A walk in the woods & the Spanish Barn

A walk in the woods

It's been a gloriously sunny bank holiday weekend here in the South West, and despite being away from Devon I just had to get outdoors and enjoy the countryside. At this special time of year with nature springing into life all around us, there's nothing better than a walk through woods carpeted with Bluebells dappled by spring sunshine breaking through the trees.  The photo below was taken on a fabulous Sunday afternoon walk through woodland near my childhood home in South Gloucestershire. 

The woods carpeted with Bluebells, rural Gloucestershire

However, as this is meant to be my South Devon outdoor / walking / coast path, history kind-of blog, I guess we should get back to the matter in hand! This week, we're looking at the history of Torre Abbey, and how its tithe barn played a role in the Spanish Armada. 

Torre Abbey, Drake and the Spanish Barn

Like many people I suspect, I've driven or walked through Torquay and hardly even noticed the innocuous stone building on Torre Green near the sea front. In fact, it was only while doing research for my book that I discovered the long and colourful history of this majestic building and the pivotal role that the nearby Abbey played in the early development of Torquay as well as witnessing some of the most pivotal moments in British history.

Torquay's origins lie in the Saxon hamlet of Torre (from Tor meaning 'hill') and its Abbey is the oldest surviving building in Torbay as well as being the most complete medieval monastery in Devon and Cornwall. It was founded in 1196 by Canons from Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire, who were given the land by the Lord of Torre Manor and powerful Baron, William de Brewer. 

The Canons were from the Premonstratensian Roman Catholic order (also known as White Canons from the colour of their habit) and by the end of the 15^th century they had developed Torre Abbey into the wealthiest Premonstratensian monastery in England, earning the enormous sum of 1.8 million pounds per year. This vast wealth enabled them to build Torquay's first fishing quay, which was the 'Quay' which eventually gave Torre its modern name of 'Torquay'. The Canons also gained a charter from the King to develop the nearby market town of Newton Abbot in order to sell the produce from their extensive lands.

Following Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries following his split from Rome in 1539, the Abbey church was demolished and the remaining buildings became a private house, however parts of the original monastic buildings remain including the 12^th century entrance to the chapter house, and the Mohun gateway which dates from 1320.

The 14th century Mohun gateway, part of the original Torre Abbey

Another remaining part of the original Abbey buildings is the Medieval Spanish Barn, built as the Abbey's tithe barn around 1200 AD to hold taxes paid by local people in the form of grain and farm produce. The barn gained its distinctive name from the role it played during the Spanish Armada in 1588, when Sir Francis Drake used the barn to imprison 397 prisoners captured from the Spanish flag ship the Nostra Senora del Rosario. The prisoners were held in the Barn in terrible conditions for two weeks, but although a number of them died most survived the ordeal and were eventually free to return home to Spain. 

With over 800 years of history, local legend suggests that the Barn has gained a number of ghostly apparitions. One of these is 'The Spanish Lady', the fiance of one of the ship's lieutenants who perished in the miserable conditions during her incarceration in the barn, and is now said to roam the barn and the grounds of the Abbey sobbing and searching for her lover.

The Spanish Barn, named after the role it played housing prisoners
from the Spanish Armada in 1588

Find out more about South Devon

If you'd like to find out more about the history of this beautiful part of the South West, then why not consider buying a copy of my book Britain's Heritage Coast, Exmouth to Plymouth (available from www.garyholpin.co.uk). A share of the proceeds goes to help support the South West Coast Path Association, a charity which helps to maintain & improve the South West Coast Path for the benefit of the millions who use it every year, and the many local businesses that benefit from visitors to the Path.

Sunshine, scenery & Napoleonic flags

It's been a fabulous week - and I'm not just talking about the beautiful sunny weather. For me the start of the week involved finally continuing the adventure of walking all 630 miles of the South West Coast Path for the second time, after a year off writing my book about the South Devon Coast. My journey started in Penzance, and over 3 days I rounded Lands End, passed Cape Cornwall, before finishing at a busy St Ives in the spring sunshine. 

It was three fantastic days - a perfect temperature for walking and the fantastic blue skies and sunshine made the beautiful Cornish scenery sparkle in the spring sunshine. The views on this amazing stretch of the South West Coast Path did come at a cost however, with 23 hours of often hard walking over 3 days, covering 41 miles (over 13 miles a day) and more than 2,600 metres of climb, the equivalent of climbing Ben Nevis twice! I finished the fantastic if short walking holiday with aching feet and legs, but also a wonderful feeling of well being that comes from exercise in the outdoors on some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in Britain.

Azure seas and fantastic scenery near Zennor, Cornwall

An already fabulous week was topped off by arriving home to find boxes and boxes of my books (Britain's Heritage Coast, Exmouth to Plymouth) had finally arrived from the publisher! As my house is now full of boxes full of books, it would be great if you would visit www.garyholpin.co.uk and buy one so I can have my spare bedroom back! ;-)

A celebration of the history & natural beauty of the South Devon coast - out now!

