Come dine with us

Come dine with us

From Sunday 20th November 2022 you will be able to enjoy a delicious, freshly cooked Sunday lunch at Shilstone.  Served in a beautifully restored former hay barn, the set menu of either one or two courses will be prepared by the in-house team of highly skilled chefs....
Bellarmine Jar Witch-Bottle

Bellarmine Jar Witch-Bottle

Charms against witchcraft – Witch Bottles. With Halloween just around the corner we thought we would share one of the spookier archaeological finds from our excavations at Shilstone House.  Witch bottles from the seventeenth and eighteenth century have been...
A Chagford mystery?

A Chagford mystery?

This wonderful picture was recently shared with us in the hope that we may be able to identify the location and artist. In the corner is written ‘Wick Brook, Chagford’ but there is no signature or date. Could it be Weeke Brook at Chagford? Or is this a...
A particularly special donation

A particularly special donation

This incredible collection of sale particulars has just been donated to the Archive by the family of Charles Head, a Kingsbridge based firm of auctioneers and surveyors that was established in 1902. Over the years the Head family have collected a large number of these...
Be part of the team

Be part of the team

It’s our volunteers that make the Devon Rural Archive so special. As a volunteer you get frequent access to a wealth of fascinating historical material and to the expertise of our knowledgeable curator. You get to be part of a lovely team of people, with lively...
Sawdye & Harris Collection

Sawdye & Harris Collection

Earlier this month the Directors of Sawdye and Harris, Chartered Surveyors, Auctioneers, and Estate Agents, contacted the Archive about taking on their historical records. This long-established business had, over the years, amalgamated a large collection of material...