On this day in Wembury — 21 January 1874

Messrs Andrew & Son held an auction at the Fox Hounds Inn, Brixton, offering 130 oak, 37 elm, and 54 ash timber trees, together with acres of undergrowth. The sale was aimed at shipbuilders, carpenters, wheelwrights, and coopers, with many trees described as large, long, and of excellent quality. Conveniently located near the navigable River Yealm, the timber could be easily floated out for transport — a reminder of how closely the Wembury and Brixton woodlands once served the region’s maritime industries.

Source: Western Morning News, 10 January 1874 (auction held 21 January 1874).