President’s Symposium, May 2026
The subject of our 2026 Symposium was
The People of Devon and Their Identity: From Palaeolithic Roots to Tourism
Hosted by our 2025–26 President, Nick Powe on Saturday 9 May 2026 at Torquay Museum,
529 Babbacombe Road, Torquay, TQ1 1HG
18th-century entrance to Kents Cavern. Image courtesy of Torquay Museum
About the Symposium
Nick Powe
President 2025–26
The symposium explored the rich and evolving identity of Devon’s people from the Palaeolithic era to today.
Through archaeology, history and cultural studies we examined how geography, migration, trade, and socio-economic shifts shaped Devon’s distinct regional character. The event highlighted key transitions, from early hunter-gatherers and Roman influences to medieval trade networks and the rise of tourism, offering a cohesive narrative of Devon’s cultural legacy.
The Symposium was open to all, both members of the Devonshire Association and others interested in discovering more about Devon’s heritage and the Association’s activities.
Programme
| 9:30 – 10:00am | REGISTRATION and Coffee | |
| 10:00 – 10:10am | Welcome and introduction | Nick Powe DL, DA President |
| 10:10 – 10:45am | Same Caves, Different People: Kents Cavern Through Deep Time | Dr Helen Fewlass, Lecturer in Archaeology, University of Bristol |
| 10:45 – 11:20am | Roman Devon: Integration and resistance | Professor Stephen Rippon, Professor of Landscape Archaeology, University of Exeter |
| 11:20 – 11:35am | BREAK | |
| 11:35 – 12:10pm | The Archaeology of Regional Cultures in Medieval Devon | John Allan, Exeter Cathedral Archaeologist |
| 12:10 – 12:45pm | New Horizons and Early Modern Devon | Dr Todd Gray MBE, Historian and writer |
| 12:45 – 1:45pm | LUNCH | |
| 1:45 – 2:20pm | ‘No lack of objects of curiosity’: Travellers, Tourists and Devon’s cultural identity | Dr Rosemary Yallop, Architectural Historian |
| 2:20 – 3:00pm | PANEL DISCUSSION | |
| 3:00 – 3:30pm | CREAM TEA |
