Harvesting at Portlemouth 1939

History Society’s 2026 Annual General Meeting
The History Society’s 2026 AGM will take place on Tuesday, 31st March 2026 at 7 pm at Salcombe Rugby Club, Twomeads, Camperdown Road, Salcombe, TQ8 8AX. The bar will be open.

AGM Agenda

1. Welcome
2. Apologies for Absence
3. Minutes of 2025 AGM and Matters Arising
4. Annual Accounts and Adoption
5. Annual Report
6. Ships of Salcombe
7. Proposal to Merge with Salcombe Museum Society
8. Any Other Business

Horses Ploughing

120 Years of Farming in the South Hams, an illustrated talk by Roger Tucker
Following AGM business, we are very pleased to welcome Roger Tucker to give an illustrated talk about farming in the South Hams over many generations. It will be great to hear from him.

Free to members. Non-members £5.00.

Steam Engine Threshing

Ransomes Thresher

Ilbertstowe – Dipping Unwilling Sheep

Salcombe Urban District Council
Salcombe Urban District Council – from its establishment pursuant to the Local Government Act 1894 until it was abolished on 1st April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 – was responsible for local governance and municipal services within Salcombe, including:

• public health and sanitation – street cleaning, waste removal, maintenance of hygiene standards and management of sanitation infrastructure such as drains and public toilets
• highways and public works – repair and upkeep of roads, pavements, and street lighting; provision and maintenance of public spaces (parks, gardens, and recreation grounds)
• Buildings and community services
• Planning (from 1st July 1948), recreation and open spaces
• Civic representation

Here are some images of S.U.D.C. workmen, who carried out the hard work around the town from snow and flood clearance to road-sweeping and road repairs including drainage. Sub-contractors supplied heavy machinery with operators while the S.U.D.C. workmen did the manual work.

Salcombe Urban District Council Workmen Clearing Snow 1947

S.U.D.C. Workmen

Road Repairs

Road Works

S.U.D.C. April 1955

Road Works – Possibly Fore Street

S.U.D.C. Workers Possibly in The Galley 1969

Gazette Article – S.U.D.C. Workmen

Sunday, 3rd May 2026 – Salcombe Crabfest

Salcombe Crabfest

Visit our stand at Salcombe’s 10th Annual Crabfest organised by the Rotary Club of Salcombe on Sunday, 3rd May 2024. We will be located midway along Island Street. Our stand will display a wide range of historic photos of Salcombe – people and places – along with items from our archive and the Maritime Museum’s collection, and many history books about Salcombe to browse and maybe purchase.

Len Fairweather (1913-1990)

Len Fairweather – David Murch setting up the exhibition in Cooks boatstore 1975

Len Fairweather was born in Salcombe in 1913, son of Alfred Fairweather (1876-1959), who ran a pioneering photography business in Salcombe (see Issue 35) and grandson of James Fairweather (1846-1912), Salcombe’s civic leader, campaigning journalist, educator, writer and publisher (see Issue 34).

During the Second World War, Len saw service in the Western Desert as a member of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. He was the proprietor of the local dairy in Loring Road until his retirement in 1971.

A well-known resident, long-time trustee of Cliff House and founder member of Salcombe Maritime Museum and historian of Salcombe and its people, he frequently lectured on the subject, using photographs salvaged from his father’s photographic shop after the wartime blitz in Fore Street. The damage destroyed much of the stock and many plates and negatives were lost, but friends helped to search through the rubble and hundreds were saved. Len later recalled “my father had never destroyed a negative from the time he first started publishing postcard views, so we are fortunate and still have a good pictorial record of the area during these years.”

Because at that time the Museum did not have a permanent home, on his death Len gifted the Fairweather Collection – a priceless photographic record of the Salcombe and Kingsbridge area in the early years of the twentieth century – to the Cookworthy Museum in Kingsbridge.

Together with Muriel and David Murch, Len compiled several historical books about Salcombe and its harbour.

At a public meeting called by Len and David Murch on 27th February 1974 at Salcombe Yacht Club, the Salcombe Museum Society was founded and Len became Vice-Chairman and David became Chairman. In February 1975, the Society achieved charitable status. It took up an offer to rent Cook’s boatstore on Custom House Quay, and the Museum’s first exhibition opened on 21st June 1975. It was a huge success with almost 6,000 visitors during that summer.

Temporary summer exhibitions at Cook’s boatstore followed until the Society, having learnt that the boatstore was for sale and would be unavailable after that year’s exhibition, approached Salcombe Town Council with a request to lease the basement of Salcombe’s Old Council Hall in Market Street to display their exhibits, as well as the old Clerk’s office above for use as a research and library room. In 1990, the Museum committee voted to go ahead with the Town Council’s basement proposal.

