Chudleigh

For other uses, see Chudleigh (disambiguation).

Chudleigh
Chudleigh
Chudleigh  Chudleigh shown within Devon
OS grid reference	SX865795
District	Teignbridge
Shire county	Devon
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	NEWTON ABBOT
Postcode district	TQ13
Dialling code	01626
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Central Devon
List of places: UK • England • Devon

Chudleigh is a small town in Devon, England located between the towns of Newton Abbot and Exeter.

Chudleigh is very close to the edge of Dartmoor and bypassed by the A38 road in 1972. It began life as a small wool market town, though the nearby Castle Dyke is an Iron Age Hill Fort which demonstrates far earlier settlement in the area. Chudleigh has expanded a good deal in recent years as commuter houses have been built around its edges, but it still retains a fairly traditional town centre.

Local Amenities include

• Outdoor swimming pool
• Cricket field and football pitches
• Skate park

There is a Primary School located in the centre.

Nearby "the Rock" is a natural beauty spot and attracts rock climbers who scale the range of routes on the (limestone) crag.

Chudleigh Carnival

There has been an annual carnival each summer which draws a large crowd from the surrounding area. This did not take place in 2006, but the carnival has returned since July 2007.

Swimming Pool

The heated outdoor community swimming pool is located within the grounds of Chudleigh Primary School and is open to the public all summer.

The Great Fire of Chudleigh

The weather conditions in Devon in the year 1807 have been described as a drought. Weeks without rain left many people short of water and had farmers worrying about their crops. There was a bakery in Culver Street (now New Exeter Street) and around noon on May 22, a small fire broke out in pile of furze that was stacked near the ovens.

Later reports state that the staff in the bakery seemed unaware of the danger this posed, but the fire, fed by the exceptionally dry fuel, exploded. In the shortest time imaginable, the fire had spread to the roof of the bakery (thatched, as was the roofing on 90% of the houses in Chudleigh at the time) and huge hunks of burning reed and straw were swept aloft by a rapidly growing north-easterly wind.

After the fire, only the church and seven houses were left standing.

Use in popular culture

The town's name is spoofed as Chudley in the Harry Potter books. The Chudley Cannons are one of only thirteen Quidditch teams that have been playing in the professional Quidditch League of Britain and Ireland that was established in 1674. The team players wear bright orange robes emblazoned with a speeding cannon ball and a double “C” in black. The last time they won the League was 1892.

See also

• Chudleigh railway station

References

• Chudleigh now and then (1996)

External links

• Chudleigh Pool
• East Dartmoor Baptist Church in Chudleigh
• Chudleigh Information web site, provided by The Chudleigh Business Guild
• The Chudleigh History Group website
• Chudleigh Phoenix Community Newsletter