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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

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