Sadly, Len died in December 1990, aged 77, at his home in Herbert Road, and did not live to see the new Museum premises opened on 14th April 1992 at the Old Council Hall.

Mr Len Fairweather

Images of farming and S.U.D.C. courtesy of Geoff Foale and the Society’s collection. Images of Len Fairweather courtesy of Roger Barrett and Salcombe Maritime Museum. Information about Len Fairweather courtesy of the late Tim Bass, Malcolm Darch, Roger Barrett and the Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette.

The Old Council Hall

Christmas Lights in Kingsale Road

At Coleman’s Corner

Along Fore Street

HMS Magpie visiting Salcombe on
Remembrance Sunday, 9th November 2025

Remembrance Sunday Parade

Ken Prowse at Salcombe War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday

Salcombe History Society & Maritime Museum’s joint stand at Hope Cove

Rosemary Griggs presenting the story of Katherine Champernowne

The Young Salcombe Centre Tree at the Seaside Parish Christmas Tree Festival

2026 History Society Calendar
A few remaining copies are on sale for £9.99 at Ashby’s of Salcombe, Bonningtons and Spar on Loring Road. Every month features beautiful images of Salcombe through the ages.

History Society’s 2026 Annual General Meeting
The History Society’s 2026 AGM will take place at 7 for 7.30 pm on Tuesday, 31st March 2026 at Salcombe Rugby Club, Twomeads, Camperdown Road, Salcombe, TQ8 8AX. Speakers details to follow.

Remembrance Sunday photos courtesy of Steve Wiltshire; Hope Cove, Malborough & South Huish History Fair photo courtesy of Roger Barrett; Rosemary Griggs photo courtesy of Geoff Foale.

Rosemary Griggs

‘A WOMAN OF NOBLE WIT’
The story of Katherine Champernowne, presented by Rosemary Griggs

TUESDAY, 30th SEPTEMBER 2025 | 7 for 7.30 PM | SALCOMBE RUGBY CLUB, Camperdown Road, Salcombe, TQ8 8AX

Everyone Welcome | Admission: members free, £5 non-members | info@salcombehistorysociety.co.uk

The story of Katherine Champernowne, mother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh. Devon was rocked by the religious and social changes that shaped Tudor England; privateers and pirates; rebellions and plots. How Katherine became the woman who inspired her famous sons to follow their dreams. Tudor history seen though a woman’s eyes.

Rosemary Griggs is an author, researcher, seamstress and popular West Country speaker: https://rosemarygriggs.co.uk/.

Queen Elizabeth I

Sir Humphrey Gilbert, son of Katherine Champernowne by her first marriage to Otho Gilbert of Compton, Greenway and Galmpton

Sir Humphrey Gilbert, son of Katherine Champernowne by her first marriage to Otho Gilbert of Compton, Greenway and Galmpton

Sir Humphrey Gilbert (c.1539 – 9th September 1583) was an English adventurer, explorer, member of parliament and soldier who was a pioneer of the English colonies in North America and the Plantations of Ireland.

A.L. Rowse wrote of Gilbert: “He was passionate and impulsive, a nature liable to violence and cruelty – as came out in his savage repression of rebels in Ireland – but also intellectual and visionary, a questing and original mind, with the personal magnetism that went with it. People were apt to be both attracted and repelled by him, to follow his leadership and yet be mistrustful of him.”

Sir Walter Raleigh, son of Katherine Champernowne by her second marriage to Walter Raleigh of Fardel Manor

Sir Walter Raleigh (c.1553 – 29th October 1618) was a great English hero, statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan age, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion in Ireland, helped defend England against the Spanish Armada and held senior political posts under Queen Elizabeth I.

His good fortune did not long survive the Queen’s death on 24th March 1603. Raleigh was arrested on 19th July 1603 at the Old Exeter Inn in Ashburton, charged with treason for his part in the Main Plot against King James I, and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was convicted, but King James spared his life, and Raleigh remained imprisoned in the Tower until 1616.

In 1617, Raleigh was pardoned by the King and granted permission to conduct a second expedition in search of El Dorado. However, a detachment of Raleigh’s men attacked the Spanish, in violation of peace treaties with Spain and against Raleigh’s orders. A condition of Raleigh’s pardon was avoidance of hostility against Spain. The Spanish demanded that Raleigh’s death sentence be reinstated by King James, who had little choice but to do so.

Raleigh was beheaded in the Old Palace Yard at the Palace of Westminster on 29th October 1618. After he was shown the axe, he said: “This is a sharp Medicine, but it is a Physician for all diseases and miseries.” Raleigh’s last words, spoken to the hesitating executioner, were: “What dost thou fear? Strike, man, strike!”

Steam Rally – 9th and 10th August 2025
Photos and video from the 2025 Steam Rally by Geoff Foale.

