Sights in Devon
-
A
Cathedral Church of St Peter
Magnificent in warm, honey-coloured stone, Exeter's Cathedral Church of St Peter is framed by lawns and wonky half-timbered buildings - a quintessentially English scene often peopled by picnickers snacking to the sound of the bells.
The site's been a religious one since at least the 5th century but the Normans started the current building in 1114 and the towers of today's cathedral date from that period. In 1270 Bishop Bronescombe remodelled the whole building, a process that took 90 years, and introduced a mix of Early English and Decorated Gothic styles. You enter via the gorgeous Great West Front. Above the door, scores of weather-worn figures line an image screen, whi…
reviewed
-
Greenway
The enchanting summer home of crime writer Agatha Christie sits beside the River Dart near Dartmouth. Part-guided tours allow you to wander between rooms where the furnishings and knick-knacks are much as she left them. You can check out her hats in the lobby, books in her library and clothes in her wardrobe, and listen to her speak (via replica radio) in the drawing room.
Woods speckled with splashes of magnolias, daffodils and hydrangeas frame the water, while the planting creates intimate, secret spaces – the boathouse and views over the river are delightful. In Christie's book Dead Man's Folly, Greenway doubles as Nasse House, with the boathouse making an appearance …
reviewed
-
Dartmoor National Park
At first glance, Dartmoor can come as something of a shock to the senses. The largest stretch of open moorland in the southwest, Dartmoor covers an area of 945sq km (368sq mi) between Plymouth and Exeter. It's a stark, wild and bleakly beautiful place, dotted with granite-topped hills, marshy bogs and patches of purple heather, as well as many weirdly shaped tors.
Dartmoor encloses some of the wildest, bleakest country in England: suitable terrain for the Hound of the Baskervilles (one of Sherlock Holmes' more notorious foes). The landscape and weather can make this an extremely eerie place; try not to think of An American Werewolf in London on a dark, foggy night. With …
reviewed
-
Cathedral Church of St Peter
At Exeter's heart is the magnificent Cathedral Church of St Peter, which has stood largely unchanged (barring some WWII bomb damage) for the last 600 years. It's one of the most graceful of England's cathedrals, with features including the 14th-century stained glass of the East Window and the largest section of Gothic rib-vaulting in the world.
There's been a church on this spot since AD 932; in 1050 the Saxon church was granted cathedral status, and between 1112 and 1133 a Norman cathedral replaced the original building. Inside, the carved Pulpitum Screen, completed in 1325, features some marvellous 17th century ecclesiastical paintings. Behind is the choir, decorated wi…
reviewed
-
Tinside Lido
Downhill from the Hoe, the Tinside Lido is an outdoor saltwater pool built in classic Art Deco style; it first opened to the public in 1935.
During the Lido's heyday in the 40s and 50s, thousands of Plymouthians flocked to the pool on summer days (backed by the soothing strains of a string orchestra) and during WWII it was the perfect place to cool off after cleaning up the rubble from the city's bomb-ravaged streets. On one memorable occasion, some 3000 people took to the water in a very un-British display of high spirits. Sadly, package holidays took their toll on the Lido in the 70s and 80s, and the pool fell into disrepair, finally closing in 1992. It's since been res…
reviewed
-
B
Mayflower Steps
The Mayflower Steps mark the final UK departure point of the Pilgrim Fathers - the band of settlers who founded New England's first permanent colony at Plymouth (Massachusetts) in 1620. Having left Southampton and been forced into Dartmouth because of an unseaworthy ship, they finally left Plymouth (England) on board the Mayflower. The rest, in this case the founding of America, is history.
