Kingsbridge
Location
The ancient market town of Kingsbridge, now a popular tourist hub, lies between Plymouth, to the west, Torbay to the east and Dartmoor to the north and is the historic and natural centre of the South Hams. With a population of about 5,800. It is situated at the northern end of the Kingsbridge Estuary, which is a textbook example of a ria and extends to the sea 6 miles south of the town at Salcombe.
Luscombe Maye's Kingsbridge Office offers the following specialist services:
About Kingsbridge
A brief stroll around Kingsbridge soon tells of its maritime past - shipbuilding, ropemaking and other industries have been the town's mainstay, and shipbuilding enterprises prospered till the late 19th century building wooden coastal and oceangoing vessels.
The modern town of Kingsbridge is actually made up of two medieval towns, Kingsbridge and Dodbrooke, originally a quarter of a mile apart. Kingsbridge and the lands around it passed into the possession of the Abbots of Buckfast Abbey some time after the Norman Conquest. The Abbot of Buckfast was granted the right to hold a market in Kingsbridge in 1219, his monks selling their produce of honey, fruit, vegetables and thick cream, and so began the tradition of Kingsbridge as a market town, which continues to this day.
The town consists of two ecclesiastical parishes: St. Edmund's in the west and St. Thomas of Canterbury at Dodbrooke in the east. St. Edmund's Church, in mainly Perpendicular style, retains some 13th century features including a font, but was enlarged and reconsecrated around 1414 and was mostly rebuilt in the 19th century. The parish church of St. Thomas Becket displays a particularly well-preserved rood screen, restored in 1897.
The town centre retains many 18th and 19th century buildings. The Shambles, or market arcade, was rebuilt in 1796 but retains its 16th century granite piers. The former grammar school, now a museum, was founded and built by Thomas Crispin in 1670.
Towns and Villages in the Kingsbridge Area
Ash, Aveton Gifford, Bickerton, Blackawton, Blackpool, Bowden, Bridge End, Buckland, Buckland Tout Saints, Charleton, Chilley, Chillington, Chivelstone, Churchstow, Coombe, Cotmore, Dunstone, East Allington, East Charleton, Eastdown, East Portlemouth, East Prawle, Ford, Frogmore, Goveton, Harleston, Hazelwood, Hendham, Higher Batson, Hope, Hutcherleigh, Kernborough,, Ledstone, Loddiswell, Lower Batson, Malborough, Merrifield, Millcombe, Moyson, New Bridge, Outer Hope, Paddlelake, Redlap, Rew, Salcombe, Sherford, Slapton, Slapton Ley, South Huish, South Milton, South Pool, Start Point, Stoke Fleming, Stokenham, Strawberry Alley, Strete, Tacket Wood, The Mounts, Thurlestone, Torcross, Upton, Venn, West Alvington, Widdicombe, Woodford, Woodleigh.
Attractions
Kingsbridge is still a vibrant working town, with a varied selection of shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs which are open all year. In the Town Square, by The Quay, you will find outdoor markets 2-3 times weekly depending on season, and the popular Farmers Market on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month.
The little lanes off Fore Street are very pleasant for an idle hour or two, and there's plenty of shopping interest as well as the excellent Cookworthy Museum - set in a 17th Century Grammar school and named after William Cookworthy, born in the town in 1705. It was Cookworthy who invented the English porcelain industry when he discovered china clay in Cornwall.
There's also a leisure centre for more athletic diversions.
Events
The major crowd pulling events in town are the Music Festival, held during June and Fair Week, by tradition in July.
Culture – If you require cultural diversion, there are two art galleries and a private cinema; craft markets; open air theatre and amateur theatrical shows; live music – open air concerts on the band stand, choral concerts, barbershop, folk and popular artistes in many of the pubs. Professional theatres are close-by in Torbay, Plymouth and Exeter.
Around Kingsbridge
The South Hams always enjoys one of the mildest climates in Britain, protected as it is by Dartmoor National Park to the North and caressed by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream to the South – even the name ‘Hammes’, is taken from the Anglo-Saxon for ‘sheltered place’.
The South Hams has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with its rolling hills, wooded river valleys, patchwork fields, sandy beaches, a spectacular coast line and small picturesque villages. Kingsbridge’s situation in the heart of the South Hams means that it is in close proximity to the spectacular south Devon coast and sailing venues, such as Salcombe. There are ample opportunities to walk, sail, surf, windsurf, fish, ride, golf etc. as virtually every sport and outdoor activity is well catered for. For walkers, in particular, the town was the first in Devon to be awarded WALKERS ARE WELCOME status.
In the estuary and just out to sea, porpoises, dolphins and whales can often be seen, with seals appearing closer to the shore. The area is rich in birdlife including cirl bunting, egrets, peregrines, sparrowhawks and buzzards.
Some like it Hot …
The South Devon Chilli Farm and shop at nearby Loddiswell are open for visitors and as such are unique; Nowhere else can you go along and wander among the fruiting chilli plants, sample all of the sauces, preserves and chocolate made on the farm and take away chilli seedlings, plants and seeds, as well as fresh or dried chillies.
You may well have seen the Chilli Farm already, as they have made numerous TV appearances, their most recent being on James Wong's "Grow Your Own Drugs" on BBC2 in April 2009. Jamie Oliver says "As you know I am a Chilli freak and these guys grow the best in the country".
Schools
Kingsbridge Community Primary School caters for approximately 400 pupils and is located in the village. There are several other primary schools in the surrounding area. Secondary education is catered for by Kingsbridge Community College, with others at Ivybridge and Dartmouth.
Shops
Convenience store
In the village
Farm shop
5 miles
Post office
In the village
Garage
In the village
Newsagent (several)
In the village
Greengrocers & fruit sellers
In the village
Health food & organic (several)
In the village
DIY
3 miles
Shopping mall
15 miles
Bank
In the village
Off licences & wine sellers
In the village
Supermarket
In the village
Butchers
In the village
Bakers
In the village
Beaches
Just a few minutes drive away, at the head of the Kingsbridge Estuary are the delights of Salcombe, with plenty of sandy beaches to discover at North Sands, South Sands and across the estuary at East Portlemouth, with many others nearby to choose from, including Thurlestone and Hope Cove to name a few.
Medical
Distance to nearest:
Doctors
In the village
Dentists
In the village
Opticians
In the village
Nursing homes
In the village
Chemists
In the village
Vets
In the village
Public Transport
The town is linked to Plymouth and Dartmouth by the A379 road, and to Salcombe and Totnes by the A381. For seventy years Kingsbridge boasted a railway station until the branch line, via South Brent, was closed in 1963 as part of the reshaping of British railways, commonly known as The Beeching Axe. An industrial park now occupies the site of the former station yard, but evidence of the railway's existence can still be seen in the form of disused bridges dotted around the town.