SIDMOUTH

'Sidmouth' (IPA: ) is a small seaside town on the east Devon coast in South West England, about 15 miles south east of Exeter.

Contents

Geography

Education and culture

Folk Week

Nightlife

Trade

History

Railway

Literary references

Twin towns

Trivia

External links

Geography

Situated in the south west, at the mouth of the River Sid, it is surrounded by the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is on the Jurassic Coast world heritage site and the South West Coast Path, a long distance footpath that skirts almost the entire coast in the West Country of England. The principal income of the town is from tourism. The town is also popular as a retirement community, with about 60% of the population being over retirement age.


Erosion remains a serious concern east of the mouth of the River Sid. The cliffs have been heavily eroded, threatening cliff top homes and the coastal footpath.
A wide esplanade has been a seafront feature since Regency times. A series of southwesterly storms in the 1980s washed away much of the shingle beach protecting the masonry, and a series of artificial rock islands were constructed to protect the sea front and tonnes of pebbles were trucked in to replace the beach.

Education and culture

Sidmouth may also be known for the Sidmouth international school, an English school which is used for people all over the world.
There is only one junior school in the town, St Nicholas C of E junior school, which takes children from between the ages of 8 and 11. The current headteacher is mrs Pam Smethurst.
There is also a Private prep school in Sidmouth, St John's School, which takes children from 2 - 13 years old including many overseas boarders. The Current Headteacher is Mrs Tessa Smith. Recentley the school was taken over by IES. A charity which saves institutions such as SJS which in January declared it would be closing due to lack of funds. A group of parents rallied to save the school and IES decided on the 30th of March it would take it over.
David Birch is Headteacher of the secondary school, Sidmouth College, which takes children aged 11-18 from as far away as Exmouth. The school was recently awarded specialist Technology College status. At the time of the last Ofsted inspection (early 2005), there were 869 pupils on roll and the school was considered to be 'satisfactory'.
Sidmouth is home to the Norman Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium, located on a hilltop site at Salcombe.
Of particular note is the museum. A very carefully selected accumulation of local memorabilia, artefacts, and geological samples provides a comprehensive and fascinating picture of the area's geology and history.
Sidmouth has been a frequent winner of the Britain in Bloom awards. Most recently it was awarded the 2001 award in the Small Town category and it won the 2005 award for the Coastal Resort category.

Folk Week

Sidmouth Folk Week is an annual folk festival in early August attracting musicians and visitors from around the world. After 2005 all commercial sponsors pulled out of the festival. To continue the tradition of the festival, individuals grouped together to form Sidmouth FolkWeek Productions, a limited company. Since the change of forma, the event has been held on a relatively smaller scale, with no arena at the Knowle. However, FolkWeek is still going strong and the 2008 event is already being planned.

Nightlife

The night club Carina's is located in Sidmouth.
Options for going out earlier in the evening include The Marine Bar and Jacks, both found on the sea front. Dukes is also a popular venue, boasting live music, and fine ales.

Trade

Sidmouth has many independent retailers, including a surprisingly big department store. There are several pubs, restaurants, coffee houses and tea rooms. The town also boasts an indoor swimming pool, a college, sports hall, cinema, and golf course.

History

Once a relatively small fishing village and failed port, Sidmouth became a fashionable resort for the gentry in the early nineteenth century. The town's numerous fine Georgian and Regency villas and mansions are now mostly hotels. The Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium, completed in 1912, fell into disuse and ruin but was saved from demolition by the appeals of local enthusiasts to East Devon District Council. The observatory now operates as a science education project and is regularly open to the public.
In 1819 George III's son Edward, Duke of Kent, his wife and baby daughter, came to stay at Wolbrook Glen for a few weeks. In less than a month he had died after a brief illness. His daughter was the future Queen Victoria. The house later became the Royal Glen Hotel, and a plaque on an exterior wall records the visit.
Sidmouth appeared in the Domesday Book as SEDEMUDA.

Railway

Main articles: Sidmouth railway station

At one time Sidmouth was connected to the railway network by a branch line from Sidmouth Junction, but this was dismantled under the Beeching Axe in the 1960s.

Literary references

★ Sidmouth appears as "Stymouth" in Beatrix Potter's children's story ''The Tale of Little Pig Robinson'' (1930). The author includes views of the beach and other parts of the Devon countryside in the work.

★ It is referred to as "Idmouth" in Thomas Hardy's ''Wessex''.

★ It is called "Baymouth" in William Makepeace Thackeray's ''Pendennis''.

★ It is called "Spudmouth" in the "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood" by Howard Pyles

Twin towns

Le Locle, Switzerland

Trivia

★ Sidmouth has been the setting for several television shows; most recently was an ITV adaptation of Agatha Christie's ''Marple'' in Summer 2005.

External links

★ Norman Lockyer Observatory — Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium

★ Norman Lockyer Observatory Radio Station — Sidmouth Observatory Amateur Radio Group

★ Sidbury UTD AFC — Sidbury's football team. The village nearby to Sidmouth.

★ Sidmouth Herald — local newspaper for the Sidmouth and Ottery St Mary area. All the latest news, sport, events, jobs, property and motors.

★ Sidmouth (DMOZ.org)

★ Sidmouth Town Council

★ Virtual Tour of Sidmouth Views of the Town as panoramic images, including the sea front, cliffs, and Sidmouth Folk Festival.

★ Sidmouth in Bloom website Sidmouth's entry in to 'Britain in Bloom' and the community's efforts to keep Sidmouth 'in Bloom' though out the year. Slide-shows on most pages.