Yelverton Paperweight Centre

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Yelverton Paperweight Centre
Dartmoor National Park UK location map.svg
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Yelverton Paperweight Centre located within Dartmoor
Established1978 (1978)
Dissolved2003 (2003)
Coordinates 50°29′34″N4°05′30″W / 50.49272°N 4.09179°W / 50.49272; -4.09179 Coordinates: 50°29′34″N4°05′30″W / 50.49272°N 4.09179°W / 50.49272; -4.09179
Collection size>1,200 paperweights
FounderBernard Broughton

Yelverton Paperweight Centre was a paperweight museum and supplier in Leg O'Mutton, a small hamlet near Yelverton, in the English county of Devon. The museum began as the private collection of a Cornish postmaster, and grew to contain over 1,200 items. It was featured in the humorous travel book, More Bollocks to Alton Towers , which suggested that, "Even if you're sceptical when you arrive, you'll be amazed long before you leave". [1]

Contents

As of 2015, the Paperweight Centre had closed and the building was up for sale. [2]

History

The museum began as the private collection of Bernard Broughton, the postmaster of St Tudy in Cornwall. Broughton's wife was bequeathed a French paperweight in a family member's will, and this inspired Broughton to begin collecting paperweights. [1] [3] When his personal collection had grown, he began to open it for public viewings in his post office building. [3] In 1978, Broughton moved to Yelverton and continued giving the public access to his collection. [1] At the point of his death in 1984, he had amassed 850 paperweights. [3]

Between 1984 and 1997, the Paperweight Centre was managed by Kay Bolster, who had been assistant to Broughton since his move to Yelverton. During this time, the collection became a more popular tourist attraction. In 1997, the centre was taken over by David Hunter. [3]

The centre closed some time after that.

Collections

In total, the centre had approximately 1,200 paperweights; some from the Broughton collection, others acquired by its subsequent owners. The collection contained examples of paperweights from many different countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy and China. [3] Some were from paperweight studios, such as Caithness Glass or Whitefriars Glass, while others were the work of individual artists. The centre also featured watercolour scenes of Dartmoor. [4]

The centre was a dedicated commercial supplier of paperweights. [3] Additionally, Bernard Broughton commissioned two series of paperweights, in a limited edition, from Isle of Wight Studio Glass. The first series in 1979 had a 'PO 79' embossed logo on the base. PO was a reference to Post Office. The second series had 'Y 1981' embossed on the base, a reference to Yelverton and the year they were made. The second series paperweights contain pieces of quartz collected from Bodmin Moor to add to the local interest.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Halstead, Robin; Hazeley, Jason; Morris, Alex; Joel Morris (2008). More Bollocks to Alton Towers. Penguin Books. pp. 72–77. ISBN   978-0-14-191877-8.
  2. "Buckland Terrace, Yelverton, Devon". Locanto. Retrieved 9 March 2015. Situated on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, is this former Yelverton Paperweight Centre with Planning Permission for conversion into a residential dwelling with 5/6 bedrooms.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Heavyweight Artefacts Collected By Kings". Western Morning News. 9 March 2004.
  4. Billing, Joanna (2003). The Hidden Places of Devon. Travel Publishing Ltd. p. 145. ISBN   978-1-902007-89-2.