Close to the estuary of the River Exe in Devon are some popular seaside towns which you might consider visiting if you are in the area. One of the best known is Sidmouth, which has also become a desirable town in which to retire (similar to Eastbourne in that respect). An ancient settlement, Sidmouth was mentioned in the Domesday Book and spent most of its life as a small fishing village until is became a well known holiday destination during Georgian and Victorian times. Between Sidmouth and Exmouth lies the residencial town of Budleigh Salterton, a quiet town with around 5,000 inhabitants. Budleigh Salterton lies beside the estuary of the River Otter, an important conservation area and haven for migratory birds, it also attracts holidaymakers during the summertime and like Sidmouth has a pebble beach. Right at the mouth of the River Exe, Exmouth is another historic settlement which became popular as a holiday destination, in fact it is claimed to be the oldest holiday resort in Devon, attracting many visitors during the 18th century, who came to enjoy the healing salt waters and the beautiful coastline. Map of Devon.
August 28, 2009
August 27, 2009
Bury St Edmunds Sudbury and Mildenhall Suffolk
One of East Anglia’s most historic towns, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk was considered a royal town by the Saxons and would certainly have been known by the Romans long before this. A monastery was built in Bury St Edmunds in around 633 by order of the King of the East Angles (Sigebert) and it was here that King Edmund was buried in 903 AD. The town grew around the abbey which later became the meeting place of the Barons of England as they formulated the Magna Carta. Much later during the 17th century the infamous Bury St Edmunds witch trials were held there. There are still remains of the abbey close to the town centre, though it was mostly destroyed during the 16th century. To the south of Bury St Edmunds, sitting beside the River Stour, Sudbury is another historic Saxon town, recorded in the Saxon Chronicles of 799 AD. Sudbury later grew prosperous through the wool and silk trade, it was also a well known haunt of famous artists such as John Constable who painted scenes of the area. A village which also benefited from the wool trade is Long Melford (located to the north of Sudbury), the proportions of its Holy Trinity Church attest to this, built with ‘wool’ money, it appears more like a cathedral. Two stately homes in the village of Long Melford, also built with ‘wool’ money, are Melford Hall and Kentwell Hall. To the north-west of Bury St Edmunds is the small market town of Mildenhall, which has held a regular market since the 15th century, Mildenhall made big news in the nineteen forties when a large haul of Roman silver was found there, it is probably best known as the home of the air base RAF Mildenhall. Suffolk Map.
Totnes Dartford Brixham and Paignton Devon
The coast of South Devon has some wonderful places to visit and among these are four towns close together in the area around Torbay and the River Dart. Totnes, Dartford, Brixham and Paignton all have long and interesting histories and all merit a visit if you are in the region. Totnes (so the legend goes!) was where Brutus of Troy landed on the island which he was to name Britain, nice story but unlikely to be true. Totnes is however an interesting place to visit and was at one time one of the wealthiest towns in England. At the mouth of the Dart estuary the fishing port of Dartmouth was significant way back in the 12th century, and was the port from which many of the Crusaders set sail in both 1147 and 1190, Dartmouth has seen many notable departures and landings since those early times, it now attracts tourists in their thousands who visit to soak up the atmosphere of this ancient port. Just north of Dartmouth is the fishing town of Brixham, still notable for its fishing, but these days also more reliant on tourism for its survival. Among Brixham’s many attractions is a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s ship – The Golden Hind. A little further north still find you in Paignton, another historic coastal town which has become a renowned family holiday resort. Paignton was for many centuries a small fishing village, but grew in importance after a harbour was built in 1837, railway links with London fuelled this growth. Paignton beach and the nearby Preston Sands are big attractions for the area. Devon Map.
Braintree Billericay and Clacton Essex
Three of the larger towns in Essex, Braintree, Billericay and Clacton on Sea all have interesting histories, in different ways from each other. Braintree, located some 10 miles from Chelmsford, has a population of around 42,000, somewhat more than 4,000 years ago when it was a tiny village, as it still was when the Romans invaded Britain and built two roads, at the junction of which the settlement grew (though later abandoned). Recorded as Branchetreu in the Domesday Book, the present name is thought not to have come from the River Brain, but rather, the other way round. A famous son of Braintree, naturalist John Ray, was actually born in the village of Black Notley, two miles south of the town. Billericay was possibly settled even longer ago than Braintree, with evidence of burial mounds found in Norsey Wood, dating from the Iron and Bronze Ages. The Romans also knew about Billericay and built a fort close to the town at Blunts Well. Due to later settlement being centred around Great Burstead, Billericay doesn’t get a mention in the Domesday Book, though by the 13th and 14th centuries it was attracting pilgrims heading south for Canterbury. Clacton on Sea is a relative ‘baby’ compared to these ancient towns, only founded in 1871 as a seaside resort. Clacton reached its height of popularity during the 1960’s and 1970’s, the town’s famous pier being a major draw. Clacton and Great Clacton were however still settled in ancient times, with Celts being in the area in around 100BC, the original village was also named in the Domesday Book as Clachintuna. Essex Map.
Dunstable Houghton Regis and Toddington Bedfordshire
To the south-west of Bedford in the county of Bedfordshire, England, you will find the 2 historic towns of Dunstable and Houghton Regis and the ancient village of Toddington. Dunstable was originally established by the Romans as a posting station on Watling Street, an important road at this time, though it was probably settled much earlier than this as evidence of Palaeolithic flint implements and an Iron Age Fort have been found in its environs. Dunstable was one of the twelve sites chosen in 1290 for the erection of Eleanor Crosses after the death of the wife of Edward I. Close to Dunstable and possibly even older is the town of Houghton Regis, until recent years just a small village. Getting its name from the Saxon “hoe” (spur on a hill) and “tun” meaning village, Houghton became Houghton Regis during the time of Edward the Confessor, it remained a village until the 1950’s and 1960’s, when London overspill caused it to grow into the town it is today. Near to Dunstable and Houghton Regis, the pretty village of Toddington is gathered around its spacious village green, where you will find its parish church and 4 of its public houses.
August 26, 2009
The Story of Luton Bedfordshire
A large town located in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, Luton dates from a Saxon settlement established on the River Lea during the 6th century. Listed as Loitone in the Domesday Book, Luton developed as a mostly agricultural town. In 1240 the town was called Leueton, though most of the town was later destroyed by a great fire (1336). The arrival of a brick-making industry in the 16th century, led to most of its houses being rebuilt in brick rather than the traditional wood. Luton has for a long time been associated with hat-making and this industry in fact started during the 17th century, but had declined by the early 20th century, being largely replaced by an emerging car manufacturing industry, as Vauxhall Motors opened a new plant in 1905, at the time the largest car manufacturing factory in the UK. Bedfordshire Map.