Local History of Dawlish, Devon
A brief History of Dawlish...
| 1044 | First mention of Dawlish (Doflisc) in the Charter of 1044 with corresponding boundaries. King Edward the Confessor grants manor of Dawlish to his Chaplain, a man known as Leofric |
| 1069 | William I made a grant of land to the church of St. Peter at Exeter and this grant included 'Holcombe'. The land at Dawlish is mentioned as well as Holcombe and Southwood |
| 1072 | Manor of Dawlish bequeathed to the Church which remains under Church ownership until 1807 |
| 1086 | Domesday Survey. Dawlish (recorded as Doules) remains annexed to See of Exeter |
| 1148 | First mention of a church at Dawlish |
| 1253 | Dawlish known as Douelis |
| 1284 | Dawlish known as Douelys |
| 1348 | The Plague or Black Death recorded, including deaths of at least 3 priests |
| 1411 | Dawlish known as Douelysh |
| 1426 | Dawlish know as Douelyssh |
| 1536 | Dawlish known as Douelyshe |
| 1555 | Dawlish known as Dulishe |
| 1607 | Dawlish known as Dulyshe |
| 1629 | The Plague returns until 1630 |
| 1640 | Manor of Dawlish let on lease to raise funds for Charles I |
| 1655 | Sir Peter Balle is mentioned as Lord of the Manor and holder of the great tithes |
| 1717 | A mill is recorded on the rent book, probably just constructed at Brunswick Place (now The Old Mill Tea Room) mainly to produce flour |
| 1733 | New flour mill constructed known as Town Mill at Church Street |
| 1791 | Dawlish known as Dalditch |
| 1793 | Bridge House constructed |
| 1795 | First large residential house built in the Old Town, followed by Brook House and later known as New Bridge House |
| 1797 | Dawlish now known as Dawlish |
| 1799 | A letter-receiving office opens in Dawlish |
| 1803 | Land improved either side of the Brook, with stream straightened, banks built up and marshy land drained |
| 1806 | First shop recorded in the rent book at Weech Road |
| 1810 | Serious flooding washes away newly created lawns, banks and bridges. All rebuilt with series of weirs to prevent a recurrence |
| 1811 | A new mansion built known as The Manor House |
| 1814 | Independent Chapel built in Chapel Street |
| 1817 | First fire engine purchased |
| 1819 | New poor houses erected |
| 1820 | School erected in the workhouse yard |
| 1824 | St Gregory's Church rebuilt |
| 1825 | The flour mill at Brunswick Place is rebuilt, following a fire. Although primarily a flour mill, it is now also used to produce animal feeds. A potato store is added to the front of the building (now the Old Mill Tea Room) |
| 1828 |
Baths built at Marine Parade |
| 1844 | South Devon Railway buys almost all properties in Marine Parade including Great Cliff House (formerly Kennaway's House), to buy out opposition to the railway . SDR uses Great Cliff House as offices and as a meeting place for Directors, before being let to Joeseph Samuda (Patentee of the Atmospheric Railway), to supervise construction. |
| 1846 | Broad Gauge Railway opens at Dawlish Saturday, 30th May first train from Exeter to Teignmouth via Dawlish with 9 coaches |
| 1847 | First Atmospheric trains start to run in February but no public service trains until 13th September |
| 1848 | Last Atmospheric train runs on Saturday 9th September; replaced by steam locomotives . South Devon Railway begins to sell off properties in Marine Parade, including Great Cliff House, which is then occupied by private residents for the next 100 years |
| 1857 | Police force established to support Parish Constable |
| 1860 | "Dawlish Cider" made from locally grown apples - business lasts until 1962 |
| 1861 | The Wesleyans open new Methodist Chapel in Brunswick Place |
| 1868 | Coastguard Station built |
| 1870 | York Inn demolished in the Strand, in favour of the Congregational Church in Gothic style |
| 1873 | Original Dawlish Station destroyed by fire |
| 1875 | Dawlish Station rebuilt |
| 1879 | Cast iron footbridge added from sea wall across to Marine Parade |
| 1885 | Large rock fall at West Cliff – cliff face then “sloped”. |
| 1880 | Ladies bathing pavilion opened on the main beach (gents bath at Coryton Beach) |
| 1884 | Dawlish Cemetery & Mortuary Chapel built |
| 1887 | The Dawlish Corps formed |
| 1890 |
Mail catching device in use at Dawlish Station |
| 1892 | Last Up and Down Broad Gauge trains run on Friday 20th May, both passing each other at Dawlish Station. Line converted to Standard Gauge. |
| 1893 | First telephone exchange opened |
| 1895 | Baths on Marine Parade substantially altered - to become a gentlemen's club |
| 1897 | Extensive alterations made to St Gregory's Church - interior & exterior |
