The South West region is gradually emerging from a dormant period after the lockdown and we are now once again planning events for 2021.  The committee has decided to postpone the visits to the two Oliver Hill houses in north Devon, Higher Trayne and Cock Rock, until spring 2022, and instead restart events with two garden visits in July.

On the 7 July we will meet at Shaldon Botanic Gardens where local historian, Lisa Pash, will give us a tour and a talk on the history of the gardens and associated buildings. The Gardens were created by Maria ‘Laetitia’ Kempe Homeyard in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, and were built by Thomas Rider of Southwark, London and the designer William Sears.

We will then make our own way to Great Ambrook, about a 25 minute drive, where Adrian Symonds, who is helping on the restoration, will give us a tour of the Italian Gardens completed in 1912 for Arthur Smith Graham.

For booking enquires, please email South West Regional Chair Tony Stokoe: tonystokoe@mac.com

Looking further ahead in 2021, we rescheduled our AGM for October at Kresen Kernow (Cornwall Centre), the Cornish Archive Centre housed in the remodelled brewery in Redruth.

Also in October we plan to reschedule our visit to the Hepworth Gallery and Studios in St Ives.  More dates and further details for both of these events will be available later in the year.  For further information on any of the above please contact me tonystokoe@me.com

Finally, we were pleased to learn that Plymouth City Council have appointed specialist Heritage Consultants to work on a Conservation Area Appraisal and management guidance for Plymouth City Centre Conservation Area. We look forward to liaising with former Society Caseworker Jon Wright who now works at Purcell.