During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the seaside resorts of Devon’s south coast rose to national prominence as fashionable destinations for health and leisure travel, and as places of genteel retirement.  

In this talk, Archives & Local Studies Assistant Richard Manning will explore the development of resorts such as Dawlish, Exmouth, Sidmouth, Teignmouth and Torquay during the late Georgian period, with a particular focus on the various published and unpublished source material available at the Devon Heritage Centre for those wishing to delve further into this fascinating aspect of the county’s history.  

IMAGE: Sidmouth, published June 20 1820 by John Wallis at The Royal Marine Library