The steps themselves are small and although they look old, they aren't the original ones (you have to expect a bit of a rebuild over the last 400 years). The surrounding plaques help you navigate Plymouth's past - they mark the departure of the first emigrant ships to New Zealand, Capt…
reviewed
-
Robert Lenkiewicz murals
Seen by some as brilliant, by others as downright disturbing, the huge murals you'll see dotted about the Barbican are the work of the late, representational painter Robert Lenkiewicz (1941-2002). The son of Jewish refugees from Germany and Poland, this brooding, eccentric philosopher was a fixture of the district for decades and has been described by some as a modern-day Rembrandt.
Lenkiewicz developed a special bond with alcoholics, drug addicts and homeless people, often offering them a meal and a bed for the night. Exploring themes of death and obsession, he also achieved notoriety in the mid-1980s when he embalmed the body of a local tramp. Check out the biggest, and…
reviewed
-
C
Exeter Quay
The perfect place on a summer's day to forget you're in a city. The red stone warehouses that line the River Exe at Exeter Quay are home to antiques markets, pubs and restaurants, many with alfresco dining. There's been a quay on the site since Roman times, but by the 14th century the route to the sea had been cut off by an incredibly sharp piece of business practice.
Those with vested interests in forcing trade to the port of Topsham to the south, built a weir across the river - severing the city's water link. Undeterred, John Trew built the first ship canal in Britain in 1563 to restore access to the sea. The quay has open-air jazz on Sundays between June and September,…
reviewed
-
Coleton Fishacre
For an enchanting glimpse of Jazz Age glamour, drop by this former home of the D'Oyly Carte family of theatre impresarios. Built in the 1920s, its gorgeous art deco embellishments include original Lalique tulip uplighters, comic bathroom tiles and a stunning saloon – complete with tinkling piano. The croquet terrace leads to deeply shelved subtropical gardens and suddenly revealed vistas of the sea. Hike the 4 miles along the cliffs from Kingswear, or drive.
reviewed
-
D
Powderham Castle
The historic home of the Earl of Devon is Powderham. A stately but still friendly place, it was built in 1391, damaged in the Civil War and remodelled in the Victorian era. A visit takes in a fine wood-panelled Great Hall, parkland with 650 deer and a glimpse of life 'below stairs' in the kitchen. The earl and family are still resident and, despite its grandeur, for charming, fleeting moments it feels like you're actually wandering through someone's sitting room.
Powderham is on the River Exe near Kenton, 8 miles south of Exeter. Bus 2 runs from Exeter (30 minutes, every 20 minutes Monday to Friday.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
E
Plymouth Gin Distillery
This is the oldest producer of gin in the world – they've been making it here since 1793. The Royal Navy ferried it round the world in countless officers' messes and the brand was specified in the first recorded recipe for a dry martini in the 1930s. Tours wind past the stills and take in a tutored tasting before depositing you in the heavily beamed medieval bar for a free tipple. Between Easter and October, there are extra tours at 10.30am and 4.30pm.
reviewed
-
F
Plymouth Mayflower
Runs through Plymouth's nautical heritage, providing the background to the Pilgrim Fathers' trip via interactive gizmos and multisensory displays.
reviewed
-
G
National Marine Aquarium
The sharks here swim in coral seas that teem with moray eels and vividly coloured fish – there's even a loggerhead turtle called Snorkel who was rescued from a Cornish beach. Walk-through glass arches ensure huge rays glide over your head, while the immense Atlantic Reef tank reveals just what's lurking a few miles offshore.
reviewed
-
H
Paignton Zoo
This 80-acre site is dotted with spacious enclosures re-creating habitats as varied as savannah, wetlands, tropical forest and desert. Highlights are the crocodile swamp, orang-utan island, vast glass-walled lion enclosure, and a lemur wood, where you walk over a plank suspension bridge as the primates leap around in the surrounding trees.
reviewed
-
I
Underground Passages
Prepare to crouch down, don a hard hat and possibly get spooked in what is the only system of its kind open to the public in the country. These medieval, vaulted Underground Passages were built to house pipes bringing fresh water to the city. Unlike modern utility companies, the authorities opted to have permanent access for repairs, rather than dig up the streets each time - genius. Guides lead you through the network, telling tales of ghosts, escape routes and cholera.
