Sunbathing on rooftops and pretending to be ghosts: the real stories behind Buckland Abbey’s early years have been revealed in a new community-powered exhibition.
The Buckland 75 exhibition celebrates three quarters of a century since the visitor attraction opened its doors in 1951. After a call-out for public memories earlier this year, the exhibition is filled with stories from local people, visitors and volunteers.
Staff were “shocked” by the influx of information and have called upon extra help from volunteers to conduct interviews, collate information and piece together Buckland Abbey’s stories.
“The response from our local community has been almost overwhelming,” said Visitor Operations Manager, Eleanor Hopkinson. “We now have a huge bank of memories to share. There are stories that have made us laugh out loud and some that have been deeply moving too.”
One interviewee is Marie Potts, nee Cumming, who has shared her family’s secrets about the time they lived at Buckland Abbey from the 1950s. “On Sundays, there were no visitors in the morning,” Marie divulged. “Dad would take us to the Great Barn, which at that point was full of old carriages, and actually take us for rides around in them.”
Daughter of Buckland Abbey’s first live-in curator, Mr Alexander Ainsworth Cumming and his wife Margaret, Marie and her sister Helen recall years of mischief from their “idyllic” childhood at the medieval site. “Helen and I would watch the visitors arrive from all sorts of hiding places,” she said, “and as teenagers we would sunbathe on the roof at the top of the highest tower.”
Staff and volunteers have also brought their memories to the exhibition. “My mother visited Buckland Abbey when she was pregnant with me,” continued Eleanor Hopkinson. “There’s a wonderful picture of her here in the gardens during that time. She couldn’t have known that 30 years later her baby would be helping to run the place she was standing in!”
Buckland Abbey was opened to visitors 75 years ago by Lord Mountbatten during the Festival of Britain, the nation-wide post-war celebration in the summer of 1951. Objects from that time have been leant to the exhibition and will be on display alongside original photographs and videos.
“We’ve been researching extensively about Buckland’s early years alongside our information from interviewees,” said Georgia Harmer, Visitor Experience Officer “We’ve uncovered some secrets too. There have been decades of rumours about ghosts at Buckland Abbey - well it turns out that at least in the 1950s and 60s, it was probably one of Buckland’s resident children larking around. They’ve finally admitted to it!”
Rich in history, the historic site was originally a Cistercian monastery founded in 1278. However, Buckland Abbey is best known as the home to Elizabethan sailors, including Sir Francis Drake, one of Queen Elizabeth I’s “Sea Dogs” who bought the estate by the river Tavy after his successful circumnavigation of the globe.
Now a home to wildlife and woodland, Buckland Abbey is cherished for its estate walks and verdant gardens and has remained a successful tourist attraction over the decades.
“So many people have made precious memories here,” said Georgia Harmer. “We wouldn’t have such a special exhibition without their stories. Thank you to everyone who has kindly shared their memories of Buckland with us.”
The Buckland 75 exhibition opens on 12 September and will run until 1 November, 11am-4pm in the Nave Gallery in Buckland Abbey. Normal entry will apply. Free for National Trust members.