Ada Lovelace is often recognized as the world’s first computer programmer. She was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron and mathematician Annabella Milbanke. During her married life, Ada spent most summers at Ashley Combe above Porlock Weir.

While at Ashley Combe, Ada immersed herself in local life, where she and her husband, William, transformed Culbone Woods, a native Atlantic temperate forest along the Exmoor coastline. Together, they imported and planted a variety of trees and shrubs, establishing one of the first significant arboretums in the South West of England. Ada also played a key role in creating a series of drives through the woods leading to the secluded St Beuno’s Church at Culbone. Although these have fallen into disrepair, walkers on the Coast Path will pass by much of her work.

Although she passed away at a young age, her collaboration with Charles Babbage on the “Analytical Engine,” a precursor to modern computers, left a lasting impact on the field of computing.

She authored what is considered the first published algorithm and envisioned the potential of computers to process not only numbers but also music, images, and text—concepts that were a century ahead of her time.

During her summers at Ashley Combe, she often worked on mathematical problems and sought inspiration while walking through the woods and along the cliff paths often with Charles Babbage.

Ada Lovelace (1815 – 1852)