Otterton
Encyclopedia
Otterton is a village and civil parish in East Devon
, England.
, east of the B3178 road and the village of East Budleigh
. It is about a mile inland of Ladram Bay
, on the Jurassic Coast
. It was first settled by the Saxons and because of its favourable location and rich resources was by 1000 AD the centre of one of the major rural communities in Devon.
The church, dedicated to St Michael, belonged to the monastery of Mont Saint-Michel at the time of the Domesday Book
. After passing through ownership by Syon Abbey
in the 15th century, it was bought by Richard Duke at the Dissolution
. Duke converted some of the monastic buildings into a mansion, part of which still exists to the north of the present-day church, which was rebuilt in 1869–71 by Benjamin Ferrey
. Burials in the churchyard ceased in 1986.
The village includes attractive cob
and thatched cottages and is the location of Otterton Mill
which is a watermill
and craft centre.
The Budleigh Salterton Railway
, which was open from 1897 to 1967, ran along the valley of the River Otter. The station known as East Budleigh was closer to Otterton, being just over the river from the village. The platform and station building survive as a private house.
, after passing through the 57 acres (230,671 m²) Otter Estuary Nature Reserve - a Site of Special Scientific Interest
. The northern parish boundary leaves the river near Colaton Raleigh
and swings south to meet the coast at Peak Hill, west of Sidmouth
.
About ¾ of a mile west along the coast from Peak Hill is High Peak
, a 157-metre high cliff. Excavations into the earthworks on top of this have shown habitation in the Iron Age
, Roman period
and in the 6th–8th centuries AD
. Many of these earthworks have been lost to the sea by erosion.
The cliffs below High Peak have yielded rare fossils from the Middle Triassic
age, for example Mastodonsaurus
.
East Devon
East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Sidmouth, and the largest town is Exmouth.The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Honiton with the urban districts of Budleigh Salterton, Exmouth, Ottery St. Mary, Seaton, Sidmouth...
, England.
The village
The village is located on the east bank of the River OtterRiver Otter
Not to be confused with the animal Otter or the River Ottery in CornwallThe River Otter rises in the Blackdown Hills just inside the county of Somerset, near Otterford, then flows south for some 32 km through East Devon to the English Channel at the western end of Lyme Bay, part of...
, east of the B3178 road and the village of East Budleigh
East Budleigh
East Budleigh is a small village in East Devon, England. The villages of Yettington, Colaton Raleigh, and Otterton lie to the west, north and east of East Budleigh, with the seaside town of Budleigh Salterton about two miles south...
. It is about a mile inland of Ladram Bay
Ladram Bay
Ladram Bay is a secluded bay with pebble beach, between the coastal towns of Budleigh Salterton and Sidmouth, on the south coast of Devon, England.- Location :...
, on the Jurassic Coast
Jurassic Coast
The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....
. It was first settled by the Saxons and because of its favourable location and rich resources was by 1000 AD the centre of one of the major rural communities in Devon.
The church, dedicated to St Michael, belonged to the monastery of Mont Saint-Michel at the time of the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. After passing through ownership by Syon Abbey
Syon Abbey
Syon Monastery , was a monastery of the Bridgettine Order founded in 1415 which stood until its demolition in the 16th c. on the left bank of the River Thames within the parish of Isleworth, in the county of Middlesex on or near the site of the present Georgian mansion of Syon House...
in the 15th century, it was bought by Richard Duke at the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
. Duke converted some of the monastic buildings into a mansion, part of which still exists to the north of the present-day church, which was rebuilt in 1869–71 by Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey
Benjamin Ferrey, F.S.A., F.R.I.B.A. was an English architect who worked mostly in the Gothic Revival.-Family:Benjamin Ferrey was the youngest son of Benjamin Ferrey Snr, a draper who became Mayor of Christchurch. He was educated at Wimborne Grammar School....
. Burials in the churchyard ceased in 1986.
The village includes attractive cob
Cob (building)
Cob or cobb or clom is a building material consisting of clay, sand, straw, water, and earth, similar to adobe. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and inexpensive...
and thatched cottages and is the location of Otterton Mill
Otterton Mill
Otterton Water Mill is at the village of Otterton, near Budleigh Salterton in Devon, England.Otterton Water Mill is set beside the River Otter in Devon. A watermill was recorded in this locality in Domesday Book in 1068. The mill possessed three pairs of stones. The manor and its mill were given...
which is a watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
and craft centre.
The Budleigh Salterton Railway
Budleigh Salterton Railway
The Budleigh Salterton Railway was a double track branch railway line that ran from a junction on the Sidmouth Railway at to via four intermediate stations, , , , and .-History:...
, which was open from 1897 to 1967, ran along the valley of the River Otter. The station known as East Budleigh was closer to Otterton, being just over the river from the village. The platform and station building survive as a private house.
The parish
Otterton civil parish is bounded by the coast on the east and the River Otter on the west; these two bounds meet at the mouth of the river, just east of the town of Budleigh SaltertonBudleigh Salterton
Budleigh Salterton is a small town on the south coast of Devon, England 15 miles south of Exeter. It is situated within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designated East Devon AONB.- Features :...
, after passing through the 57 acres (230,671 m²) Otter Estuary Nature Reserve - a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. The northern parish boundary leaves the river near Colaton Raleigh
Colaton Raleigh
Colaton Raleigh is a village in East Devon, England.The village is located to the west of the River Otter on the B3178 road between Newton Poppleford to the north and East Budleigh to the south. The church is dedicated to St John the Baptist. The village has a shop named "Woods Village Stores" in...
and swings south to meet the coast at Peak Hill, west of Sidmouth
Sidmouth
Sidmouth is a small town on the English Channel coast in Devon, South West England. The town lies at the mouth of the River Sid in the East Devon district, south east of Exeter. It has a population of about 15,000, of whom 40% are over 65....
.
About ¾ of a mile west along the coast from Peak Hill is High Peak
High Peak, Devon
High Peak is a partially eroded hill on the English Channel coast near Sidmouth, Devon, southern England.- Location :High Peak is to the southwest of the town Sidmouth and to the northeast of the village of Otterton...
, a 157-metre high cliff. Excavations into the earthworks on top of this have shown habitation in the Iron Age
British Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
, Roman period
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
and in the 6th–8th centuries AD
History of Anglo-Saxon England
Anglo-Saxon England refers to the period of the history of that part of Britain, that became known as England, lasting from the end of Roman occupation and establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the 5th century until the Norman conquest of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror...
. Many of these earthworks have been lost to the sea by erosion.
The cliffs below High Peak have yielded rare fossils from the Middle Triassic
Middle Triassic
In the geologic timescale, the Middle Triassic is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period or the middle of three series in which the Triassic system is divided. It spans the time between 245 ± 1.5 Ma and 228 ± 2 Ma...
age, for example Mastodonsaurus
Mastodonsaurus
Mastodonsaurus was a large-headed temnospondyl that belonged to a group of advanced, mostly Triassic amphibians called capitosaurids. It was a giant among the stegocephalians and the largest animal of its time...
.