Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in the valley below the ancient Neolithic Hembury Fort, the village of Broadhembury sits serenely in an unspoiled East Devon landscape.
Saxon in origin, the village is predominantly 16th Century in its construction, although there is evidence of much earlier architecture interspersed throughout the village, including the Church which was consecrated in 1259.
Over the past 100 years the heart of Broadhembury has been in the ownership of one family and as a result of three generations of custodianship, has retained its uniqueness to this day. It is recognized as “an outstanding unspoiled estate village of thatched houses” and as such is one of Devon’s finest conserved examples of Devon vernacular cob and thatch buildings.
Unique it may be, but Broadhembury is anything but a museum. Supporting a Post Office and stores, pub, school, church and village hall, the community is diverse and very active – a profile that, sadly, is all too often missing in villages these days.
Broadhembury’s absence of street lighting provides residents and visitors with a feast of starlit skies – again something lacking in most country villages in the 21st century – while the absence of pavements and street furniture undoubtedly underpins the friendly and informal atmosphere on the street, where residents stop to greet each other and chat on a daily basis.
Those of us fortunate enough to live here recognise that in the long term we are custodians, not owners, of this unique place and we have a shared obligation to keep it special for future generations.
Broadhembury Village Matters 