History fans start enjoying 10 days of Tavistock heritage tomorrow.

10 days of Heritage Open Days run until September 21st, with free guided walks, tours, workshops and access to rarely open buildings.

With a theme of architecture and how the town was built, Tavistock’s buzzing heritage community shares the intriguing stories behind the bricks and mortar.

There are 36 events — something for you? Find out more and download the programme.

Yours in Devon,

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The smooth, warm voice you'll remember from the 1990s

There’s an outing to the seaside next month for the comforting and powerful voice behind Ocean Drive, one of the memorable easy listening albums of the late 1990s.

HIT REPLAY: Tunde Baiyewu, the lead vocalist of Lighthouse Family, will be replaying those hits plus music from his solo career at Exmouth Pavilion on Sunday 19th October.

Ocean Drive sold 15 million copies worldwide with the tracks “High” and “Lifted” — pretty much everyone knows them.

The group split in 2003 and Tunde released the albums Tunde and Diamond in a Rock.

Tickets: from £37.50

Peter Pan and Faith in a nostalgic parade

Watch an international showcase of narrow-gauge locomotives as the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway celebrates Railway 200.

The celebration recognises the role of narrow-gauge engines in railway history. Here’s the line-up.

• VISITORS: Kerr Stuart Wren Class “Peter Pan” | De Winton “Chaloner” | Planet locomotive “Boothby” | 0-4-2T “Faith”

• HOME FLEET: Baldwin 762 “Lyn” | Bagnell 2819 “Sir George Newnes” | Kerr Stuart 2451 “Axe” | Drewry diesel D2393 “Pilton” | Hunslet diesels D6652 and D6660 “Heddon Hall”

Enjoy live music, classic cars, miniature traction engines, food and drink.

Woody Bay Station, near Parracombe, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th September. (The engine parade takes place on Sunday). More details.

Tickets: Adult from £14, child from £8.50

A silent film with a harp soundtrack (in a village hall)

You could be sitting in a museum, church or a Nissen hut listening to classical music or poetry.

Here’s a selection of events that caught my eye from the Two Moors Festival starting on 1st October, running for 12 days.

• CHORAL: Vocal ensemble APOLLO5 play choral masterpieces including Vaughan Williams and Saint-Saens. 3:30pm, Sunday 5th October. St Mary Magdalene Church, South Molton. From £10

• OPERA: 5 performers from National Opera Studio perform arias and ensembles from baroque to Broadway. 7:30pm Thursday, 9th October, All Saints' Church, Okehampton. From £10

• POETRY: Carol Hughes reads work by Ted Hughes, written during their life in North Tawton. 5pm, Friday 10th October, St Lawrence Chapel, Ashburton. £10

• SILENT FILM: A Cottage on Dartmoor with live harp soundtrack by Elizabeth-Jane Baldry “the only silent movie harpist in the world.” 11am, Saturday 11th October, Nicholls Hall, Lydford. £15

See the full programme

Learn Indian block printing at the Creative Crafts Show

Get hands on, hand-printing fabric and paper with Indian block printing.

It’s 1 of 20 workshops, many running multiple times, at the Creative Crafts Show in Exeter.

• Indian block printing is 10am-11.30am on Saturday 27th September. £28

Others include Introduction to Batik (2 hours, £38), Goldwork for Beginners (1.5 hours, £28) and Fabric Mosaic (£28). More here

HANDS-ON: Try the “Make and Takes” mini-workshops, where you can get hands-on support and 1-to-1 guidance.

• Win tickets to the Stitch Fest at Newton Abbot in our competitions listings below.

• Don’t miss the Go Devon! Arts & Crafts Special Issue next week.

MEMBER POLL

Last week’s result: “What kind of shows do you prefer?” (3,188 subscribers)

• Mainstream 12%

• Unusual or quirky 38%

• I like both 50%

Devon Curiosities #75: The Italian Garden at Great Ambrook

A secret garden near Exeter was hidden for a good reason — the men enjoying its privacy 100 years ago were breaking the laws of the day.

The walled retreat was built on farmland in 1909 using the slopes of an old quarry for dramatic effect, and separated from Great Ambrook House by a long drive.

HIDDEN WONDER: The result was a fantasy world where visitors were greeted with the unexpected pleasure of exotic trees and plants, a 100ft pergola, summerhouse, balustraded terraces and marble seating, a tennis court and octagonal bathing pool.

• After the homosexual owner Arthur Graham died in 1928, the house and garden had many keepers, but was neglected from the 1960s and became completely overgrown.

TODAY: Only in the last 10 years has restoration been underway and the garden is protected with a Grade 2 listing.

• Now managed by a community interest company, the aim is to fund conservation by reinvesting the tour and events proceeds. Creative workshops and group guided tours take place by arrangement. Find out more.

WHAT ELSE IS ON?

🌊 North Devon 

🐬 South Devon

🏆️ Get lucky! Win Devon leisure prizes

FEATURED:  ♨️ A 2-night stay for 4 people in a cliffside cottage at Babbacombe, with breakfast each day and 1 lunch for 4, including access to the sea-facing spa (30th Sep)

🦉 A weekend escape for 2 in a luxury treehouse in North Devon, with a copper bathtub, wood fired hot tub, stove, pizza oven, BBQ, and cinema projector, worth £1,460 (25th Sep)

🌊 A 3-day stay for 2 at the Saunton Sands Hotel in North Devon in a deluxe sea view room with breakfast on all 3 days and dinner on one night, plus £100 of holiday spending money (29th Sep)

🌊 A 2-night break in a 3-bedroom North Devon sea view apartment for family or friends with private hot tub (30th Sep)

🐕️ A 4-night break in an East Devon cottage with its own dog friendly enclosed garden and views across open countryside (30th Sep)

🪙 A £500 holiday voucher for a Dawlish family holiday park, plus attraction vouchers - survey (30th Sep)

NEW!  🫖 Tea for a Year! A 12-pack bundle of South Devon Teas, a different blend for every month. (30th Sep)

NEW!  🦞 2 nights for 12 people at the soon-to-be-launched Sea Holly House in Beer (1st Oct)

NEW!  🌊 A North Devon 2-night stay worth £568, with a view of the sea (6th Oct)

NEW!  🍾 A 2-night stay for 2 with a sea view at Woolacombe Bay Hotel, including breakfast each morning, a 2-course dinner, prosecco, 45-minute Rasul experience and access to the spa (10th Oct)

NEW!  🧶 1 of 5 pairs of weekend tickets to Stitch Fest South West at Newton Abbot racecourse in November, worth £36 (16th Oct)

❓️ Have you won a prize from a link here? Let me know

New member? Catch up here

🎭️ True story, offbeat and comedy shows in September and October

🎼 High quality, possibly world class, choral music in 5 Devon villages

🐎 75+ events celebrating 368 square miles of wild beauty

🧂A pinch of Salt Path 

That’s all for this week. Thanks for being a member.

NEXT WEEK: Don’t miss the Go Devon! Arts & Crafts Special Issue

Andy, Esme and Lara