Slapton, Devon

Slapton was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Sladone.{{cite web | title = Slapton, Devon Folio: 102r Great Domesday Book Domesday | work = The National Archives | date = 1086 | access-date = 2016-07-15 | url = http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7303131 }} The Collegiate Chantry of St Mary was founded in 1372 or 1373 by Sir Guy de Brian.{{cite web|url=http://www.thetowerinn.com/flash.htm |title=Tower Inn |access-date=2007-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629001719/http://www.thetowerinn.com/flash.htm |archive-date=2007-06-29 |url-status=dead }} The Tower Inn and West tower remain and the tower has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building.{{NHLE | desc= Tower of Collegiate Chantry of St Mary | num=1317950 | access-date=2007-08-10}} The Church of St James dates from the late 13th or early 14th century, and is also grade I listed.{{NHLE | desc= Church of St James | num=1164002 | access-date=2007-08-10}}

The nearby beach is a coastal bar (see below), known as Slapton Sands. After Lalla Rookh, a tea clipper, was wrecked at Prawle Point in March 1873, some of her cargo of tea and tobacco,{{cite web|url=http://www.marinearchaeology.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Start-Point-Report-2015-16-DOE-no-finance.pdf|title=Start Point Project|first=Steve|last=Clarkson |date=June 2016|quote=This Start Point project documents the research carried out by the teamon the inshore shipwrecks on the South Devon coast. It covers the area between Start Point and Prawle Point|access-date=28 January 2021}} heaped up to {{convert|11|ft}} high in places, as well as pieces of wreckage, were washed up on Slapton Sands.{{cite book | last=Harper | first=C.G. | title=The South Devon Coast | publisher=Good Press | year=2019 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7-HCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT165 | access-date=28 January 2021 | page=165}} The beach itself is not sand, but consists of small smooth pebbles ranging in size from ¼ inch to several inches.

In 1944, during World War II, it was part of the site of Exercise Tiger, a rehearsal for the Invasion of Normandy which was attacked by German E-Boats and also saw a large number of friendly fire deaths. An M4A1 Sherman tank that was sunk in this action has been recovered and now stands on the road behind the beach at nearby Torcross.{{Cite web |title=Slapton Sands Tank - Submerged |url=https://www.submerged.co.uk/slapton/ |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=www.submerged.co.uk}} A stone memorial presented by the United States Army to the residents of South Hams also commemorates those who participated in the practice area for the Invasion of Normandy.{{Cite web |last=Easymalc |date=2022-07-02 |title=Slapton Sands and Exercise Tiger |url=https://www.easymalc.co.uk/slapton-sands-and-exercise-tiger/ |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=Easymalc's Wanderings |language=en-GB}} The monument is accompanied by two flag poles either side.{{Cite web |title=Site Details |url=https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/site_details.php?SiteID=514 |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=www.uswarmemorials.org}} Part of Exercise Fabius took place a week after Exercise Tiger on Slapton Sands.

Behind Slapton Sands is Slapton Ley, a nature reserve and example of serial or ecological succession — the process whereby open water becomes reed bed and eventually, as silt and leaf litter builds up, woodland. The beach itself is a bar: the material that makes up the beach was pushed up by the rising sea levels during the Flandrian transgression after the last glacial period (from 10,000 to 5,000 years ago). A similar process formed Chesil Beach.{{cite web|url=http://www.southdevonaonb.org.uk/explore/start-bay/hallsands/|title=Hallsands|publisher=South Devon AONB|access-date=18 August 2015}}

Beaches formed like this are reworked by coastal processes now but are not supplied by enough material to recreate them, should material be removed. This had terrible consequences nearby at Hallsands where most of the beach was removed as building material for Devonport dockyards, leaving the village exposed to storms. It was struck by a storm in 1917 and most of the village was washed away, although no villagers were killed.

