The Beautiful West Country

The Quaintly Named Coastal Village of Beer East Devon

Village of Beer

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Beer the wonderfully named village of Beer is situated near the Little Town of Seaton, East Devon. The area was known to be inhabited 4,000 years before the Romans invaded. The name Beer originates from the old bere or beare, which translates as woodland for at the time the area had large forests. The old Abbey of Sherboune once held title to the area, which the Monks used to grow grapes for the wine they used in religious ceremonys, which tell us what an mild climate the area has. The Manor as we know it dates back to 1122, and Henry VIII for it was included it in the dowry of Catherine Parr. Henry confiscated Sherbourne Abbey: during the: Protestant Reformation, when the King broke from Rome; confiscated all the Catholic Abbey's, wealth and land simply because the Pope would not give him dispensation to divorce Catherine of Arragon

Smuggling  was once again very much in evidence and one of Devon's most notorious smugglers came from Beer his name Jack Rattenbury. Born in 1778, Jack craved a life of adventure, for he sought and found various adventures on both sides of the Atlantic ocean, and once was a captive of the French. On his return to Beer; Jack a man who craved adventure, and money found being a fisherman not to his liking. Jack soon found smuggling more lucratrive, and exciting. And a result of his illegal activity's Jack was to suffered several prison sentences, and tales of his daring exploits in evading the Revenue Men have committed the name of Jack Rattenbury to folk law. The village's sheltered location gained the fishermen  an enviable reputation, as hardy fearless fishermen; for they were able to put to sea when other fleets were imobilised by inclement weather.

The village sheltered as it is traps the sun, and during the Victorian era the inhabitants created the stunning Jubilee Gardens in honor of the Queen. They arec set high on the cliff's over-looking the sea, and in Summer are a blaze of colour, and they are perfect place to relax and unwind. It would be very hard indeed to find a more tranquil setting. Although Beer is better known for its fishing, and smuggling. The woomen of the village have carved out quite a reputation for making fine lace, and the women could often be seen sitting outside their cottages in the bright sunlight which helped them to the beautiful intricate lace, which was then transported to that world renowned Victorian lace town: Honiton.

Beer's most famous attraction is the are the underground caves, lying hidden beneath the chalk cliffs. The cliffs rise to  130m above the sea. They are made of Cretaceous limestone, which is highly prized by stonemasons because it texture is soft, making it easy to carve and a delightfully creamy white in colour - making it the perfect material for their craft. It is known quarry caves were first worked by the Romans, who used them to create the magnificent Roman villas that were af feature of Roman Britain. Various miner's have during the intervening centuries created very large caverns with vaulted roofs rather like a Cathedral. These have been hewn out of the rock creating vast man-made caverns that stretch for over a quarter of a mile. Visitors can tour  the caverns and see this man-made wonder for themselves. The stone that was quarried here appears on some of some of Britain's most highly prized and historic monuments, which include including Buckingham Palace and  the Beer stone was used in the construction of Exeter's great cathedral.

It is said this beautiful village is Devon's best kept secret what is not an secret is that Beer is a delightful fishing village with its own secluded pebble beach. The imposing and striking cliffs provide the necessary protection and this is part of the World Heritage Coastline designated as such by the United Nations. It is actually England's only natural World Heritage site on account of the importance of the geology. The village of beer is small and has successfully resisted the advances of the modern age and retained its character. It has a beautiful church and some fine buildings. Fishing still has a very important part to play here and Beer is famous for its crab, and lobster's. Yes I think Beer is an excellent choice as an holiday destination

Village of Beer
 West Country
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