Sidmouth
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This article uses bare URLs for citations. (August 2012) |
Coordinates: 50°40′48″N 3°14′20″W / 50.680°N 3.239°W
| Sidmouth | |
 Looking east along the beach at Sidmouth |
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 Sidmouth
Sidmouth shown within Devon |
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| Population | 14,400 |
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| OS grid reference | SY124874 |
| District | East Devon |
| Shire county | Devon |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Sidmouth |
| Postcode district | EX10 |
| Dialling code | 01395 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | East Devon |
Sidmouth (pron.: /ˈsɪdməθ/) is a town situated on the English Channel coast in Devon, South West England, 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Exeter. It has a population of about 15,000, of whom 40% are over 65.[1] It is a tourist resort and a gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. A large part of it[clarification needed] has been designated a conservation area.
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History [edit]
Sidmouth appeared in the Domesday Book as Sedemuda. Like many such settlements, it was originally a fishing village. Although attempts have been made to construct a harbour, none has succeeded. A lack of shelter in the bay prevented growth as a port.[2]
Sidmouth remained a village until the fashion for coastal resorts grew in the Georgian and Victorian periods of the 18th and 19th centuries. The numerous fine Georgian and Regency villas and mansions are now mostly hotels.
In 1819, George III's son Edward, Duke of Kent, his wife, and baby daughter (the future Queen Victoria) came to stay at Woolbrook Glen for a few weeks. In less than a month he had died from an illness. The house later became the Royal Glen Hotel; a plaque on an exterior wall records the visit.
In 1874, Sidmouth was connected to the railway network by a branch line from Sidmouth Junction. This was dismantled in 1967 as a result of the Beeching Axe.
In 2008, Canadian millionaire, Keith Owen, who had vacationed in the town and planned to retire there, bequeathed the community's civic society, Sid Vale Association, about £2.3 million upon learning that he had only weeks to live due to lung cancer. The bequest is to be used as a capital fund to generate an annual interest dividend of around £120,000 for community projects.[3]
Geography [edit]
Sidmouth lies at the mouth of the River Sid in a valley between Peak Hill to the west and Salcombe Hill to the east. It is surrounded by the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is on the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site, and the South West Coast Path. The red-coloured rock indicates the arid conditions of the Triassic geological period.
Erosion remains a serious concern east of the mouth of the Sid. The cliffs have been heavily eroded, threatening homes and the coastal footpath.[4][5]
The wide esplanade has been a prominent feature since Regency times. A series of southwesterly storms in the early 1990s washed away much of the shingle beach protecting the masonry. A series of artificial rock islands was constructed to protect the sea front, and tons of pebbles were trucked in to replace the beach.[6]
Government [edit]
Sidmouth has its own Town Council, presided over by a Chairman elected from the Councillors. There are eight wards, giving a total of 19 councillors in all. The Town Clerk is the senior paid officer with a team of full-time and part-time staff. The town is responsible for many of the locally run services including the Information Centre. Sidmouth lies within the areas of East Devon District Council and Devon County Council. The Parliamentary seat is for the East Devon constituency.
Culture [edit]
Churches and museums [edit]
The parish church is dedicated to St Giles & St Nicholas; it was rebuilt in 1860. Of the medieval structure only the 15th century tower was retained; the architect was William White. Oddments of Norman and later stonework were included in the rebuilding. Features of interest include the reredos by S. S. Teulon and the Duke of Kent Memorial Window which Queen Victoria gave in 1867. Parts of the original fabric such as the windows were reused by the historian Peter Orlando Hutchinson in building a folly adjoining his house. He was also responsible for saving the stained glass in the vestry.[7][8] The folly is the Old Chancel in Coburg Terrace which was started by Hutchinson in 1859, in protest over the destruction of the original church fabric during rebuilding.