The last tour is an hour before closing.
reviewed
-
J
Living Coasts
A vast open-plan aviary bringing you up close to free-roaming penguins, punk-rocker style tufted puffins and disarmingly cute bank cormorants.
reviewed
-
K
Guildhall
The earliest parts of the Guildhall date from 1330, making it the oldest municipal building still in use in the country. A gloriously ornate barrel roof arches above wooden benches and crests of dignitaries – the mayor still sits in the huge throne-like chair at the end. Opening hours depend on civic functions.
reviewed
-
L
Bill Douglas Centre
A delightful homage to film and fun, the Bill Douglas Centre is a compact collection of all things celluloid, from magic lanterns to Mickey Mouse. Inside discover just what the butler did see and why the flicks are called the flicks. In a mass of movie memorabilia Charlie Chaplin bottle stoppers mingle with Ginger Rogers playing cards, James Bond board games and Star Wars toys.
reviewed
-
M
Museum
Roman Exeter features strongly in the city's museum. Expect chunks of mosaic, bits of amphorae and a good re-creation of the bathhouse that used to lie under what is now Cathedral Green. There are also piles of south Devon flints, and a reconstruction of a Dartmoor Bronze Age roundhouse. Hunt out the tomb-like Egypt room, complete with a 3000-year-old mummy case and (mock-up) hieroglyphics on the walls. There are good, free quiz sheets for children.
reviewed
-
N
City Wall
Fragments of Exeter's russet-red City Wall weave an elusive, two-mile trail around the fringes of the old Roman city. The most ancient bits are 2000 years old and with newer, particularly Civil War, defences built on top, it's perfect for playing a game of history detective - decoding the layers of the past. A surprising 70% is still standing and it springs up beside shops and car parks as well as parks, often accompanied by information panels.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
O
Smeaton's Tower
Alongside the fabled green of the Hoe, you can't miss the 70ft high, red and white candy-striped former lighthouse that is Smeaton's Tower. The whole structure used to stand on the Eddystone Reef 14 miles offshore before being moved here, brick by brick, in the 1880s. Now it provides an illuminating insight into the lives of past lighthouse keepers and (93 steps later) stunning views of the city, Dartmoor and the sea.
reviewed
-
P
Tinside Pool
The Art Deco, open-air Tinside Pool curves out from the foot of the Hoe beside the sea. For decades this 1930s lido suffered from neglect, but now it's been delicately restored in cream and light and dark blue. Its unheated salt waters aren't quite as toe-curlingly cold as you might think and a dip here, within a pebble's throw of the expanse of Plymouth Sound, is a swim to remember.
reviewed
-
Dartmouth Castle
Mazy passages, atmospheric guardrooms and great views from the battlements. Get there via the tiny, open-top Castle Ferry
reviewed
-
Q
Kent's Cavern
At Kent's Cavern, expect a stalactite to drip water on your head and temperatures of 14°C in an atmospheric, prehistoric subterranean world. These caves were inhabited in the Stone Age, making them the oldest homes in Britain. The animals that roamed Torbay then were a mite different too - guides lead you past hyena's lairs, cave bear dens and mammoth teeth.
reviewed
-
R
Exeter Cathedral
Magnificent in warm, honey-coloured stone, Exeter's Cathedral Church of St Peter is framed by lawns and wonky half-timbered buildings – a quintessentially English scene often peopled by picnickers snacking to the sound of the bells.
The site has been a religious one since at least the 5th century but the Normans started the current building in 1114; the towers of today's cathedral date from that period. In 1270 Bishop Bronescombe remodelled the whole building, a process that took 90 years and introduced a mix of Early English and Decorated Gothic styles.
Above the Great West Front scores of weather-worn figures line a screen that was once brightly painted. It now forms th…
reviewed
