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Books > South Devon Coast Photographic Memories
Aveton Gifford, Church 1890 (ref. 24534) | Aveton Gifford (pronounced Auton, meaning the settlement on the Avon) stands at the head of the estuary. This fine church was destroyed in a 'tip-and-run' air raid in 1943 with considerable loss of life, but has since been sympathetically restored. |  Add your own Memory
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Axmouth, the Village 1927 (ref. 79802) | The end of our coastal journey brings us to one of the finest churches in Devon. St Michael's is a delight. Originally early Norman, it was altered and enlarged in 1330, and a perpendicular tower was added in the 15th century. Axmouth, the last coastal community wholly in Devon, was an important port until its river entrance silted up. | Add your own Memory
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Babbacombe, the Downs 1918 (ref. 68547) | Before the development of Babbacombe as a small holiday resort, its isolated coves were used by smugglers such as Bob Elliott of Brixham and Jack Rattenbury of Beer. The present coastal footpath came into being as a patrol route for the coastguards who had the duty of intercepting illicit cargoes. | Add your own Memory
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Babbacombe, the Beach 1925 (ref. 78445) | Several winding walks form an alternative way to return to Babbacombe for the energetic, or in the winter months when the cliff railway is closed. There are superb views across Lyme Bay from the clifftops, and Portland Bill can be seen on a clear day. | Add your own Memory
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Bantham, 1926 (ref. 78324) | The tiny settlement of Bantham, with its passenger ferry and boat-houses, clings to the eastern bank of the Avon where the river makes one last sweeping curve before meeting the sea. | Add your own Memory
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Beer, the Village 1892 (ref. 31318) | Beer was the birthplace in 1788 of the smuggler Jack Rattenbury, who lived a life of adventure landing untaxed cargoes along much of the Devon coast. The old rogue lived to a respectable, though gout-ridden, old age, writing his memoirs and receiving a small pension from the respectable local worthy Lord Rolle, who admired the wily Jack's nerve - and may have received a keg of brandy in return. | Add your own Memory
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Beer, Beach 1898 (ref. 42434) | Local tradition says that a Spanish galleon was wrecked in the cove here during the 17th century, soon after the village had been depopulated by a plague. The crew, it is said, settled down at Beer, married the local womenfolk and repopulated the community. | Add your own Memory
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Beer, Pillow Lace Workers 1901 (ref. 47861) | Lace-making has always been an important tradition in East Devon, though it would be a rare sight today to see it carried out in the street by a local cottager. The lace for Queen Victoria's wedding dress was made in Beer at a cost of £1000. | Add your own Memory
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Beer, East Cliff 1907 (ref. 58071) | Beer stone has been quarried for centuries and used in important buildings across England. To the west of the village is a labyrinth of man-made caverns from which the stone for Exeter Cathedral was taken. The Quarry Caves are now an exciting tourist attraction. | Add your own Memory
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Beer, Fishing Boats 1918 (ref. 68702) | This picturesque locality has always attracted the eye of artist and photographer. One Victorian guide book writer described Beer as 'a rare subject for the pencil'. The notable Victorian artist Hamilton Macallum settled in Beer, and exhibited many local scenes at the Royal Academy in London. A memorial to him can be found just above the beach. | Add your own Memory
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Beer, 1922 (ref. 72943) | Beer is not in any sense a holiday resort, though many cottages are to let and there are caravan parks nearby. However, many visitors love the charm of this fishing village with its unspoiled beach, pleasant inns and occasional antique fairs. | Add your own Memory
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Bigbury On Sea, from Climaton Hill 1924 (ref. 76565) | Bigbury-on-Sea lies on the shores of Bigbury Bay within site of Burgh Island, which may give the village its name. Many famous people such as Agatha Christie, who set novels in the locality, Noel Coward and Edward VIII stayed on Burgh Island and walked this wild coastline. | Add your own Memory
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Bigbury On Sea, the Village 1925 (ref. 78342) | Bigbury-on-Sea stands on a promontory above the River Avon, which rises high on southern Dartmoor. This was a rural backwater until well into the 20th century. It is interesting to see here the competition between horse and car as early as 1925. These two forms of transport still battle for space in the lanes of South Devon. | Add your own Memory
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Branscombe, Ye Old Mason's Arms 1931 (ref. 84115) | Branscombe is strung out down a deep valley running from the Devon downlands to the sea at Branscombe Mouth. Its ancient church, working smithy and popular inn brings its admirers back again and again. Few villages in England enjoy such a beautiful setting. | Add your own Memory
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Brixham, the Harbour 1925 (ref. 78489) | All Saints' Church contains a memorial to the Reverend Lyte, author of 'Abide With Me' and 'Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven'. Lyte was the much loved Victorian parson of the fishing town, living high above the town at Berry Head House. | Add your own Memory
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Brixham, the Harbour 1925 (ref. 78490) | Brixham has known sadness and tragedy as well as the tough but idyllic life of the fishing heyday. Two hundred Brixham men died during the First World War, many of them fishermen. This led to a declining fishing industry and an idle fleet during the depression of the 1920s. | Add your own Memory
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Brixham, the Harbour 1925 (ref. 78492) | Until the 20th century, shipbuilding was Brixham's most important industry after fishing. Small merchant vessels and privateers were constructed during earlier times for trade and piracy, though in later years many of the shipbuilders concentrated on building and repairing fishing boats. | Add your own Memory
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Brixham, Inner Harbour 1889 (ref. 21552) | Despite its fame as a fishing port from the Middle Ages onwards, people have lived around Brixham for some half a million years. Caves under the limestone cliffs were occupied from the early Stone Age. Iron Age dwellers built a fortification on Berry Head, and Celtic inhabitants would have collected salt and fish where the harbour now stands. | Add your own Memory
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Brixham, Fishing Boats 1889 (ref. 21558) | This idyllic picture of the Brixham fishing fleet gives some idea of just how much the fishing industry dominated the town for hundreds of years. At the height of the Victorian age some 200 trawlers would regularly put to sea from Brixham harbour. | Add your own Memory
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Brixham, Prince of Orange Monument 1891 (ref. 28241) | William of Orange, whose statue looks away from the sea and towards England, landed at Brixham on 5 November 1688 to depose the Catholic King James II and to herald 'a glorious revolution'. William and his Dutch troops received a hearty welcome from local families. | Add your own Memory
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