News & Views

CHARD

Retailer to create 43 new jobs

One of the UK’s largest family-run retailers, Home Bargains is creating 43 new jobs in the Chard community with its store on Boden Street. In total, the store will employ 49 team members, including some staff and management who will be transferring from local stores. It will also be donating £2,000 to local charity, Chard WATCH, a community interest company that reaches out and engages with isolated adults needing to connect with others in their community. The 13,207 sq ft store, which formerly housed Lidl, will offer shoppers a range of products, including homewares, health and beauty essentials, sweets, snacks and drinks, as well as fresh and frozen food.

BEAMINSTER

Development plans submitted

A plan for 100 new homes on the Beaminster to Broadwindsor road has been submitted to Dorset Council planners. A mix of affordable houses as well as 1,2,3 and 4 bedroom properties in mixed layouts and styles has been proposed by Cavanna Homes. Set within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, access to the site will be from a new roundabout opposite the entrance to Buglers, agricultural equipment suppliers.

CARTGATE

Award for Information Centre

The South Somerset Visitor Information Centre near Martock has won Silver at the recent South West England Tourism Excellence Awards 2020/2021. Bev Stapp, team supervisor for the centre said ‘The Tourism Team is extremely proud to win this prestigious accolade for South Somerset, up against the entire South West region. After a particularly difficult year we are really looking forward to promoting this outstanding area and supporting our local businesses. We anticipate a very busy season ahead and look forward to welcoming visitors.’ The Centre is at Cartgate Picnic Site just off the A303 / A3088 roundabout and is open daily 9am until 3.30pm between April and October.

LYME REGIS

Tribute to Museum Trustee

Tributes have been paid to a Trustee of Lyme Regis Museum after the announcement of his death following an alleged assault in London. Paul Mason, a trustee for more than two years, made valuable contributions to the governance of the museum and played an active part in marking the museum’s centenary. He had been in International Banking for nearly 20 years. An announcement on the museum’s website said: ‘His wisdom, knowledge and good humour will be much missed by all at the museum.’

WEST DORSET

New land for DWT

Wilder Dorset - panorama © Dorset Wildlife Trust

Dorset Wildlife Trust’s acquisition of a large area of land south-east of Bere Regis will be used to help tackle the climate and ecological crises. The site, which measures 170 hectares—the size of around 230 football pitches—will showcase sustainable change in land use. Dorset Wildlife Trust aims to restore the site to a place where wildlife can flourish and people can connect with nature. More at: www. dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/WilderDorset.

Climate Conversations in East Devon

Photographer Mike Perry highlighting degradation of ecosystems on land and in our oceans

Thelma Hulbert Gallery (THG) and East Devon District Council are launching their climate campaign, Climate Conversations, with a new programme of events.

The Climate Conversations programme opened with a major new multi-site exhibition of the work of artist Mike Perry at THG in Honiton, and Ocean in Exmouth and offers a packed roadshow of Climate Conversations activities and events this summer from THG’s Creative Cabin.

To mark the launch, exhibiting artist Mike Perry led a captivating Q&A session from the Creative Cabin in the THG garden. The artist shared his research and discussed his practice through works in his exhibition, highlighting degradation of ecosystems on land and in our oceans.

The programme continues with ‘Mike Perry in Conversation’ on 1 July in Exmouth. It promises to be an insightful discussion between artist, Mike Perry, and guest speaker Ben Borthwick, reflecting on the themes in Perry’s current exhibition: Mike Perry Land/Sea.

Mike Perry’s work engages with pressing environmental issues, in particular the tension between human interventions in the natural environment, and the fragility of the planet’s ecosystems. His work has been included in The Black and White Room at The Royal Academy of Arts, curated by artist Cornelia Parker. Mike Perry has also exhibited at the Venice Biennale and in 2015, received a Creative Wales Award from the Arts Council of Wales.

Ben Borthwick is Head of Creative Programme at KARST Creative Arts Space, Plymouth and an independent curator and writer.

The first in a series of Climate Conversations events will take place in Sidmouth on 18 July co-hosted by THG and Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub (SCCH)

THG’s Creative Cabin and SCCH’s hub at the Shed in the Fisherman’s yard in Sidmouth will host a talk and book signing with writer, broadcaster and marine biologist Helen Scales. The July event will include art activities, including a pot making demo with Dave French from East Devon Withy Pots, as well as music, a bar and fish baps from Sidmouth Trawlers.

