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Past & Present maps of Whimple

The Whimple Heritage Centre is Devon's only cider museum, charting the rise and fall of the internationally renowned Whiteway's Cyder, and celebrating the history of the village where it had its headquarters.

It is run by a group of enthusiastic volunteers committed to researching, collecting and making available to everyone, information and artefacts relating to the history of Whimple.

We also have a very popular shop with a variety of quality gifts and mementoes of your visit on sale.

Whimple is a small, traditional village set in the beautiful East Devon countryside, about 25 minutes drive from the south coast, from Exeter and also from Honiton.

 

The Fosse Way, the oldest of the Roman roads which extended from Exeter to Lincoln, passes just a mile south of the village and can sometimes be seen during dry periods as a crop mark on the landscape 

Whimple’s development as a village probably began around 700AD as the Anglo Saxons moved westward, possibly along the Fosse Way, looking for fertile farmland.   The Saxons typically renamed places in their own language, Old English, however unusually Whimple retained its Brythonic Celtic name meaning white pool.

 

The first record we have of Whimple was in the Domesday Book of 1086 where it is described as a medium sized village with 18 households.

 

Farming has been the lifeblood of the village for centuries. Flax was common at one time, followed by hops in the early 1800's when the quality was reported to be superior to those from Sussex and Kent.  Whimple in the 19th century had a brick and tile works at Strete Ralegh, collecting raw materials locally from still visible pits.  There was also a tannery, referred to as a 'Tan Pit' on the Tithe Map of 1842, which ceased to function between 1850 and 1857. 

 

More recently, Whimple was the home of the renowned Whiteway’s Cyder factory until it closed in 1989 and the land was sold to provide new housing in the 1990s.  In its prime, Whimple had the largest apple orchards in the world and many of the old orchards can still be seen surrounding the village.

 

The village supports two pubs, both of which serve food, a village shop and a primary school, village hall, cricket club and railway station.

Whimple Past & Present

Whimple Heritage Centre logo

Lockyers Linhay

Church Road

Whimple

Devon

EX5 2TA

Tel: 01404 822499

Email: info@whimple.org

Charity registration No. 1051725

Opening Hours:

1st April - 30th Sept

Wednesdays 1pm-3pm

Saturdays & Bank Holiday Mondays

10.30am - 4pm

Accessibility:

The Heritage Centre is located on the ground floor and is wheelchair accessible.
Unfortunately the Centre's Archive is located on the 1st floor and is only accessible by a stairway and is therefore not accessible by wheel chair.

Public Transport links:

Train

Nearest station is Whimple which is approximately 1/3 mile distant.
See 
South Western Railway for train times

 

Bus

The nearest bus stop is located 400ft away in the village square served by the 382 service.
See 
Hatch Green Coaches for timings

There is also a bus stop served by the Stagecoach 44A service located at Hand & Pen crossroads on London road, approximately 3/4 mile distant.

See Stagecoach for timings.

Contact Us

For more information. please send us a message:

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Places to Eat/Drink Locally:

New Fountain Inn

As the Heritage Centre is adjacent to the New Fountain Inn why not combine your visit with a drink and meal at this local pub and make a day of it?
www.newfountaininn.com

Whimple Stores

The village shop located in the Square just a short walk from the Heritage Centre offers take-away and sit-in coffees as well as various snacks and cold beverages.

The Thirsty Farmer

The "Thirsty" as it's known locally is located on the North side of the village near the railway station.

© 2024 by Whimple History Society

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