On This Day in Wembury
22 October 1986 — Churchwood Holiday Estate Clearance Sale
On this day Western Evening Herald listed a clearance sale at Churchwood Holiday Estate, Wembury, offering a wide range of ex-hire furnishings and fittings. Items included 15 asbestos-roofed chalets (22 ft by 8 ft) to be dismantled and sold for £75 each, alongside settees, stacking chairs, stools, plumbing and electrical fittings, and large quantities of bedding. The sale ran from Saturday 18 October through Wednesday 22 October, open daily from 8.30 a.m.
Reflection: The sale reflects a phase of refurbishment at Churchwood Holiday Estate, when older hire chalets were being cleared out to make way for updated facilities. Churchwood, set above the beach and still operating today, has long been part of Wembury’s holiday trade, drawing families to the coast since the postwar years. The 1986 auction offers a snapshot of the transition from more basic, utilitarian holiday accommodation towards modernised chalets and leisure provision.
Source: Western Evening Herald, 18 October 1986 (advertising sales running until 22 October).