ILSINGTON is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the village being saved from destruction.

In 1938, officials from the Ministry of Health condemned most of the village’s houses and cottages, describing it as a ‘slum’.

A report on the state of West Country communities at the time said: ‘This is the story of a typical Dartmoor community.

‘The village can best be described as a slum.

‘I find it impossible to describe adequately in words the primitive squalor that obtains.’

However, thanks to the efforts of the vicar and Sir Francis Acland MP, local retired architect and builder Captain Quelch was persuaded to take on the financial responsibility for the conservation work.

Having recently settled close to the village, he bought the cottages, applied for a Government grant and drew up a schedule of restoration.

His intervention alone secured the future of nearby Trumpeter and Ilsington to preserving their character and history.

Now, the Ilsington Local History Group is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the restoration of the cottages and the saving of the village.

The project has been supported by Parishscapes funding from Dartmoor National Park, a unique initiative that has given a voice to rural communities and the opportunity to explore its heritage.

One of the group’s aims was to organise community events to inform local people about the parish history.

A one-day community history event is taking place on tomorrow between 10.30am and 3.30pm at Ilsington village hall to commemorate the anniversary and explain how the village was restored.

There will be an exhibition and a programme of illustrated talks to retell the story of 1938.

An exhibition of photos, documents and artifacts will be on show during the day, and a booklet entitled: Ilsington – a place in history, price £5, which commemorates the 80th anniversary of the restoration of the village will be available.