Newton Poppleford Local History Group

Newton Poppleford

Newton Poppleford is a village in East Devon, straddling the main road (A3052) that runs east from Exeter towards Sidmouth and Lyme Regis, and about 4 miles inland from the coast.  The nearby settlements of Harpford, Burrow, Southerton, Venn Ottery, and Northmostown are all (for the Group’s purposes) included in our remit.

The River Otter is at the eastern side of Newton Poppleford, running south towards its mouth at Budleigh Salterton.  The river itself has been a factor in the development of the village, powering a silk mill that provided work for local people in the 18th century.

The Local History Group

Our Local History Group was formed in 2014 with the objectives of collecting, saving, documenting and recording information about the local area.  This came about partly because the commemoration of the outbreak of WW1 increased interest in the past, and a growing concern that while there are still some people around who have some memories of part of the war and the times following; these won’t be around for ever.

Quantities of old documents and memorabilia had been deposited in the village hall, some in the attic (possibly under attack by squirrels) and only looked at occasionally by anyone who might be interested.

Books have been written about this area of East Devon, but there are gaps to be filled in so this task is to be addressed in the coming months and years.

MEETINGS are held at 2.30pm in NP Village Hall, usually on the first Monday of each month.  You will be welcome to join us.
Next meeting:   Monday 6th May 2019.

Next Coffee Morning will be on Saturday 27th July 2019 in NP village hall.

In November we held an Open Meeting when the area representative of The British Resistance Archive gave a talk about ‘Churchill’s Secret Army’.  There was an Operational Base hidden at Newton Poppleford, where the members of the British Resistance would have been based in the event of the expected German invasion during WW2.

More than 50 people attended the talk about the British Resistance (Nov 2018)

The replica Observation Base at Coleshill House will be open for visits on Sunday 14th April 2019, 2-5pm.  This is on a National Trust property, associated with Buscot Park.

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EXHIBITION OF ‘WARTIME’

The exhibition went very well, with many visitors and positive feedback to the members and organisers.  A few photos are shown below (click on any photo for full size):

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