On This Day in Wembury — 28 March 1950
Wembury Parish Council voiced deep concern over Admiralty expansion at Wembury Point after a letter from Mr. W. W. Davey of Westhill. Davey warned that residents were living under constant rumours that their homes might be taken, with surveyors telling occupiers the Admiralty intended to purchase land. He argued there was plenty of land available without displacing families and called for clarity.
At the meeting, Captain R. P. Giles, the chairman, remarked: “It must be terrible to live in a home and not know how long you may stay there.” He added that further Admiralty expansion threatened access to beaches and cliffs. Councillor J. L. Howarth reminded the council that holiday camps and land had already been taken and feared that “before we know where we are the whole headland and access to the beach will be Admiralty property.” Among the rumours he reported was that the Mewstone itself might even be used for bombing practice.
The council instructed the clerk to bring the matter to their MP, Major Henry Studholme, for urgent clarification.
Source: Western Morning News, 28 March 1950
Life in Wembury has always been about balance — between village and city, between farming and the forces, between those who live on the land and those who come to use it. Back then, folk were anxious about Admiralty surveyors marking out fields and gardens; today, the debate is more about housing pressure and public access. The common thread is the same: who gets to shape Wembury’s future, and will the people living here still recognise their home once the decisions are made?