Beer, Devon
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(September 2014) |
| Beer | |
|---|---|
 Beach at Beer, with Beer Head behind (April 2006) | |
  Beer Location withinDevon | |
| Area | 6.7 km2(2.6 sq mi)[1] |
| Population | 1,317 (2011) |
| •Density | 197/km2(510/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SY2289 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SEATON |
| Postcode district | EX12 |
| Dialling code | 01297 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Beeris a seaside village andcivil parishin theEast Devondistrict ofDevon,England.[3]The village facesLyme Bayand is a little over 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the town ofSeaton.It is situated on theJurassic CoastWorld Heritage Siteand its picturesque cliffs, includingBeer Head,form part of theSouth West Coast Path.[4][5]
At the2011 Census,the parish had a population of 1,317.[6]
The village
[edit]Beer is mentioned in theDomesday Bookof 1086, at which time it was located withinColytonhundredand had 28 households.[7]Its name is not derived from thedrink,but from theOld Englishwordbearu,meaning "grove"and referring to the originalforestationthat surrounded the village.[8]
It is a pretty coastal village that grew up around a smugglers' cove and caves which were once used to store contraband goods. These are now part of the attraction of the village. Many of the buildings are faced withflint,a hard glassy stone found in the localchalkrock.[9]
Historically, the main sources of income for the village includedfishingandlaceproduction.[10]Boats are winched up the beach as there is no harbour, and fresh fish is sold nearby. Nowadays small electrically-driven winches using steel cables or tractors are located on the beach to haul boats in. Higher up is an old manualcapstanoperated by up to 20 men, now disused.
A brook winds its way in an open conduit alongside the main road down to the sea.
The shape of the coastline allowed local seafarers to operate in weather conditions when other towns could not, because it is protected from the prevailing westerly winds by Beer Head and the chalk cliffs which are the westernmost outcrop oflimestoneon the southwest coast.[11]
Nowadays, the sources of income are mainlytourismand fishing. Beer is also the home of thePecorama(run by thePECOmodel railwaymanufacturer), which includes pleasure gardens and theBeer Heights Light Railway.
Beer has a steep pebble beach.
Beer is home to a cave complex, theBeer Quarry Caves,resulting from the quarrying of Beer stone. This stone has been prized sinceRomantimes, because of its workability for carving and for its gentle yellow colour on exposure to air. Beer stone was used in the construction of 24 cathedrals[12]around the UK, includingExeter Cathedral,Westminster AbbeyandSt. Paul's Cathedral,and was also used in the building of Christchurch Cathedral, St.Louis. Missouri, United States. Bovey House, anElizabethanmanor house,is a mile inland.
Bacteria taken from cliffs at Beer on the south coast were launched to theInternational Space Stationin 2008. The Beer microbes were placed on theEuropean Space Agency's (ESA) Technology Exposure Facility and were sent up still sitting on, and in, small chunks of cliff rock from theJurassic Coast.After 553-days scientists found that many were still alive. The survivors are now reproducing in a laboratory. This was part of an experiment to study the survival of microbes (which naturally live on the stone) in extreme conditions. A new species ofcyanobacteriawas isolated at theOpen Universitythat could be used in future space settlements on theMoonandMarsto produce oxygen and break down rocks.[13]
Transport
[edit]Roads
[edit]Beer is just off the A3052 which linksExeterto the West andLyme Registo the East.
Public transport
[edit]Beer's nearest railway station isAxminster railway station,around 9 miles (14 km) away, which is on the Exeter to Waterloo line. There is a bus link from the rail station to Beer.
The bus services in the village are provided by locally based AVMT Buses who run services to many of the nearby towns and villages includingSeaton,Axminster,Branscombe,Sidmouth,andColyton.
Notable people
[edit]- William George Aston(1841–1911), Irish diplomat and writer, died in Beer.
- Frederick T Durrant(1895–c. 1979), organist, born in Beer.
- Richard Gush(1789–1858), 1820 Settler, was born in Beer.
- Rowland Molony(born 1946), poet and novelist, lives in Beer.
- Charles William Peach(1800–1886), naturalist and geologist, lived in Beer.
- Jack Rattenbury(1778–1844), smuggler, was born in Beer.
- William Henry Woodgate(1827–1877), murderer, was born in Beer
- Innes FitzGerald(2006– ), athlete, brought-up in Beer[14][15]
References
[edit]- ^"Hooken Cliffs - Walk - South West Coast Path".www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk.
- ^"Home - Beer Parish Council".www.beerparishcouncil.org.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 13 April 2018.Retrieved12 October2016.
- ^"Beer, East Devon - area information, map, walks and more".OS GetOutside.Ordnance Survey.Retrieved11 January2018.
- ^"Beer Head, East Devon - area information, map, walks and more".Ordnance Survey Get Outside.Retrieved11 January2018.
- ^Lyme Regis & Bridport - OS Explorer Map 116 (Chard).United Kingdom: Ordnance Survey. 16 September 2015. p. 1.ISBN9780319243176.Retrieved11 January2018.
- ^"Beer (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census - Key Statistics".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved12 October2016.
- ^"Beer".Open Domesday.Retrieved12 October2016.
- ^Mills, A. D. (2011).A Dictionary of British Place-Names.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-1996-0908-6.
- ^"Flint Mining in Beer - Visit Beer, Devon".Visit Beer, Devon.Retrieved11 January2018.
- ^"Beer History".beervillageheritage.org.uk.websitebuilder.prositehosting.co.uk.Retrieved11 January2018.
- ^"East Devon Landscape Character Assessment"(PDF).eastdevon.gov.uk.Retrieved13 July2019.
- ^Heptinstall, Simon (2008).Devon.Crimson Publishing. p. 111.ISBN9781854584267.
- ^Amos, Jonathan (23 August 2010)."Beer microbes live 553 days outside ISS".BBC News.Retrieved23 August2010.
- ^Evans, Francesca (17 July 2022)."East Devon runner Innes continues to impress with biggest victory of her young career".Axminster.nub.Retrieved4 July2023.
- ^Lytton, Charlotte (28 January 2023)."Innes FitzGerald: 'Greta Thunberg of sport' wants (green) gold at Olympics".The Times.Retrieved4 July2023.
External links
[edit]
- Beer and Seaton Geology
- BBC heritage walk subpage
- Beer Parish CouncilArchived13 April 2018 at theWayback Machine
- BeeratCurlie
- Beer Village Website
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