The North Devon Coast

Category: Devon (England) / Description and travel

Author: Harper Charles G. (Charles George)

Title: The North Devon Coast

Release Date: 2019-01-27

Type book: Text

Date added: 27 March 2019

Count views: 29

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Transcriber’s Note

Text on cover added by Transcriber and placed in the Public Domain.

THE NORTH DEVON COAST

WORKS BY CHARLES G. HARPER

The Portsmouth Road, and its Tributaries: To-day and in Daysof Old.
The Dover Road: Annals of an Ancient Turnpike.
The Bath Road: History, Fashion, and Frivolity on an OldHighway.
The Exeter Road: The Story of the West of England Highway.
The Great North Road: The Old Mail Road to Scotland. TwoVols.
The Norwich Road: An East Anglian Highway.
The Holyhead Road: The Mail-Coach Road to Dublin. TwoVols.
The Cambridge, Ely, and King’s Lynn Road: The GreatFenland Highway.
The Newmarket, Bury, Thetford, and Cromer Road: Sportand History on an East Anglian Turnpike.
The Oxford, Gloucester, and Milford Haven Road: TheReady Way to South Wales. Two Vols.
The Brighton Road: Speed, Sport, and History on the ClassicHighway.
The Hastings Road and the “Happy Springs of Tunbridge.”
Cycle Rides Round London.
A Practical Handbook of Drawing for Modern Methods ofReproduction.
Stage-Coach and Mail in Days of Yore. Two Vols.
The Ingoldsby Country: Literary Landmarks of “The IngoldsbyLegends.”
The Hardy Country: Literary Landmarks of the Wessex Novels.
The Dorset Coast.
The South Devon Coast.
The Old Inns of Old England. Two Vols.
Love in the Harbour: a Longshore Comedy.
Rural Nooks Round London (Middlesex and Surrey).
The Manchester and Glasgow Road; This way to GretnaGreen. Two Vols.
Haunted Houses; Tales of the Supernatural.
The Somerset Coast. [In the Press.

E. D. Percival

[Ilfracombe.

LYNMOUTH, FROM THE BEACH.

THE NORTH DEVON
COAST

BY
CHARLES G. HARPER

“Let us, in God’s name, adventure one voyage more,always with this caution, that you be pleased totolerate my vulgar phrase, and to pardon me if, inkeeping the plain highway, I use a plain low phrase;and in rough, rugged and barren places, rude, rustic,and homely terms.”—Thomas Westcote, 1620.

London: CHAPMAN & HALL, Ltd.
1908

PRINTED AND BOUND BY
HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,
LONDON AND AYLESBURY.

