151 - South Devon : Description

Physical and functional links to other National Character Areas

The South Devon plateau wraps around the southern and western edge of Dartmoor, the boundary between the two landscapes is clearly marked in the south by the A38. The settlements of Tavistock, an ancient stannary town associated with the tin mining industry, and Bovey Tracey, both act as ‘gateways’ to Dartmoor. Although there is some character transition northwards, a strong contrast between the two character areas is clear.

Dartmoor provides a visual backdrop to much of South Devon NCA, as well as being the source of eleven of the thirteen rivers that flow through and dissect the plateau, giving the area its distinctive landform. The water from adjoining Dartmoor supplies most of the settlements in the area, supplemented by the waters of the Tamar, whose catchment spreads across the adjoining Culm and Cornish Killas NCAs, to the north and west of the South Devon NCA. To the east the wider valley basin of the River Bovey, the Bovey Basin, partly separates South Devon from the Devon Redlands.

The River Tamar, which rises only 6 km from the north Cornwall coast, forms the western boundary, separating the area from Cornwall. The NCA has many features in common with the south-east area of Cornwall, immediately west of the river. Forming the southern boundary of the area is the coast, almost entirely designated and defined as AONB and Heritage Coast. Coastal processes functionally link to the east (Devon Redland NCA) and west (Cornish Killas NCA) of the area. The South Devon NCA is within the wider coastal sediment cell covered by the Durlston Head to Rame Head Shoreline Management Plan, which stretches for 307 km along the coast from Dorset to Cornwall.

Historically South Devon has tended to be an isolated part of the country, the main communities confined to the coast and estuaries and communication being by sea. There are many agricultural and industrial connections between the adjoining ‘upland’ Dartmoor and the coastal plateau and its ports.

Nowadays the area is linked westwards to Cornwall and eastwards to Exeter by the A38 trunk road and mainline rail network. The area is readily accessed by the urban communities of Plymouth, Torbay and Exeter.

Distinct areas

• Tamar Valley

The South Devon today

At its core, South Devon is a fertile, agricultural landscape, with smooth, rounded hills separated by deep, wooded valleys; a patchwork landscape of arable and improved pasture. Larger fields occur on higher, flatter land with more intricate, smaller-scale fields on the valley sides. The resultant rich and complex mosaic of habitats, supporting many arable and grassland plants and farmland birds, is further emphasised by a network of hedgebanks providing a stronghold for important, rare species, such as cirl bunting, and foraging grounds for greater horseshoe bats. A sense of enclosure pervades, particularly alongside ancient, sunken lanes, often topped with closely trimmed hedges and accompanied by a profusion of wildflowers, connecting scattered farmsteads and hamlets.

Nearer the coast the plateau rises. The few trees that exist away from shelter are windswept, and the landscape can seem remote and exposed.

Occasional views of the sea glinting on the horizon signal the proximity of the coast. The northern edge of the area merges with the pastoral landscape of the Dartmoor fringe. The mass of Dartmoor provides a backdrop to most of the NCA.

The length and complexity of river valleys and rias, which cut through the southern plateau, impair east-west travel, contributing to the feeling of remoteness. In the valleys and estuaries semi-natural and ancient woodlands of oak and ash remain, often on steep north-facing slopes inaccessible for farming. The mild climate and lack of pollution support communities of bryophytes and lichen associated with ancient woodlands. Fast-flowing streams and rivers hold Atlantic salmon and provide feeding grounds for otter and kingfisher.

Where valleys widen into floodplains, patches of marsh and belts of willow and alder abound. Larger valleys have fertile farmland enclosed by woodlands, with occasional orchards on the outskirts of small settlements. The Dart valley is the broadest, with a substantial floodplain, steep, wooded slopes and numerous settlements. In the east the Bovey valley widens to a basin ringed by wooded hills. It is characterised by the lakes, ponds, and spoil heaps of the ball clay industry, and some pockets of heathland.

