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THE SOUTH DEVON COAST
WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR
=The Portsmouth Road=, and its Tributaries: To-day and in Days
of Old.
=The Dover Road=: Annals of an Ancient Turnpike.
=The Bath Road=: History, Fashion, and Frivolity on an Old
Highway.
=The Exeter Road=: The Story of the West of England Highway.
=The Great North Road=: The Old Mail Road to Scotland. Two Vols.
=The Norwich Road=: An East Anglian Highway.
=The Holyhead Road=: The Mail-Coach Road to Dublin. Two Vols.
=The Cambridge, Ely, and King’s Lynn Road=: The Great Fenland
Highway.
=The Newmarket, Bury, Thetford, and Cromer Road=: Sport and
History on an East Anglian Turnpike.
=The Oxford, Gloucester, and Milford Haven Road=: The Ready Way
to South Wales. Two Vols.
=The Brighton Road=: Speed, Sport, and History on the Classic
Highway.
=The Hastings Road= and the “Happy Springs of Tunbridge.”
=Cycle Rides Round London.=
=A Practical Handbook of Drawing for Modern Methods of
Reproduction.=
=Stage Coach and Mail in Days of Yore.= Two Vols.
=The Ingoldsby Country=: Literary Landmarks of “The Ingoldsby
Legends.”
=The Hardy Country=: Literary Landmarks of the Wessex Novels.
=The Dorset Coast.=
=The Old Inns of Old England.= Two Vols.
=Love in the Harbour=: A Longshore Comedy.
=The Manchester and Glasgow Road.= Two Vols. [_In the Press._
[Illustration: _Frontispiece_] THE MEWSTONE. [_After J. M. W. Turner_]
THE SOUTH DEVON
COAST
BY
CHARLES G. HARPER
“_Devonshire is the country of red earth,
ruddy apples, rosy cheeks, and honest men._”
RALEIGH.
[Illustration]
LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL, LTD.
1907
PRINTED AND BOUND BY
HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD,
LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
CONTENTS
PAGE
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY 1
CHAPTER II
ROUSDON—THE DOWLANDS LANDSLIP 4
CHAPTER III
SEATON 14
CHAPTER IV
JACK RATTENBURY, SMUGGLER—BEER 23
CHAPTER V
BRANSCOMBE 35
CHAPTER VI
SIDMOUTH 42
CHAPTER VII
OTTERTON—EAST BUDLEIGH—SIR WALTER RALEIGH 53
CHAPTER VIII
BUDLEIGH SALTERTON—LITTLEHAM—EXMOUTH—TOPSHAM—ESTUARY OF THE AXE 62
CHAPTER IX
POWDERHAM AND THE COURTENAYS—STARCROSS 71
CHAPTER X
DAWLISH—ASHCOMBE—THE PARSON AND CLERK 80
CHAPTER XI
TEIGNMOUTH 91
CHAPTER XII
TEIGNMOUTH—THE PLYMOUTH BRETHREN—THE TEIGN—LITERARY ASSOCIATIONS 99
CHAPTER XIII
SHALDON—LABRADOR—WATCOMBE—ST. MARYCHURCH—BABBACOMBE 111
CHAPTER XIV
BABBACOMBE—THE PEASANT SPEECH OF DEVON—ANSTEY’S COVE—KENT’S
CAVERN 120
CHAPTER XV
ILSHAM GRANGE—MEADFOOT—TORQUAY 133
CHAPTER XVI
BRIXHAM—LANDING OF WILLIAM OF ORANGE 142
CHAPTER XVII
LANDING OF WILLIAM OF ORANGE 151
CHAPTER XVIII
BRIXHAM—THE FISHERY—ROUND THE COAST TO DARTMOUTH 160
CHAPTER XIX
DARTMOUTH 171
CHAPTER XX
THE DART—DITTISHAM—STOKE GABRIEL—“PARLIAMENT HOUSE” 181
CHAPTER XXI
DARTMOUTH CASTLE—BLACKPOOL—SLAPTON SANDS—TORCROSS—BEESANDS—HALL
SANDS 194
CHAPTER XXII
THE START AND ITS TRAGEDIES—LANNACOMBE—CHIVELSTONE—EAST
PRAWLE—PORTLEMOUTH 209
CHAPTER XXIII
SALCOMBE—KINGSBRIDGE—SALCOMBE CASTLE—BOLT HEAD—HOPE 218
CHAPTER XXIV
THURLESTONE—THE AVON—BOROUGH ISLAND—RINGMORE—KINGSTON—THE ERME 237
CHAPTER XXV
MOTHECOMBE—REVELSTOKE—NOSS MAYO—THE YEALM—WEMBURY—THE MEWSTONE 251
CHAPTER XXVI
THE CATWATER—THE BARBICAN—THE “PILGRIM FATHERS”—THE HOE 265
CHAPTER XXVII
THE STORY OF THE EDDYSTONE—THE GUILDHALL—ST. ANDREW’S 281
CHAPTER XXVIII
THE HAMOAZE—THE VICTUALLING YARD AND DOCKYARD—THE TAMAR 295
INDEX 301
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
The Mewstone _Frontispiece_
Map of South Devon Coast: Lyme Regis to Torquay _Facing p._ 1
PAGE
Headpiece 1
Middle Mill 5
Rousdon 9
The Landslip 12
Seaton: Mouth of the Axe 15
White Cliff, Seaton Hole 21
Beer 29
Branscombe 37
Woolacombe Glen 47
“The Old Chancel” 49
Ladram Bay 51
East Budleigh 55
Hayes Barton: Birthplace of Sir Walter Raleigh 57
Topsham 69
Exeter, from the Ship Canal _Facing p._ 70
Dawlish 83
The Parson and Clerk Rocks 87
Teignmouth; The Sea Wall _Facing p._ 90
Approach to Teignmouth 93
In the Harbour 101
Teignmouth Harbour: looking out to Sea, showing the Ness,
and Shaldon, and the Main Line of the Great Western
Railway _Facing p._ 102
The Ness: Entrance to the Teign 104
Kingsteignton 108
Coombe Cellars 109
At Shaldon 113
Babbacombe 121
Anstey’s Cove 126
Anstey’s Cove 128
