Percy Bysshe Shelley in Lynmouth

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Well, what can we say about Percy Bysshe Shelley.

He was one of the romantic poets, a philanderer, adulterer and a radical in both his political and social views. Shelley did not see fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achievements in poetry grew steadily following his death. He was a key member of a close circle of visionary poets and writers that included Lord Byron, John Keats, Leigh Hunt, Thomas Love Peacock, and his second wife was Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. And he stayed in Lynmouth.

Top of Shelley's cottage (possibly)

There has been much written on his private life (which, to be honest, was extraordinary to say the least and would put hairs on your chest if new to his story, so well worth a spot of research if you are interested), but he spent some time in beautiful North Devon, Lynmouth to be precise, with wife number one. When he and Harriet arrived in the Summer of 1812 from Wales to Lynmouth, he wrote that as they came over Countisbury Hill, they "saw before and beneath them a fairy scene - Little Lynmouth, then some thirty cottages, rose-clad and myrtle-clad, nestling at the foot of the hills. It was enough".

There is no actual confirmation as to where the Shelleys stayed in Lynmouth. What we do know is that he wrote: "The climate is so mild that myrtles of immense size twine up our cottage and roses bloom in the open air in winter." The favoured site was Blackmore's Lodgings (belonging to Mary, aunt of R D Blackmore of Lorna Doone fame), which later became Woodbine Villas. This building was eventually demolished and a new cottage near the site became known as Shelley's Cottage, which, as Shelley's Cottage Hotel, was rebuilt following damage in the 1952 flood disaster. Another theory is that they stayed in the top cottage on Mars Hill. Who knows. but either way, the Shelleys spent time here and enjoyed the beauty and tranquillity of the North Devon coastline. In the Rising Sun pub in Lynmouth on the wall in the corner, is one of his most famous poems A Bridal Song.

A Bridal Song

Interestingly, he is also known as an early radical leaflet dropper after putting revolutionary pamphlets in sealed wax boxes and corked bottles to be distributed by casting them into the sea and hoping they would be picked up when washed ashore. Shelley also had extracts from revolutionary Tom Paine’s Declaration of Rights printed on posters, which his man servant Dan fly posted in Barnstaple. Both he and the printer were arrested and fined. Shelley was unable to pay the fine and Dan was imprisoned. From then on Government spies kept a watch on Shelley and investigated his life and those of the people living with him.

What a life. He certainly lived it to the full!

For more information on the poets who spent time here, check out this website. http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/Whats-Special/culture/literary-links/percey-bysshe-shelley

Westward Ho Exclamation Mark

"All who have travelled through the delicious scenery of North Devon must needs know the little white town of Bideford, which slopes upwards from its broad tide-river paved with yellow sand, and many-arched old bridge where salmon wait for autumn floods, toward the pleasant upland on the west."

One of the most interesting things about living in Devon is the amount of classic literature that has come out of the area.

Lorna Doone by Richard Blackmore (celebrating its 150th anniversary this year), poems by Shelley, Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey and of course, the novel Westward Ho! This is always a great pub quiz question – “which English village is named after a book” or “which is the only village in England to have an exclamation mark after the name”.

While visiting the charity shops in Minehead, we came across a beautiful copy of Westward Ho!, published by Nelson around the turn of the last century and this made us think about the book and the naming of the village subsequently. Author Charles Kingsley of The Water Babies fame wrote the eponymous book in 1855 and set it in Bideford. The book was instantly a best seller and entrepreneurs saw the opportunity to develop tourism in the area, as indeed Thomas Hewitt, George Newnes et al in Lynton and Lynmouth did a little later in the Victorian era.

The Northam Burrows Hotel and Villa Building Company, chaired by Isaac Newton Wallop, 5th Earl of Portsmouth, was formed in 1863, and its prospectus stated:

"This Company has been formed for the erection of a Family Hotel, on an Estate purchased for the purpose immediately contiguous to Northam Burrows, and of Villas and Lodging Houses for Sale or Lease. The want of such accommodation has long been felt, and as no attempt to supply it has hitherto been made by individuals, it is deemed to be a legitimate project to be undertaken by a Company. The salubrity and beauty of the North of Devon have long been known and appreciated. Sir James Clark has placed it in the highest position for health-giving qualities; and the recent publication of Professor Kingsley's "Westward Ho" has excited increased public attention to the western part, more especially, of this romantic and beautiful coast. Nothing but a want of accommodation for visitors has hitherto prevented its being the resort of families seeking the advantages of sea bathing, combined with the invigorating breezes of the Atlantic.... "

The hotel was duly named Westward Ho! and the village grew up around it, with the same name. And so Westward Ho! was born.

Going back the quiz question. The other place in the world with an exclamation mark is Saint-Louis-du Ha! Ha! in Quebec.

Who knew.

