Exploring the rich multicultural history of Devon.

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About us

About us

Telling Our Stories, Finding Our Roots is a community heritage and oral history project focused on diverse and multicultural histories. It explores the stories, memories and hidden histories of Devon’s towns and cities – past and present.

Through building an archive of oral history interviews, Telling Our Stories aims to preserve, share and celebrate the voices, stories and heritage of the wide range of people who live in Devon today, ensuring that the voices we listen to today and in the future are more diverse and more inclusive than the ones we’ve heard before.

To date, the project has gathered histories and contemporary stories from 3 towns and 1 city: Exeter (2012-13), Bideford (2020), Okehampton (2020) and Tiverton (2020).

The project is community-led and community-powered, supported throughout by teams of local volunteers, and featuring the voices and contributions of many community participants.

Telling Our Stories is a Devon Development Education project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Public-facing activity has been made possible thanks to heritage partners Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life, The Museum of Dartmoor Life, The Burton at Bideford, and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (2012 – 2013).

Our locations

Our locations

Telling Our Stories has engaged with 3 towns and 1 city across Mid and North Devon.

We have worked in Exeter (2012 – 2013); Bideford (2019 – 2020), Okehampton (2019 – 2020) and Tiverton (2019 – 2020).

These towns and cities are each very different. Exeter is the county’s capital; Tiverton is a centre of industry / manufacturing; Bideford is a port town; and Okehampton is an agricultural market town on the edge of Dartmoor.

Latest project news

Latest project news

Latest blog posts

Latest blog posts

Fordland Sketches

Fordland Sketches

A collection of sketches from the Devon Record Office, made by J Harris in 1823 and 1824 (ref no Z19/2/4) Number 8: 'Mr White A Black Beggar' is of special interest to this project - nothing else is known of him. Photographs by Ghee Bowman, with acknowledgements to...

Tucker’s Sketches

Tucker’s Sketches

From Devon Record Office, a collection of 'Portraits of Devonshire Characters' by an artist called Tucker. Dated 1870-1873. Number 3 carries the caption "Miss ______ Daughter of an English Merchant in West Africa sent to England to be educated", with the (probably...

Honiton – a place of rest and refuge over the centuries

Honiton – a place of rest and refuge over the centuries

What Multicultural History? by Jess Huffman, Project Coordinator (Honiton), Telling Our Stories, Finding Our Roots I really enjoy talking to people about the Telling Our Stories, Finding Our Roots Project. Discussing project opportunities to explore diverse and...