Map: The South Devon Coast—Torquay to Plymouth and the Tamar 132
Meadfoot, and the Ore Stone and Thatcher Rock _Facing p._ 134
The Ancient Chapel of St. Michael, Torre 138
Miles Coverdale’s Tower, Paignton 144
Obelisk, marking Spot where William of Orange landed 149
The House where William of Orange slept 153
Brixham Harbour: Statue of William the Third 155
Brixham Harbour 163
Dartmouth Castle and the Church of St. Petrox, from
Kingswear _Facing p._ 170
The Pulpit, St. Saviour’s, Dartmouth 174
Dartmouth Harbour and the _Britannia_ _Facing p._ 176
Foss Street and St. Saviour’s 177
The Butter Walk, Dartmouth 179
Salmon Nets at Dittisham Quay 182
Greenaway Ferry _Facing p._ 182
A Salmon Fisher 184
Stoke Gabriel 187
“Parliament House” 191
Stoke Fleming 196
Blackpool Sands 198
Torcross 201
Hall Sands 205
The Start 210
Chivelstone: a Rainy Day 214
The Ferry Slip, Salcombe 219
An Old Cottage, Salcombe 220
Salcombe Castle 221
Salcombe Church 221
Kingsbridge 223
Salcombe Castle 224
The Pinnacles, Bolt Head 227
The Thurlestone 237
The Ruined Church of Revelstoke 252
The Yealm: from Noss 254
Noss Mayo and Newton Ferrers 255
Wembury 262
Old Plymouth, from Mount Batten 267
The Barbican: where the Pilgrim Fathers embarked 270
The Citadel Gate 277
Winstanley’s Eddystone Lighthouse 283
Eddystone Lighthouse 287
Guildhall Square, Plymouth 291
The Prince of Wales in Stained Glass 293
The Hamoaze 298
Tailpiece: Lights along the Shore 300
[Illustration: _The_ SOUTH DEVON COAST
LYME REGIS _to_ TORQUAY]
[Illustration: _The South Devon Coast_]
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY
If the map of Devon be measured across in a straight line, it will be
found that, from Lyme Regis, where it joins Dorsetshire, to King’s
Tamerton on the River Tamar, where Devonshire at its westernmost
extremity looks across to Saltash, in Cornwall, South Devon is fifty-five
miles across. That line, however, would miss quite two-thirds of the
coast, and would pass so far inland as Ashburton, on the borders of
Dartmoor; the profile of the South Devon Coast exhibiting a remarkably
bold and rugged south-westerly trend out of a straight line, westward
of the Exe, and an almost equally bold north-westerly direction after
passing Prawle Point. The actual coast-line is therefore very much
greater, and is prolonged by the many important estuaries and their
subsidiary arms; such, for example, as that of the Exe, which is
navigable as far as the port of Exeter, nine miles from the open sea;
the Teign, four miles; the Dart, nine miles; Kingsbridge River, seven
miles; the Avon, three miles; the Erme, two miles; the Yealm, four miles;
and the Hamoaze and Tamar, from Devonport to Calstock, ten miles. In
one way and another, the South Devon Coast, tracing the creeks and the
coastguard-paths, is not less than one hundred and eighty-nine miles in
length.
It is a historic coast, and plentifully marked with towns and villages;
with this result, that it is by no means to be treated of shortly.
Devon has produced fully her share of great men, and many of them have
been born within sight and sound of the sea; while the mere mention of
Torquay, Brixham, Dartmouth, and Plymouth, recalls, not merely local
annals, but prominent events in the history of England.
As the South Devon Coast is the most beautiful of coasts, so is it also
among the most hilly. One hesitates to say that it is not the coast
for exploring by means of a cycle, but certainly those who perform
their touring in that sort must expect severe gradients, and must not
anticipate, even so, an uninterrupted view of the actual coast; for there
are many and considerable stretches along which you come to the sea only
by unrideable footpaths. The pedestrian alone can explore this seaboard
thoroughly, and he will find, in the tourist season, at least, that his
progress is limited by the climate, which not infrequently in the months
of July and August, resembles the moist and enervating heat of the great
Palm House in Kew Gardens.
Lyme Regis, whence this exploration starts, is at the very door of
Devonshire, and was, indeed, in recent years within an ace of being
transferred from Dorset. At Lyme, which lies, as it were, at the bottom
of a cup, you perceive at once the sort of thing in store for those who
would fare westward: exquisite scenery combined with extravagantly steep
roads.