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Late Spring Foliage and meadow
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The Cave-Penney Memorial
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Dartmoor Pony Grazing on the Moor
Dartmoor Pony Grazing on the Moor
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Widecombe Valley Looking North – DJI Camera
Hawthorn in full bloom on the Moor
Hawthorn in full bloom on the Moor
Seven Lords' Land Roundhouse
Seven Lords’ Land Roundhouse

Widecombe Parish Council: Burying the Capsule

Home » Parish Council Home » Widecombe Parish Council: Burying the Capsule



On Saturday 9th September 2000, the Parish’s Millennium Capsule was buried.

The capsule was a Parish Council project for the millennium.

This capsule contains photographs of almost all of the dwellings andinhabitants of the Parish together with various other memorabilia contributed by the Parishioners. It even contains a copy of this website on CD.

The capsule is buried on Widecombe Village Green under a large granite boulder. The boulder carries the inscription that the capsule is to remainburied for 100 years, at which point it can be opened, inspected and further material inserted. It is then to be resealed for another 100 years, and theprocess is then to be repeated, hopefully for 1000 years.

The burial was accompanied by a short ceremony and followed by tea at theGreen Cafe on the Village Green. Almost 200 people attended the ceremony.

The Widecombe Church Bells, which had only just been re-hung were rungofficially for the first time after their restoration.

Some photographs of the ceremony are shown below. As usual, please click onany photograph for a larger version.

Burying the Millennium Capsule - waiting for the start

Waiting for the Ceremony to start

Manoeuvring the capsule cover

Delicate manoeuvres to remove the boulder ready for insertion of the capsule 

More manoeuvring of the boulder

More manoeuvres 

Blessing the capsule

The Blessing

The capsule ready to go into its hole

The capsule ready to go into its hole

In goes the capsule

In it goes!

More delicate manoeuvres to get the boulder back in position

More delicate manoeuvres to get the boulder back in position