Powderham Unbound:

Made possible through seed-funding from the Historic Houses Small Projects Grant Scheme, Powderham Unbound is an important first step towards a much larger vision: conserving, researching and sharing Powderham's nationally significant archive and library for the benefit of future generations.

The archive preserves more than 700 years of the Courtenay family's history, while the library, established in 1740, is possibly the earliest purpose-built country house library in the Southwest. Together, they offer an extraordinary resource for understanding the history of Devon, its people and its literary culture.

The pilot project is improving the care and understanding of the collection through condition and significance surveys, sharing digital collection highlights and working with partners to explore the future potential of the archive and library.

It is laying the foundations for an ambitious programme of conservation, research and public access that will develop over the coming years.

As a project partner, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature is supporting the exploration of how the historic collection can inspire contemporary readers, writers, researchers and communities.

By connecting Powderham's rich literary heritage with today's audiences, the partnership aims to demonstrate how historic collections can become living resources for creativity, learning and discovery.