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On This Day in Wembury — 2 November 1932

Wembury blooms among the prize winners

On 2 November 1932, the Western Morning News reported on the annual exhibition of the West of England Chrysanthemum Society, and Wembury was represented among the prize winners.

The show was a substantial affair. The newspaper reported nearly 500 entries, roughly the same number as the previous year, while the number of trade exhibits had risen from 17 to 21. There was also greater competition in the floral design classes. Chrysanthemums were serious business, with classes for Japanese varieties, incurved blooms, decorative flowers, singles and carefully arranged vases.

Among the successful exhibitors was the Hon. Mrs Sebag-Montefiore of Wembury, who took second prize in the class for twenty-four Japanese chrysanthemums.

That name is particularly significant locally. The Hon. Ida Marie Sebag-Montefiore was then living at Thorn, the substantial house overlooking the Yealm. Wembury records place her there from 1923, after the death of the previous owner, William Arkwright. She enlarged Thorn, developed its grounds and established a Jersey herd on the estate. E-voice

There appears to have been another Wembury success in the results too. In the class for twelve vases of disbudded singles, the newspaper lists a Walker of Wembury in second place. This very probably relates to the Walker family of Wembury House, although the small print in the surviving clipping makes the initials difficult to read with complete confidence. Mrs Walker was living at Wembury House during this period, following the death of her husband Dr Cecil Walker in 1925. E-voice

The society itself was no minor local gardening club. Surviving catalogues show that the West of England Chrysanthemum Society continued to hold large annual exhibitions for decades afterwards, moving between venues including Plymouth, Devonport and Tavistock. Its 54th annual exhibition was held in 1951, and its 59th in Plymouth in 1956, demonstrating the long-established nature of the organisation. Devon Bibliography

There is an especially interesting little piece of supporting evidence concerning Mrs Sebag-Montefiore. A surviving horticultural register actually records “Sebag-Montefiore, Hon. Mrs, Wembury, Plymouth, Devon, England” among known growers and exhibitors. So her appearance in the 1932 prize list was not simply the accidental success of someone who happened to have a few good flowers in the garden; horticulture seems to have been a genuine part of life at Thorn. 放眼园艺-世界园艺之门

Large country houses such as Thorn and Wembury House commonly maintained sizeable kitchen and flower gardens, usually with gardeners and glasshouses capable of producing exhibition-standard plants. Chrysanthemums were particularly demanding show flowers. Producing two dozen evenly matched Japanese blooms required months of careful propagation, disbudding, feeding, staking and protection before the flowers ever reached the judging bench.

There is also a nice contrast here with another part of Mrs Sebag-Montefiore’s Wembury story. A few years after these prize chrysanthemums were displayed, she was instrumental in preserving part of the local coastline from development. Wembury Local History Society records that she later gave cliff land towards Wembury Beach for preservation, land which ultimately came into National Trust ownership. E-voice

A century later it is easy to think of Thorn and Wembury House simply as names on old maps. This little newspaper result puts people back into them. Somewhere in Wembury in the autumn of 1932, gardeners were tending rows of enormous chrysanthemums, selecting their finest blooms, packing them carefully for the journey into Plymouth and hoping that the judges would agree that Wembury had produced something worth a prize.

Source: Western Morning News, Wednesday 2 November 1932.

On This Day in Wembury

2 November 1997 — Mark Turnbull’s First Wembury Exhibition Closes

On this day Western Evening Herald reported the close of Mark Turnbull’s first art exhibition in Wembury, held from 28 October to 2 November. A graduate in Fine Art (BA Hons), Turnbull had studied at Coombe Dean School, Devonport College of Further Education, and Plymouth College before gaining his degree at Coventry. His exhibition drew hundreds of visitors locally and from further afield. Oils and acrylics captured Wembury scenes, including striking views of St Werburgh’s Church and the Mewstone, alongside a self-portrait in oil, still life works, and figure studies in charcoal and pastel. Visiting artist John Wylam of Southampton praised Turnbull’s cloudscapes and skylines as “superior,” calling him a very talented painter.

Turnbull’s debut exhibition shows how Wembury’s landscape continues to inspire artists, while also marking the parish as a place where new talent can gain recognition. His depictions of church, coast, and sky reflect both the timeless appeal of the parish and the energy of a younger generation of artists emerging from South Devon.

Source: Western Evening Herald, 15 November 1997 (reporting exhibition held 28 October – 2 November 1997).