The Museum, next to the church, has local memorabilia, historical artefacts, and geological samples.[9]
The church of All Saints, also Anglican (Taylor, architect, 1837), is in the Early English style with lancet windows and "oddly clumsy" pinnacles.[10] There were also Unitarian, Wesleyan (later Methodist) and Congregational chapels; the Unitarian chapel was founded in the 17th century by Presbyterians and the Wesleyan and Congregational ones in 1837 and 1846 respectively.[11]
Sidmouth is home to the Norman Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium, located on Salcombe Hill. The facility, completed in 1912, fell into disuse but was saved from demolition by the appeals of enthusiasts to East Devon District Council. The observatory now operates as a science education project and is open to the public.[12]
Music [edit]
Folk Week [edit]
Sidmouth Folk Week is a famous annual folk festival in early August attracting musicians and visitors from around the world. Due to the increased cost of public liability insurance, it became less financially viable over the years and in 2005 the last of the commercial sponsors, essential for its existence, pulled out. To continue the tradition, individuals grouped together to form Sidmouth FolkWeek Productions, a limited company. Since the change of format, the event has been held on a smaller scale, with no arena at the Knowle, though marquees are still erected in the Blackmore Gardens and The Ham at the eastern end of the town.
Sidmouth Town Band [edit]
During the summer, the Sidmouth Town Band, a brass band, play a series of concerts in the Connaught Gardens each Sunday at 8pm. This tradition has been maintained since it was formed in the 1860s,[13] and runs from late May until early September.
In 2010, during competition, it was crowned West of England Champion in the third section. It went on to win third prize at the National Finals of Great Britain.[14] In 2011, it retained its West of England Champion title, becoming one of only a handful of bands to win back-to-back titles, and was promoted to the second section from 2012.[15]
Literary associations [edit]
Sidmouth has featured in various literary works, e.g. as "Stymouth" in Beatrix Potter's children's story The Tale of Little Pig Robinson (1930) in which the author included views of the beach and other parts of the Devon countryside. In Thomas Hardy's Wessex it is the inspiration for "Idmouth". "Baymouth" in William Makepeace Thackeray's Pendennis, and "Spudmouth" in the The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle, are both based on the town.
Sidmouth has been the setting for television shows, most recently an ITV adaptation of Agatha Christie's Marple in Summer 2005.
It was a favourite spot for Sir John Betjeman. He chose it as the subject of the first programme of the television series John Betjeman In The West Country that he wrote and presented in 1962. The script takes the form of an extended poem and was republished in 2000 as a short book.[16]
Miscellanea [edit]
The Sidmouth Herald is the local newspaper.
The Manor Pavilion houses an arts centre and a theatre that hosts both amateur and professional productions.[17] There is also the Radway Cinema.[18]
Sidmouth has been a frequent winner of Britain in Bloom awards. Most recently it won the Small Town category in 2001 and the Coastal Resort category in 2005.
Twin towns [edit]
Sidmouth is twinned with Le Locle in Switzerland.
Features [edit]
The Esplanade [edit]
The Esplanade is the main street down by the front in Sidmouth. At one end are the red cliffs, and at the other is Jacob's Ladder Beach. Peak Hill can be seen in the distance. Along the street are many shops and cafes, and it is the ideal place to sit in a deckchair to watch the sea.
The Victoria Hotel [edit]
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This section requires expansion. (August 2012) |
A prestigious hotel overlooking Sidmouth bay, with grounds covering five acres of land. It is a four star luxury hotel which is just a short stroll from the centre of town. It is situated next to the Royal Glen Hotel which accommodated Queen Victoria when she was young, however it was just a house then.
Jacob's Ladder/Jacob's Ladder Beach [edit]
Jacob's Ladder is popular with tourists; it is a simple series of wooden steps leading up to a viewing point for Jacob's Ladder Beach and the entrance to Connaught Gardens. The steps are next to Jacob's Ladder beach, another location under the red cliffs of the Jurassic Coast, which is linked to the beach in Sidmouth bay. Below Jacob's Ladder is a path linking The Esplanade to the steps and the beach. An alternative route up to Connaught Gardens is a steep path, which (at the top) ends with a grassy hill to the left and a different entrance to Connaught Gardens to the right.
Connaught Gardens [edit]
These gardens are one of Sidmouth's best features. They date back to around 1820, and they were named after The Duke of Connaught, the third son of Queen Victoria. He officially opened the gardens in 1934, when he was aged 84. The gardens were used during the Second World War, a key to protecting the south coast; they provided a wide view of the sea.
