Babbacombe | |
---|---|
Oddicombe Beach from Babbacombe Downs | |
Location within Devon | |
OS grid reference | SX9265 |
District |
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Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Torquay |
Postcode district | TQ1 |
Police | Devon and Cornwall |
Fire | Devon and Somerset |
Ambulance | South Western |
Babbacombe [1] is a district of Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for Babbacombe Model Village, [2] the Babbacombe Theatre [3] and its clifftop green, Babbacombe Downs, from which Oddicombe Beach is accessed via Babbacombe Cliff Railway. [4] Frequent buses connect Babbacombe with Torquay town centre while service 22 operates between Dawlish Warren and South Devon College.
The Church of All Saints was designed by the architect William Butterfield and built in 1868-74 under the aegis of Rev. John Hewett whose initiative it had been to build it. [5] It is in the Neogothic style and has fine polychrome stonework in the font, pulpit and the chancel floor made from Devon marble. All Saints Church belongs to the Anglo-Catholic tradition within the Church of England, and its parish is one of those in the Diocese of Exeter. The first vicar was Fr. John Hewitt, whose ministry began when the church was founded and continued to his retirement in 1910. [6]
Babbacombe has a primary school, All Saints Babbacombe Church of England Primary School. [7]
Babbacombe Downs is the most picturesque part of Babbacombe having fabulous views over Lyme bay. From Babbacombe Downs there is easy access using cliff paths to Oddicombe beach and Babbacombe beach.
Rev. John Hewett was Vicar of Babbacombe and founded the church there.
The actress and dancer Rosina Vokes (1854-1894) died in Babbacombe.
Devon is a county in South West England, reaching from the Bristol Channel in the north to the English Channel in the south. It is bounded by Cornwall to the west, Somerset to the north-east and Dorset to the east. The county includes the districts of East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge and West Devon and the city of Exeter, its county town. The other two large urban areas Plymouth and Torbay are each geographically part of Devon, but are administered as unitary authorities. Combined as a ceremonial county, Devon's area is 6,707 km2 and its population is about 1.2 million.
Torquay is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies 18 miles (29 km) south of the county town of Exeter and 28 miles (45 km) east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay and across from the fishing port of Brixham.
Torbay is a borough and unitary authority in Devon, south west England. It is governed by Torbay Council and consists of 62.87 square kilometres (24.27 sq mi) of land, including the resort towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, located on east-facing Tor Bay, part of Lyme Bay on the English Channel. A popular tourist destination, Torbay's sandy beaches, mild climate and recreational and leisure attractions have given rise to its nickname of the "English Riviera".
Paignton is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the borough of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2011 was 49,021. It has origins as a Celtic settlement and was first mentioned in 1086. It grew as a small fishing village and a new harbour was built in 1847. A railway line was opened to passengers in 1859 creating links to Torquay and London. As its population increased, it merged with the villages of Goodrington and Preston. Paignton is around 25 miles (40 km) north east of Plymouth and 20 miles (32 km) south of Exeter, and has the fourth largest population in Devon.
The South West Coast Path is England's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for 630 miles (1,014 km), running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Because it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more challenging trails. The total height climbed has been calculated to be 114,931 ft (35,031 m), almost four times the height of Mount Everest. It has been voted 'Britain's Best Walking route' twice in a row by readers of The Ramblers' Walk magazine, and regularly features in lists of the world's best walks.
Sidmouth is a town on the English Channel in Devon, South West England, 14 miles (23 km) southeast of Exeter. With a population of 12,569 in 2011, it is a tourist resort and a gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. A large part of the town has been designated a conservation area.
Dawlish is an English seaside resort town and civil parish in Teignbridge on the south coast of Devon, 12 miles (19 km) from the county town of Exeter and from the larger resort of Torquay. Its 2011 population of 11,312 was estimated at 13,355 in 2019. It is to grow further as several housing estates are under construction, mainly in the north and east of the town. It had grown in the 18th century from a small fishing port into a well-known seaside resort, as had its near neighbour, Teignmouth, in the 19th century. Between Easter and October the population can swell by an additional 20,000. largely in self-accommodation, caravan, camping and holiday parks
Oddicombe Beach is a popular beach, noted for its interesting breccia cliffs, below the Babbacombe district of Torbay, Devon in England.
St Marychurch in Torquay, Devon, England, is one of the oldest settlements in South Devon. Its name derives from the church of St Mary, which was founded in Anglo-Saxon times. The ward population taken at the 2011 census was 11,262.
Babbacombe Cliff Railway, also known as the Babbacombe Cliff Lift, is a funicular railway in the town of Torquay in the English county of Devon. It links Babbacombe Downs with Oddicombe Beach. The line runs every day, with a closure period in winter for maintenance. The first car runs at 09:30, and the last at 17:30. A bell is rung 30 and 15 minutes before closing.
Kingskerswell is a village and civil parish within Teignbridge local government district in the south of Devon, England. The village grew up where an ancient track took the narrowest point across a marshy valley and it is of ancient foundation, being mentioned in the Domesday Book. It has a church dating back to the 14th century and the ruins of a manor house of similar date. The coming of the railway in the 1840s had a large effect on the village, starting its conversion into a commuter town. The village is a major part of the electoral ward called Kerswell-with-Combe. This ward had a population of 5,679 at the 2011 census.
Coffinswell is a small village in South Devon, England, just off the A380, the busy Newton Abbot to Torquay road. It lies within Teignbridge District Council.
Meadfoot is an area of Torquay, Devon.
Brampford Speke is a small village in Devon, 4 miles (6 km) to the north of Exeter. The population is 419. It is located on red sandstone cliffs overlooking the river Exe. Its sister village of Upton Pyne lies to its southwest, and Stoke Canon is across the river, to the east. To the south is the hamlet of Cowley with its chapel of ease, which was formerly part of the ecclesiastical parish of Brampford Speke.
Ipplepen is a village and civil parish located within the Teignbridge district of the county of Devon in south-west England. A priory was located there. There is an electoral ward with the same name. The population at the 2011 census is 2,469.
Babbacombe Model Village is a miniature village and railway located in Babbacombe in Torquay, Devon.
The Babbacombe Theatre is a theatre in Babbacombe in Torquay, South Devon, England. Refurbished in 2009, the venue has been part of the Bay’s tourism industry since the 1930s, and is known for staging variety shows, particularly since 1986 when Colin Matthews took over the venue.
John Stabb (1865–1917) of Torquay, Devon, England, was an ecclesiologist and antiquary of the county of Devon. He is best known for his three-volume publication Some Old Devon Churches, their Rood Screens, Pulpits, Fonts, etc., which he illustrated with several hundred of his own photographs.
Rev. John Hewett, Vicar of Babbacombe was a High Church Anglican priest and founder of the church of All Saints', Babbacombe and a friend and confidante of Anne Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland as well as the priest for Alexandra of Denmark whilst Princess of Wales. Hewett was also father of Sir John Prescott Hewett and of Rear Admiral George Hayley Hewett.