| South
Devon
With its southerly aspect,
South Devon benefits from one of the mildest climates in the
UK. Largely unspoilt be the ravages of the twentieth century,
the region can take you back to an England long gone. The scenic
variety is amazing. A rural patchwork of hilly fields and woodlands
run to magnificent, rugged coastline with fine, sheltered beaches.
There are peaceful valleys guarding meandering rivers, the breathtaking
magnificence of Dartmoor and everywhere, a variety of flora
and wildlife that makes exploring South Devon a delight
There is a wealth of activities available
in the area, many of which are enhanced by the natural beauty
of their location. Sailing and water sports are extremely popular,
with a superb range of facilities available around South Devon's
coastline and estuaries. For walkers, the choices are almost
endless with miles of clearly marked coastal and country paths.
For the more adventurous walker, some time spent on Dartmoor
is a must.
There are numerous leisure and activity
centres. Farm and wildlife centres abound where you can meet
some of the regions winged and four-legged inhabitants, and,
for those just looking to enjoy some serious sunbathing, South
Devon has some of the most beautiful, sheltered beaches in England.
For the Golfer, South Devon is a delight
with a superb range of testing country and links courses, all
of which offer experienced golfers a warm welcome.
Another of South Devon's major attractions is its history and
architecture. Ancient, picturesque villages dot the countryside
and hug secluded inlets and rivers. Quaint old stone cottages,
beautiful crenulated churches that have withstood the ravages
of time and weather since the 13th Century and earlier, magnificent
Elizabethan and 17th Century houses, imperious forts and castles
which stand guard still against foes long dead, all offer an
insight into South Devon's long, and sometimes chequered, past.
The many small local museums tell the stories of those centuries
of history. Local heroes, smugglers and wreckers, naval battles,
great discoveries, a lot has happened in South Devon in the
last few hundred years or so!
With so many charming old towns and villages,
shopping in South Devon is great fun. Meander through the narrow
streets and you will find a wealth of individual little shops
selling all manner of unusual and traditional items. There are
galleries, specialist food shops, local crafts, boutiques and
a bewildering range of gifts on offer to tempt you.
When you are exhausted from all your
explorations, what better than to fall into a pretty old pub
to sample some of the local ale? Pubs in South Devon have a
charm all their own - flower bedecked in the Summer, glowing
logs in an open hearth in Winter and, all year round, a warm
Devon welcome.
Make South Devon your next stop - we have so much to show you.
Our lovely part of "Old England" brings new meaning
to that old saying, "Once bitten, forever smitten"
- get bitten by South Devon soon!
A brief History of
South Devon
In the 17th Century Torbay was more renowned
as a haven for pirates and smugglers than for its natural beauty.French
brandy was the favourite booty for smugglers, and pirates were
so numerous that the Mayor of Dartmouth sent to London on 1620
fearing for the safety of ships in the Channel.
One local pub, the Olde Smokey House
at Marldon on the outskirts of Paignton, is reputed to have
been a centre of the ancient smuggling trade, with the chimney
used to send smoke signals to contraband cutters out in the
bay.The Navy frequently used Torbay as an anchorage in the Napoleonic
Wars, and it was here that the British man-of-war Bellerophon
brought Napoleon himself on his way to exile.
Today the links with the Navy remain
strong, with the borough having adopted the nuclear submarine
HMS Torbay.In 1910 King George V reviewed the mighty British
fleet in Torbay, and was amazed when an early flimsy bi-plane
flew over the gathering. Queen Elizabeth also reviewed the more
modern fleet in Torbay in the 1960s.
Hundreds of thousands of American GIs
will remember Torbay from the day they embarked for the Normandy
landings. Special craft were built at Brixham and in the River
Dart, and slipways built to launch them are still visible in
Torquay HarbourTorbay remains one of the most popular venues
in the world for yacht racing. During the London Olympics of
1948, the Olympic sailing events took place in the bay.
Historical characters of
South Devon
Torquay was the birthplace of one of the world's best loved
and most popular authors, Dame Agatha Christie.Born on September
15 1890, she spent much of her life in Torbay, living in later
years at Greenway near the village of Galmpton.
The great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel,
the innovator of so much of the South West's railway system,
fell in love with Torbay and decided to retire to a house he
designed at Watcombe on the outskirts of Torquay.
The dancer Isadora Duncan lived for a
time at Oldway Mansion in Paignton with her lover Paris Singer.
Isadora is reputed to have been the model for the Statue of
Liberty.
Celebrated Irish playwright Sean O'Casey
lived for many years in the St Marychurch area of Torquay.
Other literary figures who spent time
in the resort include Oscar Wilde, Charles Kingsley, Rudyard
Kipling, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Frances Brett Young and
Flora Thompson.Horatio Nelson stayed at Torre Abbey in 1801
as a guest of the Cary family.
John Lee of Babbacombe made history as
The Man They Couldn't Hang. Convicted of murdering his employer
in 1885, Lee survived three attempts to hang him at Exeter Gaol.
He was eventually released from prison and lived to a ripe old
age.
A replica of the Mayflower was built
in Brixham in 1957 and sailed to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where
it is still anchored as a living museum.
The world premiere of the Gilbert and
Sullivan opera The Pirates of Penzance was performed at the
Bijou Theatre in Paignton in 1879.A plaque now marks the spot,
at the rear of the town's Woolworth store.
Paignton Zoo, opened in 1923 by Herbert
Whitley, accepted animals from Chessington Zoo in London during
the Second World War as evacuees.
The statue of William Of Orange at Brixham
harbourside is the only one in the country with a Dutch inscription.The
stone on which William allegedly stepped ashore has been preserved,
and since that date only two other people have stood on it.
They were William IV, as the Duke of Clarence, and our present
Queen when she visited the town in July 1988.
The Reverend Henry Francis Lyte was the
vicar of All Saints at Brixham in the 19th Century. While there,
he composed the hymn Abide With Me - always sung before the
FA Cup Final at Wembley. The church bells still play the tune.
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