In the 630 miles of the South West Coast Path there are countless fantastic views, but there are some that I love so much that I find myself going back to them again and again. One of my favourite short walks involves starting in the scenic town of Salcombe, rounding Bolt Head to emerge at the beautiful Starehole Bay. A little further on, a short way inland from majestic cliffs is the Admiralty signal station at West Soar. When I first saw this strange building, stranded in the middle of a field, I had no idea what it was but it immediately became a favourite spot for it's photographic potential (as hopefully demonstrated in the photo below!).

Admiralty signal station at West Soar, between Bolt Head & Bolt Tail

It was only later, during research for my book that I discovered the amazing history of this strange little building.  Around 300 years old, the building is a rare survivor from the Napoleonic wars with France and was originally built as one of a chain of lookouts whose purpose was to spot any potential invasion fleet and alert nearby naval bases. 

The coastline of the South West has a long history of helping in the defence of the nation, with one of the most well known being the use of fire beacons to warn of the approach of the vast Spanish Armada invasion fleet in 1588, which was ultimately defeated by Sir Francis Drake, after he had famously finished his game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe.

By the 18th century, a number of the prominent headlands of the South West coast were to play a new role in defending the nation during the wars with Napoleon's France. The Navy's traditional method of communication up to the 18th century was by messengers on horseback, but this was painfully slow, and a better solution was considered essential to ensure that the Admiralty could react quickly to any potential invasion.  

Around 1795 a new Admiralty communication network was established with the building of a series of Admiralty signal stations on prominent hills and headlands all along the English Channel coast. The stations were built close enough together to be seen by adjacent stations and were manned by a Navy Lieutenant and staff who kept watch 24 hours a day. Signalling was done by displaying various flags and balls on masts above the buildings and this visual message was passed from one station to the next, until it finally reached the main Admiralty fleet ports (of which nearby Plymouth was one). At night fires and lights were used to communicate the message.

As well as warning of enemy activities, the signal stations were also used to warn of possible smuggling activities nearby, and the station staff were incentivised to help local coast guards in the battle with the smugglers by receiving a reward for any smugglers captured as a result of their tip offs. 

The long and colourful history of this strange little building which now sits in the middle of a field on a remote headland near Salcombe only adds to the scenic beauty of this fantastic stretch of the South Devon coast. If you'd like to find out more about the history of this beautiful part of the South West, then why not consider buying a copy of my book at www.garyholpin.co.uk. A share of the proceeds goes to help support the South West Coast Path Association, a charity which helps to maintain & improve the South West Coast Path for the benefit of the millions who use it every year, and the many local businesses that benefit from visitors to the Path.    

Only a week to go before the book finally hits the shops!

It has seemed like for ever waiting for the book to finally arrive, but finally a parcel should be winging its way from the publishers on its way to Devon. I'm finally starting to get excited to see the result of all those hundreds of hours of writing and early morning trips to the coast to take photos!

A mix of popular history (everything from the history of the seaside towns, to the history of the Devon cream tea), the book is also a celebration of the beautiful South Devon coast - a place that I love to walk whenever the sun shines, and hopefully through the pages of the book I can share with readers just a little of my passion for the beautiful South West of England. 

Dawlish sea front at sunrise

The photo of Dawlish sea front above was taken just a couple of weeks before the winter storms destroyed parts of Brunel's iconic railway, which clings to the sea front from Dawlish Warren to Teignmouth and is arguably one of the most scenic train journeys in Britain. This is not the first time that Brunel's railway has been breached by the tremendous power of wind and waves - a constant battle with the elements has been waged ever since the railway was first built in the mid 19th century, as the following extract from the book explains....

Brunel's atmospheric caper

On Brunel's recommendation, the South Devon Railway was initially built using an experimental atmospheric system. Instead of powering locomotives using steam, the atmospheric system used stationary pumps to produce a vacuum within iron pipes along the centre of the track, and this was used to propel the trains. Brunel believed the system would be cleaner and quieter than conventional steam trains, and help them to climb the steep hills that would be encountered as the railway pushed deeper into Devon. The experiment ultimately turned out to be an expensive failure, due to numerous technical problems, and in less than a year the trains were replaced by traditional steam engines. The last atmospheric train ran in 1848, but remnants of Brunel's project, nicknamed his “Atmospheric caper” can still be seen in the form of the Italianate pumping house at Starcross.

The South Devon Railway was built along the banks of the river Exe as far as Dawlish Warren, then it hugged the coast beneath the cliffs to Teignmouth, where it then travelled inland along the river Teign to Newton Abbot. A particularly impressive stretch runs along the sea wall for several miles between Dawlish Warren and Teignmouth, where the railway is wedged between the sea and dramatic red sandstone cliffs. As early as 1859 when the sea broke through defences at Teignmouth, there has been a constant battle to protect the exposed railway line from the power of the sea. After frequent landslips from the cliffs above and breaches by the sea below, several alternative inland diversions were considered in the 1930's, but the outbreak of war meant that these plans came to nothing, and those maintaining the line continue their battle with the elements to this day.

So, if you're interested in the history of South Devon, or just like to see beautiful photos of Devon's stunning coastline, then keep an eye out for my updates or visit my website at www.garyholpin.co.uk.