London Bridge | |
|---|---|
 London Bridge | |
  London Bridge Location within Devon | |
| Coordinates: 50°27′15″N3°31′07″W / 50.45423°N 3.51865°W | |
| Location | Torquay, Devon, England |
| Formed by | Coastal erosion |
| Geology | Middle Devonian limestone |
London Bridge is a natural arch on the coast of Torquay in Devon, England.
London Bridge has been so called for centuries.
In 1832, the writer Octavian Blewitt wrote in his Panorama of Torquay that London Bridge was an “absurd appellation”. [1]
London Bridge is situated to the East of Torquay, beside an abandoned limestone quarry, and below the South West Coast Path. It can be reached by a short diversion from the trail which leads down to the arch through woodland. London Bridge can also be seen from a viewpoint above the abandoned Dyer's Quarry on the coast path, and from numerous locations around Torquay.
The arch was popular with visitors in the past, particularly in the 19th century. During that period and thereafter it has been depicted in numerous works of art.
London Bridge is a popular climbing crag, and is a well-known venue for deep water soloing. [2]
The arch and the area in the vicinity including the long abandoned Dyer's Quarry is a location well-liked for coasteering, due to its secluded location close to Torquay, and there are many possible jumps, some of which are said to be the best in the area. [3]
There is also a scuba diving spot nearby, called 'The Pipes', [4] which is so named as there is a collection of pipes spilled from the wreck of a barge which rests nearby on the seabed. It is noted to be an ideal site for trainee divers.
Ballan wrasse, conger eel and other fish are also in abundance near the arch and fishing hobbyists take advantage of this.
Devon is a ceremonial county in South West England. The county borders the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west. Plymouth is the largest settlement.
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.
Brixham is a coastal town and civil parish in the borough of Torbay in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. As of the 2021 census, Brixham had a population of 16,825. It is one of the main three centres of the borough, along with Paignton and Torquay.
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 1968. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton 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.
The Riviera Line is the railway between the city of Exeter, towns Dawlish and Teignmouth, and the English Riviera resorts of Torbay in Devon, England. Its tracks are shared with the Exeter to Plymouth Line along the South Devon sea wall. It is part of the Network Rail Route 12.
Cliff jumping is the leaping off a cliff edge, usually into a body of water, as a form of sport. It may be done as part of the sport of coastal exploration or as a standalone activity. Particular variations on cliff jumping may specify the angle of entry into the water or the inclusion or exclusion of human-made platforms or other equipment. Cliff diving and its close relative tombstoning are specific to water landing. Cliff jumping with the use of a parachute would typically be classified as a form of BASE jumping.
Abereiddy is a hamlet in the county of Pembrokeshire, in west Wales.
Church Ope Cove is a small secluded beach on the sheltered eastern side of the Isle of Portland in Dorset, southern England and is part of the Jurassic Coast. It is found close to the village of Wakeham. The beach has many unusual features for the Isle of Portland. The beach used to be sandy, but quarry debris now covers the sand, and has been worn into rounded pebbles. The pebbles cover a small stream which runs to the sea, which is one of the few active streams remaining on the Isle of Portland.
Cockington is a village near Torquay in the English county of Devon. It has old cottages within its boundaries, and is about a half a mile away from Torquay. Bus service 62 calls at the village five times per day (Mon-Fri) and is operated by Torbay Buses.
Torquay railway station is on the Riviera Line and serves the seaside resort of Torquay, Devon, England. It is 219 miles 79 chains (354 km) from London Paddington.
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.
The History of Torquay, a town in Torbay, on the south coast of the county of Devon, England, starts some 450,000 years ago with early human artefacts found in Kents Cavern. There is little evidence of any permanent occupation at Torquay until the eleventh century records in the Domesday Book, though it is known that visits were made by Roman soldiers and there was a small Saxon settlement called 'Torre'. In 1196 Torre Abbey was founded here, which by the time of its dissolution in 1539, had become the richest Premonstratensian Monastery in England. The buildings were bought by Sir George Cary in 1662. The Cary family and the Briwere family between them owned much of the land now occupied by Torquay. By the 19th century, most of the land was owned by three families: the Carys, the Palks, and the Mallocks.
The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway was a broad gauge railway linking the South Devon Railway branch at Torquay with Kingswear in Devon, England. It was operated from the outset by the South Devon Railway.
Tor Bay is a bay on the south-east coast of the county of Devon, England. Facing east into the English Channel, it is about 4.5 mi (7.2 km) wide from north to south. The settlements of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, which lie along its coastline, are known collectively as Torbay.
Torbay Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) search and rescue operations at Brixham, Devon in England. Brixham Lifeboat Station was opened in 1866 but since 1924 has been known as 'Torbay'. Since 2005 it has operated a Severn-class all-weather lifeboat (ALB) together with a D-class (IB1) inshore lifeboat (ILB).
Ash Hole Cavern is a limestone cave system in Brixham, Devon, England. There is evidence of human habitation since Neolithic times, and archaeological excavations have been conducted, with several artefacts found. It has been a scheduled monument since 1966.
Octavian (John) Blewitt (1810–1884) was an English writer and long-time secretary of the Royal Literary Fund.
Churston Woods is an area of semi-ancient woodland near the village of Churston Ferrers and the town of Brixham. The woodland is made up of two main sections called The Grove and Ball Copse, both of which are owned by Torbay Council and managed by Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust.
Mary Wyatt (1789–1871) was a British botanist, phycologist and retailer from Torquay, Devon. She was the compiler of the respected Algae Danmoniensis - a collection, i.e. exsiccata, of seaweeds to which William Henry Harvey later considered his Manual of the British Algae (1841) a 'companion' work. Wyatt helped to fuel the Victorian 'seaweed craze' for collecting. The tongue twister 'She Sells Seashells on the Sea Shore' was possibly inspired by Wyatt and her close companion Amelia Griffiths, with whom she collected seaweed and sea shells in Devon.