There is a strong tradition of research at Lyme Regis Museum and each year new topics are tackled. In 2007, two volunteers at the museum, Graham Davies and Ken Gollop, decided to research the farms of the Lim Valley on the Dorset/Devon border with a view to mounting an exhibition. 

It was soon recognised that this was a critical time to research and record the farms of the area as many were disappearing or being redeveloped. Originally knowing of 28 farms, Graham and Ken have now gathered information on over 100. Over 2000 photographs and documents have been recorded so far, with many more in the pipeline.

There have been four exhibitions of the research, attracting over 3,000 visitors, and the project has become a model of good practice, receiving a ‘Highly Commended’ in the 2009 Dorset Archaeological Awards. Mary Godwin , Ken Gollop and other volunteers attended the ceremony in Christchurch where Time Team's Mick Aston presented the awards.

In 2009 it the project attracted funding from Renaissance in the Regions via Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Devon County Council and the East Devon AONB, to enable a major new exhibition to be mounted.

If you would like to get involved with the project or have any information such as old photographs, films or documents, which will help to record the old farms of the area, please get in touch. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Exhibitions of the work of this project have been shown at the Museum, at other locations in Lyme and elsewhere in both Dorset and Devon.

A flavour of these exhibitions can be obtained from these links to our Past Exhibitions section:

Farming in the Lym Valley

Lyme's Disappearing Farmland