Shaldon is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

Teignbridge Teignbridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Newton Abbot. The district also includes the towns of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dawlish, Kingsteignton and Teignmouth, along with numerous vi ...

district, in south

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, on the south bank of the estuary of the

River Teign The River Teign is a river in the county of Devon, England. It is long and rises on Dartmoor, becomes an estuary just below Newton Abbot and reaches the English Channel at Teignmouth. Toponymy The river-name ''Teign'' is first attested in a ...

, opposite

Teignmouth Teignmouth ( ) is a seaside town, fishing port and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign, about south of Exeter. The town had a population of 14 ...

. The village is a popular bathing place and is characterized by

Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Han ...

. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 1,716. Its northern boundary follows the Teign estuary and its eastern boundary, the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

. The village is part of the electoral ward of Shaldon and

Stokeinteignhead Stokeinteignhead () is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district of Devon, England, above the southern bank of the estuary of the River Teign. The parish has a short boundary on the estuary, and is otherwise surrounded, clockwise f ...

, with a population in 2021 of 2,451.

History

Shaldon was in the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

Wonford Wonford is a former village, Manorialism, manor and ecclesiastical parish in Devon, England, now a part of the City of Exeter. The 13th century St Loye's Chapel situated within the parish now gives its name to the surrounding location. Wonford ...

. The original river settlement was upstream in Ringmore where the valley was farmed, and the inhabitants were hidden from the sea. Up to the beginning of the 20th century, Ringmore had many working farms, extensive apple and other

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

s, including cider apples, watercress beds, and

withy A withy or withe (also willow and osier) is a strong flexible willow stem, typically used in thatching, basketmaking, gardening and for constructing woven wattle hurdles.

beds used for making lobster pots. There were also shipbuilding and repair yards on the waterfront. Shaldon itself is built on

reclaimed land Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamatio ...

, and there is a retaining wall, built around 1800, to prevent the river returning to its beaches. In 2012 a beach hut measuring 23 ft by 6 ft at Shaldon was put on the market for £245,000 and was at that time thought to be the most expensive beach hut in the UK.

Local government

Shaldon is part of Teignbridge local government district, which was created in 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

. The village had previously been in St Nicholas Parish. The parish contained Shaldon and part of the adjacent village of Ringmore, and became part of

Urban District in 1881.

Regatta

The Shaldon

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...

is one of the oldest in England dating back to at least 1817, if not before. The modern regatta runs for 9 days each August.

Homeyards Botanical Gardens

On a hillside above the village are gardens created by Maria 'Laetitia' Kempe Homeyard in the late 1920s and built by Thomas Rider, consisting of an informal terraced arboretum with a level walk along the top providing views of the Teign estuary and the Jurassic Coast. A feature of the gardens is a folly known as Shaldon Castle. First opened to the public in 1955 and currently under the stewardship of Teignbridge District Council, the gardens are open all year round.

Shaldon Zoo Wildlife Trust

Nestled within an acre of tranquil woodland on the hillside above the village, Shaldon Zoo which opened in the 1960s, is dedicated to caring for and conserving some of the world's rarest and most endangered species.

Notable people

* Roy Sydney Baker-Falkner - WW2 Fleet Air Arm and Battle of Britain pilot, who settled in Shaldon in 1930 with his family after emigrating from Canada. He was killed in 1944 and is remembered at the Shaldon War Memorial.

References

External links

*
Historic pictures of ShaldonShaldon RegattaHomeyards Botanical GardensShaldon Zoo Wildlife Trust
{{authority control Villages in Devon Civil parishes in Devon Teignbridge