Lympstone

Lympstone
Lympstone river frontage from Cliff Field: Peter's Tower and the traditional washing poles on the beach are visible
Lympstone is located in Devon
Lympstone
Lympstone
Location within Devon
Population1,754 (2001)
OS grid referenceSX990839
Civil parish
  • Lympstone
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townEXMOUTH
Postcode districtEX8
Dialling code01395
PoliceDevon and Cornwall
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Devon
50°38′46″N 3°25′47″W / 50.6460°N 3.4298°W / 50.6460; -3.4298

Lympstone is a village and civil parish in East Devon in the English county of Devon. It has a population of 1,754.[1] There is a harbour on the estuary of the River Exe,[2] lying at the outlet of Wotton Brook between cliffs of red breccia.[3] The promontory to the north of the harbour is topped by a flat pasture, Cliff Field, that is managed by the National Trust and used for football matches and other local events.

Lympstone has rail services on the Avocet Line to Exmouth and Exeter from Lympstone Village railway station.

It is known locally for Peter's Tower, an Italianate riverfront brick clock tower built around 1885 by W.H. Peters as a memorial to his wife,[4] and for its tradition of residents drying washing on the foreshore.[5] The riverside houses back directly on to the shore, with no continuous seawall, and the passageways between them to the beach are equipped with metal flood gates that are closed by residents when they are warned of high tides by a local alert network.[6]

Lympstone celebrates the annual tradition of the Furry Dance on the first Saturday of August. The Furry Dance attracts thousands of visitors to the village each year, with various events throughout the day preceding the dance. Dozens of villagers perform the traditional dance in fancy dress, accompanied by a brass band, processing from the centre of the village to The Saddlers Arms and back again.

Lympstone Manor (formerly Courtlands House) is an historical house which now provides hotel and restaurant accommodation.

The parish church is the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Near the village is the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM), the principal military training centre for the Royal Marines. The training centre has its own dedicated railway halt, Lympstone Commando (not in public use), on the Exeter–Exmouth branch line.

  1. ^ Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : East Devon Retrieved 27 January 2010
  2. ^ Lympstone Harbour
  3. ^ Lympstone Village Design Statement Archived 2009-07-28 at the Wayback Machine, East Devon Council
  4. ^ Peter's Tower Archived 2010-01-09 at the Wayback Machine, Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
  5. ^ Washing line row hits flood plans, BBC News, online, 5 July 2005
  6. ^ Waterproof! Lympstone tidal defence scheme complete[permanent dead link], Exe-press News, Spring 2006