere else considered appropriate for the particular talk
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Passing the posters to our website manager for advertising on our website
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Advertising on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages (we can assist with this if you are not confident with social media)
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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
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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.
Image of the cover of the booklet
Image of the cover of the booklet
The History of Whimple Congregational
Church Booklet
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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.
Image of the cover of the September 2024 copy of the One Magazine featuring the Heritage Centre
Image of the cover of the September 2024 copy of the One Magazine featuring the Heritage Centre
One Magazine
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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.
100 Club Lottery Winners
To see the current list of the 100 Club lottery winners click on the image to the left.