Roger Barrett, Chair of the Museum, and Ken Prowse, President of the History Society, on the joint History Society-Museum stand at the Steam Rally

Steam Rally

Steam Rally

Steam Rally

Steam Rally

Steam Rally

Geoff Foale made this video at the Steam Rally: https://vimeo.com/1114493727.

Kingsbridge Show – 6th September 2025

Ken Prowse on the joint History Society-Museum stand at Kingsbridge Show

The Fairweathers of Salcombe – Alfred Fairweather (1876-1959)
Alfred Fairweather, one of the four sons of James Fairweather (see Issue 34), was originally apprenticed to a pharmacist in Kingsbridge and trained at Stewarts, Dispensing Chemists, at 56 Fore Street.

Alfred Fairweather

Alfred did not complete his training, instead teaching himself photography, and set up his own photography business in Robinson’s Row in 1900, to the rear of his father’s business at 67 Fore Street.

He would walk long distances with his heavy camera and equipment in search of a good picture, then develop and print his own photographs. Alfred chronicled life in Salcombe, the people, their houses and streets and the many events and celebrations on land and sea which characterise how the people of the town lived at that time.

He produced postcards and developed a business in studio portraits from a shop he set up at 8 Fore Street by 1926, which he ran until it was damaged by enemy action on 12th March 1943.

“The roar of a plane was followed by a deafening explosion, and his shop and two others next to it were destroyed. If a customer had delayed him for a few moments longer, he would almost certainly have been killed. As it was, he was quickly on the scene with other rescuers, and sifted through the rubble of his shop to salvage as many as he could have his hundreds of negatives. Inevitably, some were smashed beyond repair.” (Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette)

The Fairweather Collection can be explored at the Cookworthy Museum, Kingsbridge, a unique record, rich in detail, of Salcombe life over the first half of the twentieth century: https://kingsbridgemuseum.org.uk/

Alfred Fairweather

2026 History Society Calendar

2026 History Society Calendar

The Society’s 2026 Calendar is now on sale! Printed on high quality glossy paper, every month features beautiful large images of Salcombe through the ages. This is a must-have for anyone who loves Salcombe and an ideal present. You can buy it for £9.99 at Ashby’s of Salcombe, Bonningtons, Salcombe Maritime Museum, Salcombe Information Centre, Spar on Loring Road.

Possible History Society merger with Salcombe Maritime Museum
The History Society Committee is considering a proposal to merge the Society with Salcombe Maritime Museum for the mutual benefit of members, to create a stronger, single charity for Salcombe’s history. If this proposal goes ahead, it will need to be approved by members of the Society and the Museum at their AGMs. Charity Commission consent will also be required.

Images of Rosemary Griggs courtesy of Rosemary Griggs. Images of Queen Elizabeth I by unknown continental artist c.1575, Sir Humphrey Gilbert by Magdalena de Passe or Willem de Passe 1620 and Sir Walter Raleigh by Nicholas Hilliard c. 1585 courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, licensed under Creative Commons. Images and video from the Steam Rally courtesy of Geoff Foale. Image from Kingsbridge Show courtesy of Roger Barrett. Information and images of Alfred Fairweather courtesy of Cookworthy Museum and Kingsbridge & Salcombe Gazette.

Click here to find out more about the show.

DOWN MEMORY LANE
Salcombe & Beyond: 1960s to the ’80s
A SLIDE SHOW with audience participation presented by Roger Barrett and Geoff Foale.
TUESDAY, 17th JUNE 2025 – 7 for 7.30 PM at SALCOMBE RUGBY CLUB, Camperdown Road, Salcombe, TQ8 8AX
Everyone Welcome – Admission: members free, £5 non-members – info@salcombehistorysociety.co.uk

UPCOMING HISTORY SOCIETY EVENTS IN 2025
Saturday, 9th and Sunday, 10th August: South Hams Steam Rally: The History Society will be at the Craft Tent. South Hams Steam Rally, Sorley Cross, Kingsbridge TQ7 4AF. https://www.shvmc.co.uk/rally

Saturday, 6th September: Kingsbridge Show: We will join with Salcombe Maritime Museum at the Craft Tent. Kingsbridge Show@TQ9 7QP. What3Words: pacemaker.perused.eats. https://www.kingsbridgeshow.co.uk/

Tuesday, 30th September: Rosemary Griggs: ‘A Woman of Noble Wit’. 7 for 7.30 pm at Salcombe Rugby Club.
Few women of her time lived to see their name in print. But Katherine Champernowne was no ordinary woman. She was Sir Walter Raleigh’s mother. This is her story. Set against the turbulent background of a Devon rocked by the religious and social changes that shaped Tudor England; a Devon of privateers and pirates; a Devon riven by rebellions and plots, ‘A Woman of Noble Wit’ tells how Katherine became the woman who would inspire her famous sons to follow their dreams. It is Tudor history seen though a woman’s eyes.