Climate Conversations brings together local activists and project groups, with academics and artists specialising in these fields. This inspiring programme of talks and art activities will take place in towns across East Devon including Honiton, Axminster, Exmouth and Sidmouth throughout the summer. They will reflect on four key themes: Nature, Food, Energy, Reduce/Reuse/Recycle.

The Creative Cabin will be also out and about delivering outdoor activities and workshops to schools, colleges and community/family groups across East Devon and in the THG garden.

East Devon District Councillor Denise Bickley, Assistant Portfolio Holder Climate Action and Emergency Response commented: ‘I am so delighted with this exhibition and the partnership work we at East Devon District Council are doing with SCCH, among others. Strengthening the ties between our wonderful local organisations makes the climate emergency message so much more effective. I hope that many meaningful conversations will be able to take place inspired by this work and the resources that have been produced alongside it.

‘I can certainly confirm that it inspired some very interesting discussions when I was lucky enough to attend the opening of Mike Perry’s thought-provoking photography exhibition and listen to him talk, at the beautiful Ocean building in Exmouth.’

Climate Conversations has been developed against the context of East Devon District Council’s commitment to Devon’s Climate Change Emergency declaration and Exeter University’s declaration of an environment and climate emergency. Climate Conversations is funded by East Devon District Council and Art Council England.

For more information and booking details for Climate Conversations activities and events including Art Dayz family art activities visit https://thelmahulbert.com/

Local author reveals Devon’s history of tithe barns in latest book

Devon’s selection of secluded tithe barns comes to light in a new book released this year. Joseph Rogers who has spent much of his life in Seaton, has been travelling the nation unearthing some of the history associated with these vast, ageing buildings. Tithe Barns were built during the medieval period to store tithes, a tax paid to the church in the form of one-tenth of a farmer’s produce, and were still in use well into the 18th century.

Unlike neighbouring Dorset and Somerset who have a considerable number of medieval barns remaining, Devon’s examples are harder to find, particularly when many across the UK that are called tithe barns, were never proven to have stored tithes at all. The 800-year old ‘Spanish Barn’ at Torre Abbey provided a starting point, along with the abbey barn at Buckland Abbey near Tavistock which both have connections to Sir Francis Drake but other hidden examples appeared elsewhere on Joe’s travels.

The Grange at Broadhembury was originally a grange serving nearby Dunkeswell Abbey and the barn, now referred to as the tithe barn, was built in the 14th century as part of this grange. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s, the Grange and Broadhembury were sold off by the crown and the current mansion was built in the 16th century.

In December 1945, an article was published by the Devon & Exeter Gazette giving more details about the history of the barn. It was apparently used by the ‘Home Guard’ of Napoleon’s time and rifle racks from this era were known to have been pulled down in 1815, for reasons unknown. The main story in the newspaper article of 1945 was a celebration ‘Stand Down’ dinner for D Company of the Seaton Battalion of the Home Guard which was held on 8th December 1945 to mark the end of the war. The host was company commander Major H.E.B. Gundry, who lived at The Grange at the time. As well as hosting the dinner, the tithe barn played a crucial part in the war effort, employing locals in the manufacture of camouflage nets for military helmets and cargo trucks. Indeed this element of localised contribution to the war effort remains an important part of Broadhembury’s history and this was expanded on in some detail for the December / January 2020 issue of the Broadhembury Parish Magazine, published 75 years to the month that the stand down dinner took place.

Tithes were also important to coastal settlements at Beer and Seaton, where at one time fish was paid “to men of cloth”. Both settlements at one stage came under the jurisdiction of Sherborne Abbey and even today a building, since converted to a home, bears the name ‘Tithe Barn’ at Courtbarton Hill, though the origins of this are unknown.

On 17th January 1831 the 17th century ‘tithing barn’ at Colaton Raleigh was reportedly destroyed by fire along with corn and machinery inside. At the time it belonged to a H Cutler. Today, this building still remains having had amendments made to it in the 19th century according to Historic England (presumably as a result of the fire). It is now a rather nice home tucked away and shielded by the thatch-roofed wall around it.

Tithe Barns by Joseph Rogers, from Amberley Books, is available from high street and independent retailers.