shaldon

{{Short description|Village in Devon, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}

{{Infobox UK place

| official_name= Shaldon

| civil_parish = Shaldon

| country= England

| region= South West England

|coordinates = {{coord|50.5402|N|3.505|W|display=title}}

| os_grid_reference=

| post_town=

| postcode_area=

| postcode_district=

| dial_code=

| constituency_westminster =

| shire_district= Teignbridge

| shire_county= Devon

| hide_services= Yes

| population =1762

| population_ref = (2011 census)

| area_total_km2=

|static_image=Shaldon across Teignmouth Harbour - geograph.org.uk - 1308986.jpg

|static_image_caption=Shaldon as seen across the estuary from Teignmouth

|website=

}}

Image:Teignmouth14.jpg in the mid 19th century]]

Shaldon is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district, in south Devon, England, on the south bank of the estuary of the River Teign, opposite Teignmouth. The village is a popular bathing place and is characterized by Georgian architecture.

At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 1,716.{{Cite web |title=Shaldon (Devon, South West England, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/uk/southwestengland/devon/E63006856__shaldon/ |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=citypopulation.de}} Its northern boundary follows the Teign estuary and its eastern boundary, the English Channel.{{cite web

|url=http://www.devon.gov.uk/devon_districts_2002_.pdf

|title=Map of Devon Parishes|publisher=Devon County Council

|access-date=20 June 2013

}} The village is part of the electoral ward of Shaldon and Stokeinteignhead, with a population in 2021 of 2,451.{{Cite web |title=Shaldon & Stokeinteignhead (Ward, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://citypopulation.de/en/uk/southwestengland/wards/teignbridge/E05011911__shaldon_stokeinteignhea/ |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=citypopulation.de}}

History

File:Shaldon church.jpg

Shaldon was in the hundred of 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 orchards, including cider apples, watercress beds, and withy beds used for making lobster pots. There were also shipbuilding and repair yards on the waterfront.

Shaldon itself is built on reclaimed land, 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.{{cite news |title='Most expensive' beach hut goes on sale for £245,000 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9701517/Most-expensive-beach-hut-goes-on-sale-for-245000.html |access-date=10 November 2020 |work=The Telegraph |date=25 November 2012}}

Local government

Shaldon is part of Teignbridge local government district, which was created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. 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 Teignmouth Urban District in 1881.{{cite web | url=http://www.devon.gov.uk/localstudies/110383/1.html | title=Devon Libraries Local Studies Service: Shaldon community page | publisher=Devon County Council | date=22 February 2005 | access-date=19 June 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302184148/http://www.devon.gov.uk/localstudies/110383/1.html | archive-date=2 March 2008 | df=dmy-all }}{{cite web | url=http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Shaldon/ | title=GENUKI/Devon: Shaldon - Genealogy | publisher=GENUKI | date=29 April 2008 | access-date=19 June 2008 }}

Regatta

The Shaldon regatta 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.{{cite web|url= https://www.shaldonregatta.com/what-we-do/|title=What We Do|website=shaldonregatta.com|accessdate=15 March 2025}}

Homeyards Botanical Gardens

File:Castle ruin, Shaldon - geograph.org.uk - 1121319.jpg

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.{{cite web|url= https://shaldonbotanicalgardens.org/history/|title=History - Shaldon Botanical Gardens|website=shaldonbotanicalgardens.org|accessdate=15 March 2025}}

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.{{cite web|title=Shaldon Zoo|url= https://www.shaldonwildlifetrust.org.uk/|website=shaldonwildlifetrust.org.uk|accessdate=15 March 2025}}

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.{{cite web|url= https://www.teignmouthshaldonww2.co.uk/index.php/remembrance-2/the-fallen-2|title=Teignmouth & Shaldon WW2 fallen|accessdate=15 March 2025}}

References

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