They are used regularly for entertainment today - in one of the gardens there is a bandstand and a wide, open space facing it. On most weeks during the warm season bands will play.
Peak Hill Slope [edit]
This grassy slope up and along Peak Hill can be seen while on The Esplanade. It follows the red cliffs which stand above Jacob's Ladder Beach, and there are benches placed along the edge the whole way up. At the top the view is spectacular - the whole of Sidmouth can be seen, as well as Salcombe Hill in the distance, the Esplanade, the town center, and Connaught Gardens below.
The Ford [edit]
A popular site (especially to drive through!), where the River Sid (which runs through Sidmouth) crosses the road at the end of Mill Street.
Economy [edit]
The principal revenue is from tourism. Sidmouth is a retirement location, so pensioner spending is another source of income.
The largest employer is East Devon District Council, whose headquarters are at the former Knowle Hotel. There is a large independent department store, Fields of Sidmouth, which has been on the same site for over 200 years. There are pubs, restaurants, coffee houses, and tea rooms; also an indoor swimming pool, a sports hall at the leisure centre, and a golf course.
Education [edit]
Sidmouth College is a comprehensive school which takes children aged 11–18 from as far afield as Exmouth and Exeter. It has specialist Technology College status.[19] In February 2012 the college was deemed 'Good' by Ofsted, with 852 students on roll.[20] This level of improvement in the College's provision followed its last inspection (May 2009) when it was deemed 'satisfactory'.[21] After the 2005 Ofsted report, when there were 869 students on roll, it was also deemed 'satisfactory'.[22]
Sidmouth College is situated in an unrivalled position in the beautiful Sid Valley. It is regularly oversubscribed and, because of its popularity, admits students from a wide area of East Devon. The English Department (specifically, a group of Year 9 pupils) won the Carnegie Award in 2011.
There is one state junior school, which takes children from between the ages of 8 and 11. There are two state infant schools. There is, additionally, a private preparatory school: St John's, which takes children from 2–13 years including a good many overseas boarders. In 2007, it was taken over by International Education Systems (IES).[23]
The Sidmouth International School is an English Language school for foreign students.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Area: Sidmouth CP (Parish). Parish Profile - People". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. 28 April 2004. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ^ The Sidmouth Harbour Company of 1836
- ^ Daily Mail
- ^ "Devon County Council - Market Town Focus - Sidmouth". Devon County Council. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
- ^ "Protect Alma Bridge plea from Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce". Sidmouth Herald. 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
- ^ Simm, Jonathan; Cruickshank, Ian (1998). Construction Risk in Coastal Engineering. London: Thomas Telford Publishing. ISBN 0-7277-2686-2.
- ^ Mee, Arthur (1938) Devon. (The King's England.) London: Hodder & Stoughton; p. 390
- ^ Pevsner, N. (1952) South Devon. Harmondsworth: Penguin; p. 262
- ^ Sidmouth Museum
- ^ Pevsner, N. (1952) South Devon. Harmondsworth: Penguin; p. 263
- ^ White's Devonshire Directory of 1850; Sidmouth in Genuki; retrieved 2012-08-24
- ^ Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium
- ^ http://www.ibew.org.uk/misc25b.htm[dubious ]
- ^ "Results: 2010 West of England Regional Championships | 4barsrest.com news". 4barsrest.com. 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
- ^ http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?year=2011&criteria=Results&offset=100&id=13055)
- ^ Betjeman, John (2000). Still Sidmouth: the Lost Poem. Ottery St Mary: Peretti Publishing. ISBN 978-0-906038-09-3.
- ^ Manor Pavilion - Sidmouth
- ^ Scott Cinemas: Sidmouth - the Radway Cinema
- ^ Sidmouth College Website
- ^ "Ofsted 2012".
- ^ 2008 ofsted report
- ^ 2005 ofsted report
- ^ IES Magazine 2007 - News (pdf)
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sidmouth |
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Wikivoyage has travel information related to: Sidmouth |
- Sidmouth Town Council
- Sidmouth at the Open Directory Project
- Rock fall at Pennington Point near Sidmouth February 2009 British Geological Survey
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