Arts, Life & Culture in the Heart of the Southwest
While politicians debate high street decline, a generation of creative entrepreneurs in Dartmouth is quietly transforming vacant retail units into thriving cultural spaces. Their temporary tenancies are proving more permanent than anyone expected.
In workshops scattered across the South West, master craftspeople are discovering that centuries-old techniques suddenly make perfect business sense. From hand-carved picture frames to letterpress printing, traditional skills are finding unexpected markets in our throwaway world.
From garden-shed laboratories to cliff-top observatories, a dedicated band of amateur researchers across Devon are collecting vital environmental data with nothing more than curiosity and kitchen scales. Their findings are reshaping how we understand our changing coastline.
In an age of GPS and fish finders, a handful of Dartmouth's most experienced fishermen still trust their instincts over their instruments. We meet the keepers of maritime wisdom that stretches back generations.
From drafty church halls to purpose-built theatres, Devon's amateur dramatic societies face their greatest challenge yet. Can centuries-old traditions survive rising costs and streaming culture?
From Exeter to St Austell, a quiet revolution is transforming the pub landscape. We explore the alcohol-free venues creating genuine community spaces for a generation drinking less.
Behind hand-painted china and secret scone recipes, a passionate band of tea room proprietors is quietly revolutionising Devon's café culture. Their weapon of choice? Uncompromising authenticity in an age of corporate coffee chains.
Across Southwest England, the humble village hall faces extinction as funding dries up and volunteers age out. But a new generation is discovering these modest buildings hold the key to rural cultural survival.
From elderflower cordials to wild garlic feasts, a new generation of foragers is unlocking the culinary secrets hidden in Devon's ancient hedgerows. Meet the countryside code-breakers teaching us to read nature's menu.
They arrived with romantic notions of rural inspiration and creative freedom, but what happens when London's artistic refugees discover that Devon's creative paradise comes with its own unique set of challenges? We speak to the artists, writers and musicians who made the leap.
In village halls and care homes across Devon, a quiet emergency is unfolding. The distinctive dialect that has shaped local identity for centuries is vanishing faster than anyone imagined, and a dedicated group of linguists and volunteers are fighting to preserve what remains before it's lost forever.
Across the rolling hills and craggy coastlines of Devon, a quiet revolution is bubbling away in converted barns and repurposed farm buildings. A new generation of craft distillers is transforming local botanicals into world-class spirits, putting the Southwest firmly on Britain's drinks map.
While most of us check our phones for the weather forecast, a dwindling band of Devon fishermen still read the skies like an ancient text. These coastal oracles possess knowledge that's been whispered from father to son for centuries, and now researchers are racing to preserve their wisdom before it vanishes with the tide.
In an age of corporate chains and gastropub franchises, a handful of Devon families continue to pour pints in the same buildings their great-grandparents once called home. These are the stories of the bloodline keepers—the landlords who've chosen heritage over profit.
In workshops tucked away behind Devon's ancient stone walls, a handful of artisans still wield brushes loaded with gold leaf and vermillion, creating the swinging masterpieces that have crowned our pubs for centuries. But as these last guardians of a uniquely British craft reach retirement, the question looms: who will paint the stories of our communities tomorrow?
In weathered sheds along Devon's coast, a handful of fishermen still cure their catch using methods unchanged since medieval times. As modern chefs rediscover these forgotten flavours, the ancient art of salt-curing fish is experiencing an unexpected renaissance.
In the shadowy corners of Dartmouth's oldest harbourside pubs, something precious is slipping away. The impromptu musical sessions that once brought together fishermen, locals, and wandering musicians around shared pints and weathered fiddles are becoming memories. We explore why these organic gatherings are vanishing and meet the quiet guardians fighting to preserve them.
Across Devon's rolling countryside, an intricate network of living boundaries tells the story of a thousand years of agriculture. But as these ancient hedgerows face unprecedented threats, a dedicated band of craftspeople are working to preserve both the skill and the landscape that defines our county.
In an age of takeaway dinners and solitary scrolling, a quiet revolution is brewing across Devon's villages. From centuries-old harvest feasts to fishermen's farewell suppers, the Southwest's tradition of communal dining is staging an unlikely comeback.
In an era of satellite navigation and automated systems, a dedicated band of volunteers still tends to Devon's historic lighthouses and beacons. These modern guardians preserve maritime traditions that span centuries, but their numbers are dwindling as fast as the structures they protect.