Small settlements lie in sheltered valleys, at the head of creeks, or alongside watercourses at crossing points. Much of the character is derived from buildings constructed from local stone or cob, with thatched or local slate roofs.

Large 17th and 18th century corn barns, with one end dug into a bank for high-level loading, are unique to the area. Some larger settlements, such as Kingsbridge, developed at the head of the rias, while other towns including Dartmouth, Salcombe and Newton Ferrers, grew up near the mouths of the estuaries. Modern bustle in the settlements, on and off the water, contrasts with nearby tranquil tidal creeks with steeper wooded sides.

Torbay and Plymouth contrast with the rural areas. Plymouth remains an important naval city with an historic waterfront, while Torbay, with its distinctive clumps of Monterey pine, palm trees and sandy beaches, has developed into a popular tourist destination.

Though the rias each have individual characters, they display similarities with convex sides, cultivated where gradients are gentle or wooded where steeper. Their winding nature and steep sides restrict access, except from the water. Around some of the estuaries, internationally important mudflats, salt meadows and sandbanks provide habitats for bass nurseries, shell fish as well as wintering waders, such as avocet, wildfowl, and a rich marine life.

Away from the rias and beaches is a long rocky coastline. Sandstone and slate form cliffs of great variety, including the spectacular craggy ridge of Start Point and rugged cliffs of Prawle Point, Bolt Tail and Bolt Head. Berry Head is a distinctive limestone headland; the Torbay limestone supporting a number of rare calcareous plants. Across the whole area the varying underlying geology, combined with a coastal climate results in the occurrence of many rare plants. The active and ever-changing shingle bank of Slapton Sands, developed over the last 2,900 years, is particularly notable, cutting off the freshwater lake of Slapton Ley from the sea. It supports a variety of valuable habitats, flora, lichen, fungi and invertebrates, and is important for migratory and wintering birds. There are numerous historic coastal features; lighthouses, daymarks, coastguard cottages, forts and wrecks.

The Tamar Valley has some distinctive features relating to the topography, land use and underlying geology. Principally the granite ridge that runs across the Tamar Valley results in a gorge-like landscape, with thickly wooded sides and rocky outcrops. Associated with the granite are rich mineral veins giving rise to the tin and copper mining industries that dominated the area well into the 19th century. Mine chimneys, engine-houses, and small mining settlements remain. Ports and quays, now often used for leisure activities, dot the riversides and estuary. Railways superseded river transport and railway bridges and viaducts are characteristic features.

Estate woodland and parkland contrast with semi-natural oak woods and fields bounded by neat hedgerows. Around the Bere Peninsula the favourable mild micro-climate led to a dominance of market gardening that still characterises the area today. Though the industry has greatly declined, orchards, in particular cherry orchards, were once a great feature, and remnants are still found on the valley sides. Strawberry and daffodil farms remain a colourful feature of the Tamar Valley.

The landscape through time

South Devon primarily consists of Devonian sandstone, mudstone and shale laid down in a tropical sea around 395 to 370 million years ago. Sea-levels fluctuated throughout this period with shallow water deposits forming the fossil-rich Devonian limestones that outcrop around Torquay and Chudleigh, and east of Plymouth. The Devonian sediments, following deep penetration of iron oxides under desert conditions during the late Permian and Triassic, were exhumed and weathered to produce the deep, fertile red soils that support the area’s strong agricultural base. During the Variscan Orogeny, the mountain building period 320 to 280 million years ago, burial, compression, folding and the propagation of low angle faults resulted in the formation of slates and allowed the intrusion of granite. Heat generated by the granites produced mineral veins of tin, copper, lead and silver. Folded and faulted slates and schists are most visible along the coast on the Start Peninsula. In the east the Bovey beds, comprising gravels, sands, clays and lignite, were laid down during the Oligocene.

