An online journal for the North Devon Athenaeum
While we were rather quiet on the blog front last year, we had plenty to keep us busy during year as we take a look back at 2022 in pictures. January The beginning of the year saw some book post and a rather happy librarian, it was also the start of some serious behind the …
As the Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee, our Assistant Librarian looks back at her visit to Barnstaple in 1956. People always remember when they met the Queen or Prince Philip. When I was at Secondary School, we were taken to the Essex Schools Athletic Sports Championship. During the day three of us needed to go …
This weekend sees the return of the Bath and West of England Society’s show at Shepton Mallet in Somerset. The Society was originally called the Bath Society and was established in 1777 ‘for the encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in the Counties of Somerset, Wilts, Gloucester and Dorset’. By 1779 Devon and Cornwall …
To celebrate the life of Charles Kingsley a few years ago we traced the local links between him and PG Wodehouse via Rudyard Kipling and H H Munro (aka Saki). However, these are not the only Literary Links in North Devon. On this day in 1851 George Newnes was born in Matlock, Derbyshire, the youngest …
Continue reading "Literary Links, Discover Sir George Newnes…On Our Shelves!"
We've been taking a look at some of the interesting posts we have written over the years about local women and women's organisations, here are 7 our favourite posts to celebrate International Women's Day
Discover the Thomas Becket Connection...On Our Shelves! One of the oldest seals of Barnstaple commemorates one of the most infamous murders in English History…the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket on this day in 1170. The seal belongs to Barnstaple’s Bridge Trust and depicts the Chapel built at the town end of the now grade I …
On the 2nd of November 1960, a jury of three women and nine men delivered a not guilty verdict in one of the most sensational court cases of the 20th Century, R v. Penguin Books Ltd. At first glance there is very little to suspect a North Devon connection to the infamous case, however, as …
Discover Charles Kingsley and more…On Our Shelves! Over the years we have discovered several varied and fascinating connections in the North Devon area. A series of these starts with the man who was born 200 years ago today. On the shelves dedicated to local authors you will discover Mr Kingsley sitting right next to a …
On this day in 1928 a marriage was celebrated in the small church of St. Anne's in Bucks Mills. What makes this happy event interesting are the guests as two of our volunteers, David and Val explain... For the past few years we have been working on the parish registers of North Devon transcribing the …
Tales From the Archives 