We are located
50 miles from the M5 North, Junction 27, via the A361 North Devon Link Road.
Follow brown tourism signs.
40 miles from the M5 South, Junction 31, via the A377, then B3227.
Follow brown tourism signs.
5 1/2 miles South East of Barnstaple
If coming from Barnstaple, take A377 (signed Tourist Route Exeter), take first left after Bishops Tawton Service Station. Again, follow brown tourism signs. These details were last updated on Tuesday 18 November 2008 Cobbaton Combat CollectionMilitary museum and tourist attraction, this North Devon collection covers mostly World War Two and the years 1939 - 1945, but with exhibits from the Boer War, up to the First Gulf War. Ranging from military surplus tanks, guns, helmets, artillery, grenades, and bombs, to Home Front ration books, gas masks, ARP and Home Guard uniforms, and blackout lamps. In 1981 Preston Isaac's runaway hobby was opened to the public, and just keeps growing.
Most of the vehicles and military equipment are packed in two hangar like Romney buildings. Vehicles are restored, often from derelict condition, not to look pristine, but, as a tribute to their original crews, like vehicles just back from the front line, with muddy tyres and tracks, and festooned with the kit which would have been carried by the soldiers who drove them to war over fifty years ago.
In 2004 the Home Front exhibits were moved out from the old barn into a new Romney type purpose built building. These displays cover Civil Defence and ARP, National Fire Service and Auxiliary Fire Service, Women's Land Army, Home Guard, WVS, Red Cross and St John. This is the world of evacuees, searchlights, Mickey Mouse gas masks, Anderson and Morrison air raid shelters.
Tim has now converted the old stone barn into his home, which means he is now living on site. He now has a new workshop, another Romney extension on the Home Front building. The plan is to do some restoration / maintenance on vehicles from the collection here, and also take in some restoration work. With Tim's interest in Land Rovers, he seems to have already acquired quite an amount of various spare components.
" The displays are cluttered by anyone's standards, this is partly due to a simple lack of space, but also the desire to recreate the feeling of vehicles which are men's homes, as well as a fighting vehicle. For many men, all they had was in or on their vehicle. We keep having shunting sessions to fit in another vehicle, and sometimes still manage to surprise ourselves by squeezing in “just one more”. The 1360 square yards of the two main buildings are packed with some 45 vehicles and artillery pieces, with displays in between. We have about 20 different military radios, from 19 Sets to the great Canadian 52 Set on display, but profess no technical knowledge "
Over 200 deactivated small arms are on show, from the old faithful Lee Enfield No1 Mk3* of WW1, and the Stens and Brens of WW2, to a quite rare Vickers K, and more unusual, a .50" Vickers, and a 15mm Besa." |