On this day in Wembury — 8 December 1953

The Bristol Evening Post carried a small classified advert offering “Seaside Building Sites, Heybrook Bay, sheltered uninterrupted sea views: plans passed, only £75.” The contact was given as Stansell, Church Walk, Wembury, Plymouth. This was part of the early post-war wave of plot sales that began to turn the headland above Wembury Point into the modern settlement of Heybrook Bay.

The price of £75, equivalent to around £2,700 today, was only a fraction of the cost of an average house at the time, making it an attractive entry point for families or those looking for a holiday retreat. Such adverts were often placed in regional papers beyond Devon, like Bristol, to appeal to city buyers who could now travel more easily by car and were beginning to look to the South-West coast for retirement or seaside escapes.