Kernow here we come! On the trail of the South West Coast Path

As mentioned previously, the fitter (physically) member of the St Vincent Guest House team is currently walking the South West Coast Path and today, he has completed Devon! (Well, almost, we are saving the final Porlock to Lynton hurrah for the very end of the challenge.)

The stretch between Hartland Quay, via Morwenstow (where the less fit member stopped for a beautiful cup of coffee at the Rectory Farm Café en route) to Bude is described as challenging and strenuous. The scenery however is well worth the pain and anguish suffered, as can be seen from some snaps taken during the adventure of crossing counties.

Highlights according to Mike were: finishing, having a shower and lying on the settee nursing blisters. Seriously, the best views of North Devon and North Cornwall, crossing ten rivers in the process, can be seen on this walk and it really is birthday and Christmas for any geologist. Some of the formations are estimated to be around 318 million years old. Was the pain worth it?

Judge for yourselves 😊

Watersmeet

One of the most beautiful walks in the area is from Lynmouth to Watersmeet. It takes around an hour to get there, is not too hard on the feet, legs and hips and has some of the most stunning scenery en route to the National Trust Watersmeet Tea Rooms.

Starting off in Lynmouth at the bottom of the East Lyn, make sure the river is on your right-hand side as you walk up or you may end up having to turn around until the new bridge is replaced a little further up. As you meander up stream, you will cross a bridge and see where the Lynrock Mineral Factory once stood and was destroyed in the floods in 1952. The factory produced mineral water and ginger beer there until 1939 when production closed due to the lack of demand (and people realised perhaps that the radioactive gout-curing qualities were not all they cracked up to be!).

You will see many beautiful birds and if you are very lucky, salmon at certain times of the year, as well as some hardy canoeists. Keep walking and when you see the East Lyn and Hoar Oak Water meet, you can stop for some well-earned R & R at the café. For those wishing to go further, carry on to Rockford and Brendon. You won't be disappointed.

Lynton Town Hall

A question often asked by our guests at St Vincent's is “why is the town hall SO big?”.

Excellent point. George Newnes, one of the architects of making Lynton and Lynmouth the tourist haven of North Devon in Victorian times, was a successful publisher whose claim to fame was primarily for getting Arthur Conan Doyle’s works out to the public via his monthly illustrated periodical The Strand. He came to the area following the request from a friend and entrepreneur Thomas Hewitt who wanted some investment in the area, which Newnes gladly gave.

For some time, there had been complaints that the town lacked the quality of public building needed to hold meetings, and it was decided by the villagers to erect a proper town hall as a way to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. This proved to be far too ambitious financially, until George Newnes stepped in with the cash to build such a fine monument to the Queen.

The Town Hall took two years to build and cost the princely sum of £20,000 and on 15th August 1900, George Newnes officially opened the building, an unusual grand mixture of mock-Gothic, neo-Tudor and art nouveau design. It still holds a prominent position in the town and hosts town council meetings, line dancing and jive classes, a second hand bookshop and weddings (more details here), to name just a few.

St Vincent owners Emma and Mike's wedding July 2016

Exmoor Dark Skies

copyright @keithtrueman

When we first moved to North Devon to take on the B&B, one of the first things we noticed was how dark it was at night. Strange, but true, and looking back, this was a bit of a daft thing to comment on as Exmoor (we have since found out) was the first dark sky reserve in Europe. On a clear night, the views are quite spectacular and people come for miles to experience the beauty and tranquillity of Exmoor. You can even see the glow of the Milky Way on dark moonless nights.

This morning on BBC Radio Devon, hub of local news and info (really), Exmoor was mentioned a couple of times, and a star in the making, Brian from Bideford, was featured. Tune in to listen to this local gem at around 2’ 45’ 35’ in. Classic local radio! For more info on the dark skies in Exmoor, look at the Go Star Gazing and Exmoor National Park websites, and to hire a telescope, visit the Exmoor National Park Centre in Lynmouth. Happy stargazing!

If you want to experience the beauty of the dark skies in Exmoor, stay with us at St Vincent Guest House in Lynton. We can even point out the odd star cluster and moon these days.

Refill Your Water Bottles Here!

“Every minute, one million plastic bottles are bought around the world, and that figure is expected to go up 20% by 2021. In the UK alone, we consume 13 billion plastic bottles a year – 7.7 billion of them are plastic water bottles, despite us having some of the best quality drinking water in the world.” Refill.org .

When we moved to St Vincent’s in Lynton in 2016, we were amazed at the beauty of the place and how unspoiled it all was. Until it came to recycling day. As newbie B&B owners, we were staggered at the amount of waste we were generating and although we recycled everything we could, quickly were shamed into making the decision to stop some of the recycling at source by no longer providing toiletries in disposable plastic packaging and bottled water. It was a start. We heard about a new organisation called Refill.org who actively encourages bed and breakfasts, hotels and restaurants to provide water free of charge to anyone who is passing. We duly signed up and you can find us on the Refill.org app. So, if you are passing and are thirsty, knock on our door and we will happily refill your containers!