Further north, the beach is known as Strete Gate and at the northernmost end is Pilchard Cove. The southern end of the beach is known as Torcross Sands. A length of beach about {{convert|100|m|yd}} south of Pilchard Cove is regularly used by naturists.{{Cite web | title = Devon, Cornwall and Somerset's coastline lost millions of tonnes of sand after winter storms | work = Western Morning News | date = 22 September 2014 | access-date = 2016-07-15 | url = http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/devon-cornwall-somerset-s-coastline-lost-millions/story-22961907-detail/story.html }}{{efn|Location of Slapton nudist beach {{coord|50.302110|-3.632976|display=inline|format=dms}} }}

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Slapton (1991–2020)

| Jan high C = 9.5

| Feb high C = 9.6

| Mar high C = 11.0

| Apr high C = 13.2

| May high C = 15.9

| Jun high C = 18.8

| Jul high C = 20.8

| Aug high C = 20.8

| Sep high C = 18.6

| Oct high C = 15.5

| Nov high C = 12.3

| Dec high C = 10.2

| year high C = 14.7

| Jan low C = 4.0

| Feb low C = 3.7

| Mar low C = 4.8

| Apr low C = 5.8

| May low C = 8.4

| Jun low C = 10.9

| Jul low C = 12.7

| Aug low C = 13.0

| Sep low C = 11.5

| Oct low C = 9.4

| Nov low C = 6.4

| Dec low C = 4.6

| year low C = 8.0

| rain colour = green

| Jan rain mm = 129.6

| Feb rain mm = 97.6

| Mar rain mm = 85.1

| Apr rain mm = 73.5

| May rain mm = 59.7

| Jun rain mm = 67.4

| Jul rain mm = 64.6

| Aug rain mm = 78.2

| Sep rain mm = 70.1

| Oct rain mm = 120.2

| Nov rain mm = 129.6

| Dec rain mm = 141.1

| year rain mm = 1117.2

| unit rain days = 1 mm

| Jan rain days = 15.0

| Feb rain days = 12.4

| Mar rain days = 11.9

| Apr rain days = 10.4

| May rain days = 9.1

| Jun rain days = 9.0

| Jul rain days = 8.7

| Aug rain days = 9.8

| Sep rain days = 9.7

| Oct rain days = 13.8

| Nov rain days = 15.3

| Dec rain days = 15.6

| year rain days = 141.1

| Jan sun = 56.3

| Feb sun = 88.0

| Mar sun = 122.5

| Apr sun = 178.9

| May sun = 211.9

| Jun sun = 215.5

| Jul sun = 209.1

| Aug sun = 191.8

| Sep sun = 151.2

| Oct sun = 103.5

| Nov sun = 71.9

| Dec sun = 48.5

| year sun = 1649.7

| source 1 = Met Office{{cite web

|url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gbvqhgmt7

|title = Slapton (Devon) UK climate averages - Met Office

|publisher = Met Office

|access-date = July 4, 2024}}

}}

File:Slapton Sands 1.jpg|Slapton Sands

File:Sherman_tank_at_memorial_for_those_killed_in_Operation_Tiger.JPG|A Sherman tank at Slapton Sands, a memorial to those who died in Exercise Tiger

File:Slapton Sands Memorial.jpg|The stone memorial at Slapton Sands, presented by the US Army

File:Slapton Sands aerial view facing southwards.jpg|Aerial view of Slapton Sands, showing the car park and Slapton Ley.

File:Medieval Coin, Quarter Noble of Edward III (FindID 716757).jpg|A gold quarter noble coin of Edward III, dating from {{circa|1363|1369}}, found in Slapton in 2015{{cite web |url= https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/716757 |title= Finds record for: PUBLIC-285337 |author= Robinson, A |access-date= 27 August 2022 |publisher= The Portable Antiquities Scheme}}

• Exercise Tiger
• Slapton Castle
• Torcross

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Slapton, Devon}}

• [http://www.slapton.org Village web site]
• [http://www.shermantank.co.uk/ Exercise Tiger Memorial]
• [http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/devon/slapton Listed buildings in Slapton]

{{South Hams parishes}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Beaches of Devon

Category:Civil parishes in South Hams

Category:Villages in South Hams

Category:Nude beaches