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Beer Devon CAM
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To the beach
Place: Beer
Category: Beaches
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About: The path down to the beach at Beer. In the 17th century, three-quarters of the population of Beer died in the bubonic plague. As there was insufficient space in the chapel graveyard, those killed by the plague were buried in a field nearby.
Photograph Added: 27th November 2005
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View area map / aerial photograph.
About Beer Devon.
The origin of the name of Beer is not known for certain and many adaptations of the spelling of the name have appeared over the centuries. Bere which is Anglo-Saxon for barley, Byr which is Norse for a farmstead and Bearu which is Saxon for Wood, In the Domesday book the village is called Bera and the 1697 Act which granted English lace makers protection against foreign competition refers to Beer as Beare.
Beer is a pretty and largely unspoilt fishing village 7 miles east of Sidmouth. Lying between the high white chalk cliffs of Beer head and Seaton Hole means that Beer is in a very sheltered position and its seafaring history comes from its reputation for hardy seamen, with the boats being able to put out to sea in weather that confined other village fleets to port. The steep cliffs that create this sheltered idyll also made ideal hideouts for smugglers, and created a second industry for the men of the area. The numerous caves in the cliffs were utilised by smugglers and one of Devons most famous Jack Rattenbury, lived in the Beer area and when gout forced him to give up his illicit trade he wrote a book, called Memoirs of a Smuggler, about his exploits that was published in 1837.
Beer is also famous for its lace making and over the decades has provided the lace for many famous Royal garments. The wedding dress of Queen victoria was trimmed with lace and the neck and sleeve frills, a flounce forming the front panel, and the veil were all made of lace. Miss Jane Bidney of Beer was commissioned to do the work and she used over one hundred lace-workers in 1839. All the lace took over six months to complete and the bill was 1000 pounds and when the work was finished the designs were destroyed so ensuring that the design would not be copied. Princess Mary (Viscountess Lascelles) was presented with a wedding gift of a lace collar which was paid for by every woman in Beer named Mary.and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother received a handkerchief from Mrs Ida Allen of Beer in 1939. For the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Princess Marguerita of Yugoslavia commissioned the Beer Lace ladies to create a piece of lace designed by David Skipp its motif combining the Prince of Wales feathers with part of the Spencer crest.
Beer also has a long history of quarrying and stone has been excavated since Roman times. The white stone is much prised for the ease with which it can be carved and the magnificent results can be seen in countless Devon churches. Exeter Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, St. Pauls, Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle and the Tower of London have all used stone quarried at Beer in their construction.
Beer is a natural suntrap and the views across the bay from the Jubilee Gardens are simply stunning. a visit is strongly recommended
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