On This Day in Wembury — 24 February 1874
A Desirable Residence with a View of the Bay
On 24 February 1874, the Western Morning News carried a property advertisement that gives a fascinating glimpse into the housing market of Victorian Wembury. Under the heading “South Devon — Wembury”, the notice offered “a desirable residence, with a two-stall stable, carriage house, harness room, &c.; a large kitchen garden, and also a field or two, if required.”
The house was described in language both practical and poetic. It stood “about six miles from Plymouth” and within three hundred yards of the parish church — unmistakably St Werburgh’s — and was said to enjoy “a view of Wembury Bay and the Mewstone.” The advertisement proudly pointed out that the sea was “within half a mile of the house” and that “the sands are much frequented by visitors for sea bathing.”
Mr Adams of Boringdon Villas, Plympton, handled the letting on behalf of the estate office, inviting prospective tenants to call on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Although no rent was listed, comparable houses in the district during the 1870s typically let for between £25 and £40 a year, the equivalent of roughly £3,000 to £5,000 annually in today’s terms — a comfortable sum for a professional family or minor landowner.
The notice captures a moment when Wembury was shifting from a purely agricultural parish to a place of leisure and retreat. Its appeal lay in the same qualities that draw people to the coast today: clean air, open views, and the promise of the sea at the end of the lane.
Source: Western Morning News (Plymouth), Tuesday 24 February 1874 — property advertisement, “South Devon – Wembury.”