This film is part of Free

Holidays around Sidmouth

Sidmouth sits hidden among the cliffs and the area is filmed by an enthusiastic holidaymaker.

Amateur film 1956 3 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for South West Film and Television Archive

Overview

A holiday is taken to the Devon area and the town of Sidmouth, originally a small fishing village on the River Sid. The town grew between the cliffs and in 1874 a railway station opened. Sea View was bought by Sidmouth Urban District Council in 1930 and the house was demolished to make way for the Duke of Connaught to open the new public gardens in 1934, hence Connaught Gardens. On Salcombe Hill and with a view over Sidmouth is the Norman Lockyer Observatory which opened in 1912.

Beer is a quaint fishing village that still hosts a regatta with old luggers and redsails. The beach is distinctive with its coastal wooden fleet of boats that are still launched from the beach. Exmouth is a busy tourist location offering many watersports and closely linked to nearby Exeter. The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, which is an important area for its geology stretches from here to Poole in Dorset. Lyme Regis in Dorset epitomises the classic historical seaside retreat and the harbour wall the Cobb has been evoked in novels and used in films. Louisa Musgrove has a famous fall from the Cobb in Jane Austen's novel Persuasion.