Stoke Fleming is a thriving village with most amenities. Looking at the position of the post box everyone must be 12 feet tall. We have no idea why it is so high. There is another post box at ground level around the corner.
Dartmouth is an ancient borough with a history of settlement going back to prehistoric times. In early times, when marauders of all sorts ravaged the coast, towns were placed some distance inland, safe from raids, and so it was that the first occupancy was at Townstal, at the top of the hill.
Much of the lower part of the town, from the river bank inland as far as the Guildhall, has been reclaimed from the river in various stages since medieval times.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, Dartmouth rivalled the Cinque Ports in importance and fame, and for a time it was one of the foremost seaports in the provinces.
The Mayflower and the Speedwell left from Bayards Cove, Dartmouth, in 1620 taking pilgrims to America. Local merchant adventurers, including Humphrey Gilbert, obtained a predominant share of the Newfoundland trade in the 16th century, and many of the Mayors were men connected with that trade.
In more recent times, the port of Dartmouth has continued its naval connection as the home of naval officer training – initially in HMS Britannia on the River, and since 1905 at Britannia Royal Naval College on land. In the second World War, over four hundred ships were assembled in the port in readiness for the D-Day landings in 1944.
Mock Tudor building on the South Embankment
The Butterwalk St. Saviour’s Church
About 2 weeks before we arrived in Dartmouth there was a devastating fire in the centre of town, which affected a whole block of shops and flats. This is the result – burnt out Elizabethan buildings.
We knew Dartmouth was steep, but not this steep 1 in 3. I met a lady in her eighties who had just walked up this hill. she said she ‘takes her time’.
At the top of the hill is a geocache and the next two photos are of the Dart estuary from the cache.
At the end of our first week we went to the BBC Antiques Roadshow at the Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC). We went for the day out, those with antiques had to wait in queues for up to 90 minutes. At the time of writing the transmission date has not been set. We saw many of the valuers and had a look around parts of the college.
The recording set.
At the half way point for the day the college put on the The Field Gun Run – below is a slideshow showing the run. We had to be moved away from the centre line because when the gun is fired at the end of the run the blank cartridge throws out lots of debris.
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