Downderry
| Downderry | |
| Cornwall | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SX315540 |
| Location: | 50°21’42"N, 4°22’12"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Torpoint |
| Postcode: | PL11 |
| Dialling code: | 01503 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Cornwall |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
South East Cornwall |
Downderry is a coastal village in southeast Cornwall, which is to be found a mile east of Seaton, and 18 miles west of Plymouth.
Downderry has a long beach of light shingle. There is road access down to the beach via a slipway although this is blocked by a locked gate, pedestrian access is still possible. Dogs are allowed on the beach.
The east beach has a reputation as a nudist beach.[1]
The village and beach offer views of Looe Island to the west and Rame Head to the east and on clear days sight of the Eddystone Lighthouse, eight miles to the south.
Contents
About the village
The village has a Church of England church, a Methodist chapel, a shop with a Post Office, a pub, a restaurant, a coffee shop and a primary school.
The Church of St Nicolas Downderry began as a mission church to service the growing population of the village. The building dates from the late 19th century.
The South West Coast Path runs along the top of the cliff at the cliff-edge of the village.
Points of interest
Bass rock
Approximately 800 yards east of the village centre is a rocky outcrop known locally as "Bass Rock". This is a popular fishing spot as it affords access to deeper water.
Coleadon
300 yards further on from Bass Rock are the cliffs of Coleadon, the promontory past these cliffs means access to the beach past this point is cut off at high tide.
The Brawn (Shag rock)
Past Coleadon is a 650-yard stretch of beach which ends in a rocky outcrop known locally as "Shag Rock" after the seabirds which can be seen sitting on the rock drying their wings after diving for fish. This marks the end of easy foot access to the coastline. There is a path up the cliff which leads to the road above this beach, the climb is pleasant but reasonably strenuous. The ruins of an old Victorian lodge, known as "St Germans hut", can be found half way up this cliff path.
Surf breaks
There are two breaks of note within the village. One is situated almost directly off the slip-way of the main beach, a reef break which works best in fairly heavy swell on a mid-tide and it is possible to paddle out directly from the beach. The other, also a reef break, is located off of Downderry Primary School and requires a walk in across the rocks. Access is by way of a path down the side of the Primary School. Local people assure surfers that the effluent pipe almost directly in line with this break is no longer used.
Television transmitter
On one of the hills above the village is a television transmitter which serves as a repeater for the local area.[2][3]
'Chain Home' bunkers
During the Second World War, Downderry was the site of a Chain Home radar installation. The remains of this installation are present and can be found on the East side of the village. One of the bunkers has been converted into a residential garage, the other is accessible from the road but is hard to find in summer since the path is extremely overgrown.[4]
Neolithic earthworks
The only known example of a 'cursus' earthwork in Cornwall is situated behind the village in the fields near Triffle farm.[5]
Wreck of the Gipsy
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The wreck of the Gipsy can be found just off of Downderry in about 3 fathoms of water 100 yards west of the slipway. Originally named 'The Rodney' she was an iron full-rigged ship of 1,447 tons built in 1874 by W. Pile & Co., Sunderland.
In Nov. 1895, Rodney lost her figurehead in a gale in the English Channel, while en route from Gravesend (Kent) to Sydney in New South Wales. The figurehead washed ashore at Whitsand Bay in Cornwall, six months later.
In 1897, the ship was sold to F. Boissière, of Nantes, France, and renamed Gipsy (the cross-over year, per Lloyd's, is 1896/97). Re-rigged then as a barque. On 7 December 1901, the vessel was wrecked, a total loss, at Downderry on the return voyage from Iquique (Chile) to France with a cargo of nitrate. The ship lost her bearings and became stranded on the reef. She was blown apart by explosives as she had become a hazard to local fishing vessels. Parts of the wreck are strewn over a large area in 3 to 4 fathoms.[6][7]
In poetry
John Betjeman wrote:
Downderry! Downderry! The very name of this small Cornish seaside village has a rhythmic, lyrical quality... Downderry down, Downderry down... it rings of lymeric, folk song and rhyme. Snug between the bay of Whitsand and the promontory of Looe, Downderry with its spouse Seaton, bathes in the constant ebb and flow of the English Channel. Their gentle cliffs roll and tumble towards the sea.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Downderry) |
References
- ↑ Downderry Beach Information - Cornwall Beach Guide
- ↑ "FreeTV Transmitters". http://www.ukfree.tv/shutdowndetail.php?tx=SX313542. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ↑ "Downderry TV transmitter info". http://fmscan.org/ml.php?r=t&t=9923042. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ↑ "Flying Past - The Historic Environment of Cornwall: Ground Defence". http://www.historic-cornwall.org.uk/flyingpast/ground.html. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ↑ "Flying Past - The Historic Environment of Cornwall: Heaven and Earth". http://www.historic-cornwall.org.uk/flyingpast/heaven.html. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ↑ "The Sunderland Site Page 095". http://www.searlecanada.org/sunderland/sunderland095.html. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ↑ "Famous Ships". Ship Modelers Association. http://www.shipmodelersassociation.org/research/fam9811.htm?id_sma=1019SMA922390. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