Rosemary Griggs is an author, researcher, seamstress and popular West Country speaker. https://rosemarygriggs.co.uk/

History Society AGM: 25th March 2025

Jasper Evans and Ken Prowse

Dr Elaine Murphy

Following the AGM, members of the Society and guests thoroughly enjoyed a talk by Dr Elaine Murphy of Plymouth University entitled ‘Maritime Aspects of the English Civil War with a focus on South Devon’. We heard about the importance of the Civil War at sea for the outcome of the conflict and subsequent development of the Navy. Elaine’s enthusiasm for the subject was infectious, and her talk was filled with memorable stories about individual people whose lives were changed by those turbulent times.

Salcombe Crabfest: 4th May 2025
We had a joint stand with the Maritime Museum on Island Street, made up of two fine new gazebos offering plenty of space to display old photos and books. This year was especially busy, with lots of interest in the photos and Museum items. Passers-by chatted to the team about Salcombe’s history, their memories and connections to the town, and generally caught up.

Crabfest

Three Generations of the Fairweathers of Salcombe
In this issue, James Fairweather (1846-1912), to be followed in subsequent issues by Alfred Edward Fairweather (1876-1959) and Len Fairweather (1913-1990)

James Fairweather, with his notebook for the Salcombe Times

James Fairweather played a prominent role in the life of Salcombe from the 1870s as a young man in his mid 20s, until he died in 1912. He was the civic leader who initiated Salcombe having its own local authority – Salcombe Urban District Council – and built the civic infrastructure to support this new role – the Council Hall, and was busy on many local organisations to promote the welfare of residents and the community, as well as being a Justice of the Peace.

James was founder, campaigning journalist, editor and printer of the Salcombe Times. He recognised the importance to Salcombe of what we now call the visitor economy, because of nature’s bounty to the town – the beautiful setting of its estuary, harbour and surrounding landscape, and he was the first to promote Salcombe as a holiday resort by writing three editions of the ground-breaking guide book ‘Salcombe and Neighbourhood’.

His reforming activism, to improve the life and standing of the town and its people, was underpinned by deeply held, lifelong religious beliefs – he was a Methodist preacher, teacher and leader. When he died on 12th February 1912, James was described as ‘an institution in the town’. He was indeed the founding father of the Salcombe we know today.

On leaving school, James went to sea and made several voyages to the Mediterranean. He was then apprenticed to a Plymouth printing and stationery business. After his apprenticeship, he was foreman at a Bristol printing works.

James became a member of the Wesleyan Church, now the Methodist Church. A local preacher from the age of 19 (‘he never neglected a single appointment’, said his obituary). He was leader of Salcombe’s Men’s Bible Class which met first in the Market Hall and, when the work grew, he built the Central Hall, later renamed the Council Hall, where today the Museum and Information Centre are based.

Returning to Salcombe from Bristol in 1872, James started his own printing and stationery business, first at Island Street, then at Ringmore House, before building 67 Fore Street in about 1901. Aged only 25, he launched the Salcombe Times, of which he was editor, reporter, printer and publisher. The newspaper provided him with a powerful platform to campaign for Salcombe’s autonomy, to ensure that the town did not become subsumed into a wider Kingsbridge, which would otherwise have probably happened. This was perhaps his most notable achievement.

When the Salcombe Times was launched, Kingsbridge Highway Board was responsible for Salcombe’s streets and sanitary matters. James successfully argued through the Salcombe Times for the creation of a separate Salcombe Local Board to take over these tasks, on the grounds that under the oversight of Kingsbridge, Salcombe was neglected.

James was duly appointed Clerk to the Salcombe Local Board, which evolved into Salcombe Urban District Council. He remained as Clerk until 1907, when he was elected to the Council. In 1911, he was elected Chairman of the Council and remained in that position until his death in 1912. In these roles, James guided and led Salcombe’s new local authority, which both organised essential services for the well-being of Salcombe’s residents and visitors, and spoke for the town, for many years until Salcombe Urban District Council became fully established.

Memorial to James Fairweather at North Sands, 1912 (L), 2025 (R)

Salcombe Urban District Council survived until its abolition on 1st April 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 came into force, and it was replaced by Salcombe Town Council. At the same time, broader powers were transferred to the newly established South Hams District Council.

James Fairweather was the first to effectively promote Salcombe to a much wider audience as a healthy retreat from industrialising Britain. As interest in visiting Salcombe and its story grew, in 1884 he printed and published a guide book, ‘Salcombe and Neighbourhood’ (1st edition). In 1897, he revised and expanded a second edition, with illustrations and a map, which sold out. A few weeks before his death, James prepared a significantly extended third edition, which was published posthumously in 1913.

‘Salcombe and Neighbourhood’, 1884 (1st Edition)

Information about James Fairweather and images, courtesy of Salcombe Maritime Museum.