Chudleigh

Yesterday afternoon, we nipped over to Chudleigh, a little town which is ten minutes from where we live.

We quite like Chudleigh because it has everything one needs for day to day living...

a bakers, a butchers, a chemist, a post office, a library and the greenest grocers in the land...

And on top of that....one or two watering holes, a couple of charity shops, a junk shop, gift shop, art shop, some very nice b&b places to stay...here's one of them...

And there's Pottery Court ,which is a quaint little court where you'll find a variety of interesting units, in particular Nicky and her rabbits, bears etc.

Sadly, Nicky was nowhere to be seen yesterday but that did not stop me from taking a peep!

Chudleigh also has very a fascinating and diverse history.

There are caves in Chudleigh, where prehistoric remains have been found.

An iron age hill fort overlooks the town and this would have been inhabited by Celts.

The town's origin is Saxon and it is thought that a Saxon church once stood on the site of the present church.

In 1309, a charter was granted by King Edward 11, allowing a weekly market and an annual fair to be held.

Chudleigh grew in importance due to its production of wool.

But then, in 1807 a disaster hit the town...FIRE!

Two thirds of the town was burned down.

The then Lord Clifford of the Ugbrooke Estate, headed a committee which saw the town rebuilt by 1811.

The advent of the Industrial Revolution, meant that the woollen industry declined but

because Chudleigh was on the main coaching route to Exeter , ale houses and post houses opened up and this kept the town alive...until the coming of the railway.

When the railway eventually closed in 1958, there was massive disruption as traffic was very busy in the town, the main road being the A38, which passed right through the middle of Chudleigh.

(Photo from Disused Stations)

A badly needed by-pass was built in 1973 ,which restored Chudleigh to normality.

Nothing remains of Chudleigh railway station ...the new A38 passes right through where the station would have been.

Chudleigh has now doubled in size as it is a very desirable place to live being so close to the A38, M5 giving easy access to Exeter and beyond...and Plymouth.

So that's a snapshot of Chudleigh!

Have a lovely weekend , everyone!

;-)