Unless otherwise stated, all meetings are held in Lustleigh Village Hall – TQ13 9TA at 7.30 pm – Refreshments from 7.00 pm
Members – entry is free on payment of an annual subscription of a minimum of £20.00 per person (due in January).
Visitors are welcome – charge £7.50
In the summer there are visits arranged, which are bookable in advance and may attract extra charges.
2026 Events Programme
Wednesday January 28 – Peter Mason
Beryl Trist Newman – the Lustleigh artist who ‘lived to paint’.
Beryl Trist Newman (1906–91), with paintings in national collections, was
best known for her portraiture. The story of her life is fascinating – and she
and her work deserve to be much better known.
Wednesday February 25 – Caradoc Doy
Plant Hunters and Pioneers
Over several generations from before 1808, the Veitch family and their plant
hunters introduced over 1,200 plants to English gardens. Their nurseries in
Exeter and Chelsea propagated new species from every continent: orchids
and pitcher plants but also a giant Sequoia pine.
Wednesday March 25 – Paul Rimmer
A Teenager’s Boer War
At 18 years old, the youngest officer on active service in the Boer War (1899–
1902), Vernon Kyrke’s experiences are told through his letters and photographs. Plus, Lustleigh’s response to the war and why a statue in Exeter
upset the people of Crediton.
Wednesday April 29 – Janet Few
Sins as Red as Scarlet
As late as 1682, three impoverished women from Bideford were hanged in
Exeter, condemned to death for the crime of witchcraft. At the dawn of the
Age of Reason how did intolerance and antagonism in a prosperous Devon
trading and fishing port erupt in this trial and execution?
Wednesday May 27 – Andrew Cooper
Dartmoor: A celebration of its people, places and wildlife
From the sub-arctic wastes of the mid-winter high moor to people living in
the most iconic wild worked landscape in Britain, featuring locals and celebrities, set against a background of astonishing natural beauty, a wealth of prehistory and abundance of wildlife – a popular speaker returns.
Wednesday June 3 – VISIT
Early Modern Paignton visit All day
We preview the restored Edwardian cinema, reopening in 2026, and then
trace the impact of the Singer family on the town: take a bar lunch in the Redcliffe Hotel, their first home, and view the endangered Oldways Mansion; with Kevin Dixon and the Singer family historian. Tour price £20
Wednesday June 17 – VISIT
Dartmoor Tea Estate tour Jo Harper
A pioneering 14-acre estate outside Ashburton is producing tea that has won
international accolades. It is produced in small batches and drunk in the
Chinese ‘gongfu’ style sometimes called a tea ceremony. Grower Jo Harper is
an enthusiastic guide who will explain the history and trials of tea production
on the edge of Dartmoor. Tour price £20
Wednesday July 15 – WALK
Evening walk around Lustleigh Village, with Len Harvey
A tour of the village’s treasures with some surprises, ending up at The Cleave.
Wednesday September 30 – Todd Gray
Voices of Empire in Exeter 1575–2024
Our popular speaker outlines his latest research into the way Empire permeates
the city. We will hear new words from the Empire, including house names,
and meet a cast of merchants, travellers, missionaries, administrators,
servicemen and even a bigamist.
Wednesday October 28 – Bill Hardiman
The Yanks are here and they’ve drunk all the beer!
How did quiet Moretonhampstead react to the presence of US forces in World
War Two? Bill explores the social and cultural consequences of several hundred
young American men in town from a US Army engineering regiment on
Mardon Down.
Wednesday November 25
AGM followed by refreshments and entertainment
PDF Programme available to download from here ⬇️