Check out this unique source of information..

Letters sent out from solicitors Hillman & Bond give valuable information to many searching for specific details of who may have lived, died, bought houses or land, been in dispute etc........or maybe just interested more generally in life in Lyme Regis in the first half of the 20th Century.

William Morris and his family's connections to Lyme Regis

Sometimes a simple question can lead to a history of connections not previously documented. When asked if Isabella Gilmore (1842-1923) was buried in Lyme Regis Cemetery, research identified her grave and discovered that not only was Isabella a remarkable woman in her own right, but was also a sister of William Morris, the designer, writer,socialist and polymath. As a result of this connection, not only did William Morris visit Lyme, but at various times his wife and daughters, his sister Emma and her daughter and his youngest sister Alice lived in Lyme. The Museum holds several of pieces of their artwork.

Abbeyfield, formerly Westhill

This large Regency building in Silver Street has been known for the last 40 years as the Abbeyfield Retirement Home, but since its sale in 2022 is undergoing extensive rennovation to return it to a family home, its original purpose. This article documents the three families who lived there before it was acquired by the Abbeyfield Trust and illustrates some of the fine Georgian features which were still evident at the time of the Research Team's visit in 2022.