Teignmouth
Coordinates: 50 ° 33 ′ N , 3 ° 30 ′ W
Teignmouth [ ˈtɪnməθ ] is an English city in southern Devon . The small town grew from a small fishing port to a modern resort on the English Riviera . In 2001 it had about 15,000 inhabitants.
geography
Teignmouth is on the north bank of the Teign Estuary , between the towns of Exmouth to the north and Torquay to the south. The place and the village of Shaldon on the south bank of the Teign are connected by a road bridge, the Shaldon Bridge . The next largest cities are Newton Abbot in the west and Exeter in the northeast. Both can be reached within a very short time via a trunk road. There are several hourly trains from Teignmouth to Newton Abbot and Exeter. The railway line runs directly along the coast, but also partly along the banks of the wide Teign estuary (towards Newton Abbot ) and the Exe estuary (towards Exeter ). Both estuaries are subject to the tides. From Teignmouth, Newton Abbot and Dawlish are the closest train stations on what is arguably the most scenic railroad in southern England. For the residents of Teignmouth, Newton Abbot has important regional administrative structures that are used by the residents.
history
The western half of the city was destroyed by fire in a brief French invasion except for one house in 1690. The French street with its museum still commemorates this incident today. During the Second World War , Teignmouth was repeatedly hit by German bombs. On the one hand, the remaining bombs of the returning bombers fell on the small town after attacks on Bristol and Plymouth . On the other hand, the infrastructure and especially the port facilities were a target of German bombers. The Teign estuary was regularly explored by German hunters and scouts and the city was attacked. The book "Teignmouth at War" best describes the war in Teignmouth and the loss of buildings and residents. During the war, Shaldon Bridge was defended with anti-aircraft guns.
The harbor
Teignmouth harbor has existed since the 13th century and is still used today to load clay , lumber and grain . In addition, pleasure craft anchor in the area of the river mouth. There is a brisk freight traffic with French ports on the Channel coast. The granite for the London Bridge was loaded here. The unique granite was delivered with the Haytor Railway from the quarries near Hay Tor, then across the Stover Canal and the Teign River to the harbor at the new quays. The quayside was built for the transport of granite by George Templer in the years 1821-1825. The port of Teignmouth is now the only cargo port between Plymouth and Southampton . The entry channel in the area of the river mouth is treacherous, silts up quickly and is monitored by a well-organized pilot service.
Teignmouth is connected to Shaldon by a passenger ferry that claims to be one of the oldest ferries in England.
Shaldon Bridge
The original bridge opened on June 8, 1827, had 34 wooden arches and was 1,671 feet long. A fee was payable for use. After two partial collapses (1838 and 1893), the bridge was completely rebuilt in 1931. Devon's County Council bought the bridge from Shaldon Bridge Company on October 28, 1948 for £ 90,000 and abolished the fees. It goes back to a bridge that has been known since Roman times.
railroad
The city was connected to the railway network of the Devon South Railway on May 30, 1846. The train station is close to the city center and the train connects Teignmouth with most of Devon’s stations. Built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel , the route runs several miles along a stone dike between the sea and the cliffs of Newton Abbot east towards Dawlish and Dawlish-Warren, eventually ending in Exeter. The route is particularly picturesque due to the red rock formations that line the route. The stretch between Teignmouth and Dawlish is the most expensive to maintain route on the whole of the UK rail network because of its proximity to the sea. Even before the Second World War, there were considerations of moving the railway line further inland and thus leaving out the Teignmouth corner. This is countered by the high costs of a possibly necessary tunnel, as well as the argument that tourists want the route along the sea.
tourism
Teignmouth is a quintessentially English seaside resort with the grizzled charm of the Edwardian and Victorian eras. Teignmouth was already a popular destination for travelers in the 19th century, as it is today: the number of tourists has been increasing for several years. This is probably due to the modernization and the influx of wealthy big city dwellers from London , Bristol or Birmingham who enjoy the quiet of the city and enrich it infrastructurally and financially by paying Council Tax (regional tax). The main attraction during the summer months is the seafront, the beach and the countless sports facilities. The pier with its arcade and video games is in need of renovation and was badly damaged by the November storm in 2004. Nevertheless, it enjoys popularity with the little travelers. Language travelers from Torquay, 11 miles away, regularly visit Teignmouth for smaller excursions. Teignmouth itself has sports facilities such as an indoor swimming pool, "Den Bowling Club" and Teignmouth Golf Club. The traditional cinema "Riviera" has not been in operation for years. Theatrical productions have been offered here since 1912. An insider tip are the “fishing trips” that can be booked in the harbor.
Teignmouth, by sea
Tourism in Teignmouth around 1900
View from Shaldon over the Teign (2007)
music
The British rock band Muse was founded in Teignmouth in 1994 and won two MTV Europe Music Awards in 2004, including Best Alternative Act and a Q Award for Best Live Act. At the Brit Awards 2005 the band received the “Best Live Act” award. At the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, Muse were nominated for Best Alternative, Best Album and Best UK & Ireland. Ultimately, however, they could only take home the award for Best Alternative. The song Falling Down from her first studio album Showbiz describes life in Teignmouth.
In the city's pubs, including the well-known Ship-Inn and the Dicey O 'Reilley Pub in the city center not far from the lake promenade, live music is regularly offered on Friday evenings. Jazz concerts are held at the London Hotel in the city center during the autumn weeks.
Town twinning
Teignmouth is the twin town of the French city of Perros-Guirec .
Personalities
sons and daughters of the town
- Elias Parish Alvars (1808–1849), harpist and composer
- Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt (1811–1888), Vice Admiral, expert in hydrography and geologist
- William Strutt (1825–1915), artist and painter
- Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen (1834–1923), topographer, geologist and explorer
- George Shoobridge Carr (1837-1914), mathematician and chess player
- Danny Thompson (* 1939), double bass player
- Ian Twitchin (1952-2017), football player
as well:
- Muse , rock band
Personalities who worked in Teignmouth
- Thomas Luny (1759–1837), British painter; worked and died in Teignmouth
- Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth (1757-1833), Admiral; died at the age of 76 at his West Cliff House estate in Teignmouth
- Georg Müller (1805–1898), "orphan father of Bristol"; was a pastor in Teignmouth for a short time
- Freddy Randall (1921–1999), jazz trumpeter and band leader; died in Teignmouth
- Donald Crowhurst (1932–1969), businessman and amateur sailor; started in 1968 with the trimaran Teignmouth Electron his pretend circumnavigation of Teignmouth
literature
- MC Ewans: The Haytor Granite Tramway & Stover Canal. Pub. David & Charles, Dawlish 1964, OCLC 5367156 , p. 43. (Eng.)
- GJ Andrews, RA Kearns, P. Kontos, V. Wilson: "Their finest hour": older people, oral histories and the historical geography of social life. In: Social and Cultural Geography. 7, 2 (2006), pp. 153-177. (engl.)
- GJ Andrews, RA Kearns: Everyday health histories and the making of place: the case of an English coastal town. In: Social Science and Medicine. 60 (2005), pp. 2697-2713. (engl.)
Web links
- Teignmouth Town Council , official website (English)
- The Teignmouth and Shaldon Museum