On This Day in Wembury — 6 November 1936
A new road to Wembury Point
On 6 November 1936, the Western Morning News carried a small advertisement announcing that Wembury Point and Heybrook Bay could now be approached by a new road via Elburton, Staddiscombe and Langdon.
It was promoted as a route worth taking for the scenery alone:
“Entering by this new road one is struck by the glorious view of Yealm Estuary and Mewstone Island.”
The advertisement also announced that the Wembury Point Riding Stable was under new management, offering “good hacks” for what it described as “wonderful grass rides by the sea.” Particulars for building sites and riding were available from the Estate Office at Heybrook Bay.
The notice captures a very particular moment in the development of this part of Wembury.
Only nine years earlier, in 1927, the huge Langdon Estate had been broken up and sold in more than 70 lots. That sale opened the way for new owners to divide land for housing, and one of the most dramatic results was the growth of the entirely new settlement of Heybrook Bay immediately north of Wembury Point. Ribbon development also appeared along some of the better roads through the parish.
Wembury Point itself was changing just as rapidly. In 1928 the Point was sold and developed as holiday camps, bringing increasing numbers of visitors to a headland which only a few years earlier had been largely agricultural.
The new road advertised in 1936 therefore mattered for more than convenience. Better access from Plymouth made Wembury Point and Heybrook Bay far more attractive both to visitors and to people considering buying land or building a home there. The advertisement deliberately combined all three attractions: easy access, dramatic coastal scenery and building land.
The riding stables are an especially evocative detail. Before wartime requisition and the later arrival of HMS Cambridge, Wembury Point was being marketed as a place for leisure: holiday chalets, bathing, coastal walks and horse riding across the grass above the sea. The remains of the interwar holiday development can still be traced today, including the old seawater swimming pool and boathouse.
And the view used to sell the place in 1936 remains essentially the same attraction today. From Wembury Point there are still wide views across Wembury Bay towards the Great Mewstone, while the Yealm lies away to the east.
There is something rather revealing in this little advertisement. Today we tend to think of Wembury Point principally as protected coastline, but in the 1930s it was being promoted quite openly as a place of roads, riding, holidays and building plots.
The countryside that now feels timeless was, in fact, in the middle of a period of remarkably rapid change.
Source: Western Morning News, Friday 6 November 1936.
On This Day in Wembury
6 November 1999 — Wembury Scouts’ Grand Auction
On this day the 1st Wembury Scout Group held their annual Grand Auction in the Village Hall. As advertised, the sale began at 2 p.m. following viewing from 1 p.m. Admission was 50p (children free). Vendors received 75% of the proceeds while the Scouts kept 25% to support their activities, with collection of items arranged locally by volunteers. Clothes and used footwear were excluded, but almost anything else could go under the hammer.
Reflection: The 1st Wembury Scouts, who remain active today as part of the national Scouts movement, have long used community fundraising to sustain their programme of skills, outdoor activities, and service. Events like the Grand Auction not only raised money but also strengthened the link between the troop and the wider village.
Source: Western Evening Herald, 30 October 1999 (advertising the auction for 6 November 1999).
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.