| 1900 | First trial and naming of Dawlish horse-drawn fire pump on 5th April |
| 1901 | Sea Wall widened by 18ft to enable construction of last section of double track from Dawlish to Parson's (completed in 1905). The new wall has a dramatic effect on lowering the beach level. The sub-way from the beach to Marine Parade is reconstructed. |
| 1907 | New fishermen's shelter opened at Boat Cove - lasts until 1937 |
| 1908 |
Post Office & Telgraph Office saved by firemen on 21 August |
| 1909 | St Agatha's Roman Catholic Church completed in Exeter Road |
| 1911 |
Walford's Cinema opens in Chapel Street |
| 1914 | Restoration of the original Dawlish fire pump completed, for display |
| 1918 | Bridge House taken over by GWR as a railway convelescent home in July |
| 1929 | GWR builds Haldon Aerodrome for flights to Torbay, Cardiff & Plymouth |
| 1930 | Motor fire engine purchased |
| 1935 | Extensive playing fields opened, with 2 football pitches, a hockey/cricket pitch, bowling green, hard & grass tennis fields, children’s playing area and car park |
| 1937 | New fishermen's shelter built at Boat Cove |
| 1940 | Improved water supplies from the Haldon Hills completed |
| 1941 | Automatic telephone exchange installed |
| 1942 | Herbert Brooks Hancocke moves to Hope Cottage, Dawlish, prior to his retirement as Chief Boiler Inspector for the Great Western Railway in 1945 - later to become the Chairman of Dawlish Town Council. |
| 1943 | B17F Flying Fortress crash lands in field near Langdon Hospital, damaged by flak. Later repaired with 3 new engines and flown out |
| 1945 | Victory Tea celebrations held |
| 1946 | The Manor House purchased by Dawlish Urban District Council. The whole house was used as new Offices for the Council and the Gardens opened to the public |
| 1947 | Black Swans introduced from the Taronga Zoo, Sydney, by Captain C.R.S. Pitman |
| 1950 | Great Cliff House combined with 2 or 3 other properties in Marine Parade to form The Great Cliff Hotel. |
| 1952 | Sub-way to Marine Parade filled in – slight protrusion marks site |
| 1954 | Herbert Brooks Hancocke Chairman of Dawlish Town Council |
| 1955 | Fire destroys 6 bedrooms at Mount Pleasant Inn |
| 1959 |
The Shaftsbury Theatre constructed by The Repertory Company with seating for 170 |
| 1962 |
Deep snow and freezing temperatures closes roads and schools |
| 1965 | New concrete footbridge from sea wall to Marine Parade replaces cast iron bridge |
| 1971 | The Great Cliff Hotel becomes The Great Cliff Hotel for Residents |
| 1974 | The Manor House taken over by Teignbridge District Council and rooms were let out. The building eventually falls into disrepair but bought back by Dawlish Town Council |
| 1980 | Dawlish Town Council reopens The Manor House, following extensive renovation |
| 2004 | The huge wheel at The Old Mill is restarted on 5th May by the Mayor of Dawlish, Cllr Bill Farrow, with the wheel pumps turned on by Mr Bill Strickland, who turned it off 45 years ago when he worked at the mill. |
| 2005 | The Great Cliff Hotel for Residents is demolished |
| 2006 | 23 new luxury apartments built on site of The Great Cliff Hotel, now known as Great Cliff |
The name of Dawlish
The place of Dawlish is as written 'Doules' in the Domesday Book and is supposed to derive its name from Dol-is, a compound word, signifying a fruitful mead in a bottom, or on a river's side. This relates to the location, as Dawlish is situated in a picturesque valley, being sheltered by hills on 3 sides which lead to the sea on the East. For different reasons today, Dawlish would have been an attractive place to live in early days, when survival was main objective; with fish from the sea, fresh water from the river, salt marshes for preserving food and woods for weapons, hunting and fuel. Another possibility is the discovery of the name Deawlisc which means devil water and is supposed to represent the reddish coloured water from the hills, after heavy rain!
A poem about Dawlish
"Dawlish"
Bird watching colonels on the old sea wall
Down here at Dawlish, where the slow trains crawl
Low tide lifting, on a shingle shore
Long-sunk islands from the sea once more
Red cliffs rising where the wet sands run
Gulls reflecting in the sharp spring sun
Pink-washed plaster by a sheltered pach
Ilex shadows upon velvet thatch
What interiors these names suggest
Queen of lodgings in the warm south-west
Sir John Betjeman 1906 - 1985
Useful links.....
Atmospheric Railway
Broad Guage Railway
Dawlish Town Council
Great Western Railway
Haldon Aerodrome
Herbert Brooks Hancocke
Steam Locomotives
Taronga Zoo
The Old Mill Tea Room