Lyme Regis is a
small fishing village with a population of 3,900
situated on the side of a hill in South West England
where Dorset ends and Devon begins. It looks out across
the English Channel to the Continent.
Cobb pier embraces a small harbour at the Sourthern end
of the village and includes a wet fish shop on the
ground floor operated in 2005 by Simon Bennet. The
limestone cliffs on either side of the town are the site
of some of Britain’s richest sources of fossils and some
of the first dinosaur skeletons in the world were
discovered here.
Lyme Regis is one of England’s most interesting small
coastal towns. Its position, as a small channel harbour
offering safe anchorage, and the ease with which having
made landfall, one could travel to any area south of
West England, has ensured that it has always been at the
forefront of the region’s history throughout the ages.
Its topographical position, built upon some of the most
unstable geographical formations and being constantly
pounded by the sea, gave it its most famous feature The
Cobb. |
First mentioned in 1294, the Cobb protects Lyme from the
sea and it is because of it that ships were always able
to make safe harbour. Thus the Cobb was directly
responsible for the town’s wealth. The cannons on the
Cobb’s North wall were used to protect the town from
French privateers and later they were engaged to protect
the town from the Royalist troops during the English
Civil War in 1644. The Cobb is likewise a central
feature in John Fowles novel ‘The French Lieutenant’s
Women’ later made into an Oscar winning film.
n 1685 James Duke of Monmouth landed at Lyme on what is
now called Monmouth Beach. Monmouth, who was the Bastard
Son of Charles II, set out to overthrow James II and
claim the throne of England for himself. Having landed
at Lyme he set out gathering followers from across the
West Country in support of his cause. The rebellion
failed at Sedgemoor resulting in the execution of
Monmouth and many of his followers throughout the
West Country under Judge Jeffreys. |
In 1750 fashionable society started to descend on Lyme
as an alternative to Bath including Jane Austen who
first visited in 1803. The destructive nature of the sea
has exposed rich fossil beds to the East and West of the
town. At low tide you can walk across the beaches
picking up up to 20 different ammonites alone.
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The seat of The Dukes of Norfolk and set in 40 acres of
sweeping grounds and gardens,
Arundel Castle has been open to visitors
seasonally for nearly 200 years. It is one of the
Treasure Houses of England, each having its own unique
place in history and is home to priceless works of art.
There are nearly 1,000 years of history at this great
castle, situated in magnificent grounds overlooking the
River Arun in West Sussex and built at the end of the
11th century by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel.
Apart from the occasional reversion to the Crown,
Arundel Castle has descended directly from 1138 to the
present day, carried by female heiresses from the
d'Albinis to the Fitzalans in the 13th century and then
from the Fitzalans to the Howards in the 16th century
and it has been the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk and
their ancestors for over 850 years. From the 15th to the
17th centuries the Howards were at the forefront of
English history, from the Wars of the Roses, through the
Tudor period to the Civil War. Among the famous members
of the Howard family are the 2nd Duke of Norfolk
(1443-1524), the victor of Flodden, Lord Howard of
Effingham, who with Sir Francis Drake repelled the
Armada in 1588, the Earl of Surrey, the Tudor poet and
courtier, and the 3rd Duke of Norfolk (1473-1554), uncle
of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom became
wives of King Henry VIII (1491-1547). |
These were politically dangerous times: the 'Poet' Earl
was executed in 1547; his father, the 3rd Duke of
Norfolk only escaped the death penalty because King
Henry VIII died the night before the execution was due
and the 4th Duke (1536-72) was beheaded for plotting to
marry Mary Queen of Scots. There have been two cardinals
and a saint in the Howard family; St Philip Howard, 13th
Earl of Arundel (1557-95) died in the Tower of London
for his faith. By contrast, his son, the 'Collector'
14th Earl (1585-1646), as his nickname suggests, was
responsible for many of the treasures which can be seen
today. The results of all this history are
concentrated at the Castle, which houses a fascinating
collection of fine furniture dating from the 16th
century, tapestries, clocks, and portraits by Van Dyck,
Gainsborough, Mytens, Lawrence, Reynolds, Canaletto and
others. Personal possessions of Mary, Queen of Scots and
a selection of historical, religious and heraldic items
from the Duke of Norfolk's collection are also on
display.
During the Civil War (1642-45), the Castle was badly
damaged when it was twice besieged, first by Royalists
who took control, then by Cromwell's Parliamentarian
force led by William Waller. Nothing was done to rectify
the damage until about 1718 when Thomas, the 8th Duke of
Norfolk (1683-1732) carried out some repairs. Charles
Howard, the 11th Duke (1746-1815), known to posterity as
the 'Drunken Duke' and friend of the Prince Regent
subsequently carried out further restoration.
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The A30 cuts across the centre of Bodmin Moor from Launceston.
Bodmin Moor is Cornwall’s Roof, a high heath pock-marked
with bogs and giant tors like those on
Dartmoor rising above the wild landscape. Brown Willy
(419 m) and Rough Tor (400 m) are the highest. There is a a
windmill power generating farm with around 30 windmills turning
in the stiff (and very cold) breeze on Bodmin Moor.
St Ives - Luminous, captivating St Ives has a harbour which
must once have been important, but it seems forgotten now,
eclipsed by other attractions. The iridescent sea, fine beaches
(with real sand) and steep alleyways don’t just draw tourists
either. These attributes are magnetic for artists, who’ve been
painting and sculpting here since Turner visited in 1811; in
1993 Tate St Ives, a branch of the famous art gallery, opened.
Countless galleries and craft shops line narrow streets, and
there are plenty of excellent Restaurants and guesthouses here.
St Ives is 8 miles from Penzance and 277 miles from London |
Standing at the very tip of this island, gazing out over the
vast expanse of the Atlantic, is quite a magical experience. The
coast on either side is some of the most spectacular in England.
Lands End is 9 miles from
Penzance, 886 miles from John O’Groats, the far north of
England.
Interestingly, during construction of the new lifeboat station
adjacent to the Parish Church, the contractors excavated a peat
bog, which is surprising when one considers the excavations were
in St. Ives Harbour.
In 1549 during the Prayer Book Revolution the Provost Marshall
came to St. Ives and invited the Mayor, Mr John Payne, to lunch
at the old George and Dragon. He asked the Mayor to have the
gallows erected during lunch. After lunch the Mayor and the
Provost Marshall walked down to the gallows, the Provost
Marshall ordered the Mayor to get up on the gallows whereupon
the Mayor was hanged for being a Roman Catholic.
The importance of the town grew with the development of the
Harbour and many ships plied between St. Ives and every part of
the world. Arthur Guinness, the brewer, used to sell beer to a
Captain Sampson who brought the beer back as deck cargo and sold
draught Guinness to his regulars in his pub on Skidden Hill, now
a hotel. |
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