vii

CHAPTER I
	PAGE
INTRODUCTORY	1
CHAPTER II
LYNMOUTH	9
CHAPTER III
LYNTON—THE WICHEHALSE FAMILY, IN FICTION AND IN FACT	21
CHAPTER IV
THE COAST, TO COUNTISBURY AND GLENTHORNE	35
CHAPTER V
THE NORTH WALK—THE VALLEY OF ROCKS—LEE “ABBEY”—WOODA BAY—HEDDON’S MOUTH—TRENTISHOE—THE HANGMAN HILLS	44
CHAPTER VIviii
COMBEMARTIN, AND ITS OLD SILVER MINES—THE CHURCH—WATERMOUTH CASTLE—HELE	71
CHAPTER VII
“’COMBE” IN HISTORY—MODERN ’COMBE—THE OLD CHURCH	84
CHAPTER VIII
LUNDY—HISTORY OF THE ISLAND—WRECK OF THE “MONTAGU”—LUNDY OFFERED AT AUCTION—DESCRIPTION	106
CHAPTER IX
CHAMBERCOMBE AND ITS “HAUNTED HOUSE”—BERRYNARBOR	123
CHAPTER X
LEE—MORTE POINT—MORTHOE AND THE TRACY LEGEND—WOOLACOMBE—GEORGEHAM—CROYDE—SAUNTON SANDS—BRAUNTON, BRAUNTON BURROWS, AND LIGHTHOUSE	131
CHAPTER XIix
PILTON—BARNSTAPLE BRIDGE—OLD COUNTRY WAYS—BARUM—HISTORY AND COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE—OLD HOUSES—“SEVEN BRETHREN BANK”—FREMINGTON—INSTOW AND THE LOVELY TORRIDGE	155
CHAPTER XII
KINGSLEY AND “WESTWARD HO!”—BIDEFORD BRIDGE—THE GRENVILLES—SIR RICHARD GRENVILLE AND THE “REVENGE”—THE ARMADA GUNS—BIDEFORD CHURCH—THE POSTMAN POET	177
CHAPTER XIII
THE KINGSLEY STATUE—NORTHAM—“BLOODY CORNER”—APPLEDORE—WESTWARD HO! AND THE PEBBLE RIDGE	197
CHAPTER XIV
ABBOTSHAM—“WOOLSERY”—BUCK’S MILL	205
CHAPTER XV
CLOVELLY—“UP ALONG” AND “DOWN ALONG”—THE “NEW INN”—APPRECIATIVE AMERICANS—THE QUAY POOL—THE HERRING FISHERY	208
CHAPTER XVIx
MOUTH MILL AND BLACK CHURCH ROCK—THE COAST TO HARTLAND—HARTLAND POINT—HARTLAND ABBEY—HARTLAND QUAY	224
INDEX	245

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Lynmouth, from the Beach	Frontispiece
	PAGE
Map of North Devon Coast	1
Headpiece	1
Watersmeet	6
Lynmouth and the Tors, from the Beach	12
Lyndale Bridge	17
Lynmouth, from the Tors Hotel	18
Lynton	24
The “Blue Ball”	37
Glenthorne	42
The Valley of Rocks	47
Lee “Abbey”	53
Wooda Bay	59
Heddon’s Mouth	62
“Hunter’s Inn”	64
Trentishoe Church	66
The “Pack of Cards,” Combemartin	73
Combemartin Church	77
Great Hangman Hill, and Entrance to Combemartin Harbour	80
Widemouth Bay	81xii
Capstone Hill and the Concert Parties	84
In the Harbour, Ilfracombe	89
Lantern Hill, Ilfracombe	90
Ilfracombe	100
Ilfracombe Church-tower	103
Lundy	107
The Landing-place, Lundy	111
The Montagu, on the Shutter Rock	117
The last of the Montagu, August, 1907	118
Chambercombe	125
The “Haunted House” of Chambercombe	127
Morthoe	135
Braunton Church	147
Sir John Schorne and his Devil	148
Braunton Burrows	150
Braunton Lighthouse	153
The Jester’s Head	156
Pulpit and Hour-glass, Pilton	157
An Old Door, Barnstaple	165
Old Room in the “Trevelyan Arms”	167
“Queen Anne’s Walk”	168
Barnstaple Church and Grammar School	170
The “Kingsley Room,” Royal Hotel, Bideford	178
Seal of Bideford	182
Bideford Bridge	183
Bideford Quay	191
“Bloody Corner”	199
Clovelly, from Buck’s Mill	206xiii
Clovelly, from the Hobby Drive	209
“Up-along,” Clovelly	213
Sign of the “New Inn,” Clovelly	216
A Clovelly Donkey	218
“Temple Bar”	219
The Quay, Clovelly	220
Back of the “Red Lion,” Clovelly	221
Clovelly, from the Sea	225
Clovelly Church	226
Black Church Rock	227
Hartland Point	229
Hartland Quay	237
Speke’s Mouth	238
At Marsland Mouth	243

The North Devon Coast
(Larger)

THE
North Devon
Coast

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY

No one can, with advantage, explore the ruggedcoast of North Devon by progressing direct fromthe point where it begins and so continuing, withoutonce harking back. The scenery is exceptionallybold and fine, and the tracing of the actualcoast-line by consequence a matter of no littledifficulty. Only the pedestrian can see this coastas a whole, and even he needs to be blessed withpowers