Whimple Heritage Centre

22/06/2026

Are you getting excited about Whimple Fest 2026? We certainly are! Whimple Fest is, of course, a relatively new event. For many years Whimple celebrated Village Day - the photo shows Village Day in 1991.
Don’t forget to come and see us in the Community Hub between 12pm-5.30pm on Saturday 4th July at Whimple Parish Field, where we will have a display of historic pictures of Whimple and a selection of items for sale from our gift shop including many new lines. Don't forget as well that the Heritage Centre will be open between 12pm-4pm, so you can visit us there too!

15/06/2026

For most of us these days, smoking has quite rightly been consigned to history, so it may be hard to appreciate just how widespread it was for most of the 20th century. Cigarette packets were often attractively designed, and there was a further incentive in the form of cigarette cards - a type of trading card inside the packet, often collected by children, which encouraged brand loyalty. This year in our Collector's Corner we are displaying a collection of cigarette cards and packets from the 1920s and 1930s which have been lent to us by one of our members. Come along and take a look! The Whimple Heritage Centre is open Wed & Sat 12-4pm and BH Mon 10.30am-4pm until end October. Entry is free - donations welcome.

10/06/2026

It is always wonderful to read the comments in our visitors book and to know that our efforts are appreciated. A special thank you to Courtney's Cider and Vigo Presses for recommending us to those attending their cider making courses! The Whimple Heritage Centre is open on Wed & Sat 12-4pm and Bank Holiday Mondays 10.30am-4pm until the end of October, so do come along and find out what all the fuss is about. Entry is free - donations welcome. We would love to see you!

02/06/2026

We are very pleased to have been given this Whiteway's shop display card recently, especially as we have not seen this design before. Cards like this were produced by Whiteway's Cyder for their trade customers to display in their shop windows. Whiteway's first sold Export Cyder in cans in 1959, so we think that this one probably dates from the 1960s. We are very keen to find out more about the commercial artists who did the artwork for Whiteway's, so if you know anything about the artist who produced this one, then please get in touch! Don't forget that you can see our extensive collection of early-mid 20th century advertising at the Whimple Heritage Centre on Wed & Sat 12-4pm and Bank Holiday Mondays 10.30am-4pm until the end of October. Entry is free - donations appreciated.

26/05/2026

A reminder that our volunteers will be getting together at the New Fountain Inn, Whimple between 11am-12noon on Monday 1st June 2026 for a tea/coffee and to have a chat, so please come along if you volunteer at the Heritage Centre or for Whimple History Society in any capacity – you will be very welcome (please note that the Heritage Centre is not able to fund this, and those attending buy their own tea/coffee). If you do not currently volunteer but are interested in doing so then please join us - talking to our existing volunteers is a great, no obligation, way to find out more.

22/05/2026

The Whiteway Cyder Company was rightly famous for its cider, but what is less well known is that it produced wine as well. Come and see our new "Whiteway's and Wine" display this Bank Holiday weekend to find out more. The Whimple Heritage Centre is open on Sat & Wed 12pm-4pm and BH Mon 10.30am-4pm. Entry is free - donations appreciated.

19/05/2026

We were very pleased to welcome 1st Ottery Brownies to the Heritage Centre recently to learn about local history. We hope that they enjoyed their visit!

15/05/2026

Today is Endangered Species Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of protecting threatened and endangered wildlife and habitats. The Gentoo Penguin, which lives in the Antarctic, is one of many endangered birds worldwide. In the Whimple Heritage Centre we have a collection of eggs of birds native to the Antarctic and South America. Of course, it is now illegal to collect the eggs of wild birds in this country except by licence, but our eggs were collected during the 1930s at a time when people were less aware of the damage that egg collecting could do. Collections like ours are vital for understanding the lives of birds, and also can shed new light on historical expeditions and explorations. Come along to the Whimple Heritage Centre to find out more about our egg collection, and how it is connected to Whimple. We are open between 1st April to 31st October each year Wed & Sat 12pm-4pm and BH Mon 10.30am-4pm. Entry is free – donations welcome. Photo by Sastognuti courtesy of Wikicommons licensed under the https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en International license.

14/05/2026

We were delighted to welcome June Emmerson and Steve Heavens to the Heritage Centre recently. They have been providing invaluable assistance to our curator, Tina Kelly, in researching our 1930s collection of eggs from the Antarctic. June and Steve are the authors of "Penguin Diplomacy", a biography of June's uncle Brian Roberts, an ornithologist and polar explorer, who took part in the British Graham Land Expedition to the Antarctic of 1934-37. Brian was later closely involved in the negotiation of the Antarctic Treaty, ensuring the conservation of the Antarctic up to the present day. The book is beautifully written and well illustrated, and you can buy a copy by following this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Diplomacy-Roberts-explorer-conservationist/dp/186151963X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26DGTHJ7J8QF9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fm5GKPwmS5B77jE_pLOer7LLn9-wQrrT0jnyRKMy8OXpztIsvYdf2lYY-N_UqwVtVIn5XvXfYt3LHY49riQG8ClMOozEBaKclU5MmIjcx6-sOEO2EwA1O9nxiNOt-QMKhie9pMIGXOTaaP0RSQU5-I_cAhgGHLFo48RB0yQhRtvzoE-NdHANRWvqu_W2eJMONT5Gl3OT6E9u_9DiJWqy1A4003Bgy-rjLo24mNpX26E.5xkt-k8oOYkNdczqWVNvXyGCYK_2BdUTcj0KvffQzp0&dib_tag=se&keywords=Penguin+Diplomacy&qid=1778765649&sprefix=penguin+diplomacy%2Caps%2C297&sr=8-1
Our collection of eggs from the Antarctic is currently on display, and can be viewed during normal opening hours from 1st April to 31st October Wed & Sat 12pm-4pm and BH Mon 10.30am-4pm. Entry is free - donations welcome.

06/05/2026

We are thrilled to see this wonderful photo of world famous twentieth century puppeteer, Ann Hogarth. You can find out more about Whimple resident, Ann, and her work, at the Whimple Heritage Centre. Open between 1st April to 31st October Wed & Sat 12pm-4pm and Bank Holiday Mondays 10.30am-4pm. Entry free - donations appreciated.

National Puppetry Archive - 100 Hundred Items from the Archive - Photograph of Waldo Lanchester and Ann Hogarth

Check out the National Puppetry Archive website to see the full 100 items!