Though the area was not glaciated during the Ice Age, fluctuating temperatures and subsequent sea-levels created relic cliffs and raised beaches. Cave systems formed in the Devonian limestone during the Pleistocene, 2 million to 10,000 years ago, sometimes contain rich fossil vertebrate assemblages, such as those found in Kent’s Cavern. These can be a valuable record of environmental change. As ice sheets melted at the end of the last glaciation, rising sea levels inundated the lower reaches of river valleys creating rias.

Evidence of human activity from at least the Palaeolithic era has been found in coastal caves, especially at Torbay, though evidence of earlier occupation may have been masked by later activity. Fertile soils encouraged farming activity and the Bronze Age, from 2,000 BC onwards, saw increasing amounts of cultivation. Iron-age culture centred round small settlements, though the most obvious remains are coastal and inland hillforts, such as Slapton and Blackdown Rings. There is evidence that a complex iron-age society had substantial impacts on the landscape. Roman activity appears limited, though recent discoveries in the Tamar Valley suggest early exploitation for minerals, including silver.

From the 6th century, Saxon influence spread westward, establishing a settlement pattern of hamlets and scattered farms; many of today’s place names indicate Saxon origin, for example, ‘ham’, and ‘wick’. Domesday Book records the eastern part of the area as among the most prosperous in Devon.

Enclosure occurred early in this landscape, and was largely complete by the 16th century. Small, irregular enclosures and a pattern of dispersed settlement linked by winding, deep lanes are characteristic of the area.

The area fed itself and provided for the merchant and fishing fleets based in nearby ports and victualling yards around Plymouth. Orchards, present around most farms, made this the principal cider making district of the county. Market gardens featured in the Tamar Valley by the 19th century. The many 18th century and earlier buildings comprise one of the highest concentrations of rural buildings in England. Dairy farming was the main activity by the early 20th century, but mixed and arable farming has always been characteristic.

Wool and cloth were major medieval industries with many villages involved in carding, combing and spinning produce for sale at central markets such as Modbury. The wealth generated from the cloth trade, resulted in a golden era of church building in the 14th and 15th centuries, a legacy that remains a feature.

Access was poor until the arrival of the turnpikes in the 18th century. In many places it remained poor until roads were surfaced in the mid-20th century. Pack horses persisted as a means of transport until then.

Rias made safe natural harbours, and coastal traffic and sea fishing made the coastal area prosperous from an early date. Boroughs like Totnes, probably the first of the boroughs that characterised the area in the Middle Ages, and Plympton, exported cloth produced from wool sheared in the hinterland, while Torbay developed as a resort from a number of fishing ports. Salcombe, nowadays popular with tourists, developed as a fishing port and then through foreign trade in fresh fruit. The harbour is lined with villas built by the sea captains from the profits of the fruit trade.

Dartmouth and Plymouth were both important maritime centres, with Dartmouth the fourth wealthiest town in Devon by the end of the 15th century. Plymouth developed from the medieval period into the region’s major port. Its naval dockyard opened in the 1690s, massively expanded from the 18th century, and remains an important base. Around Plymouth Sound and the Dart estuary is a wealth of military sites dating from the medieval period to the Second World War.

Quarrying and mineral industries have left their mark and are important elements. Quarrying of slate was important from medieval times, trade dying out due to competition from Cornwall and Wales. Similarly, tin and copper extraction and processing had a long history. Three of the four Devon Stannary towns, Tavistock, Plympton and Ashburton, developed in response to the availability of tin. Production in the Tamar area continued into the 18th and 19th centuries. Features include quays and ports, such as Morwellham Quay, mine buildings and disused railways. Arsenic was also produced in large quantities; in the later part of the 19th century Devon Great Consols was the largest producer in the world of both copper and arsenic.

The open cast clay industry in the Bovey Basin left a number of features, such as pottery works and the Stover Canal. The industry continues today creating pits, spoil heaps, settling lakes and other prominent features.

Tourism began in the 18th century and accelerated in the 19th century with the arrival of the railways. Concentrated around Torquay (‘The English Riviera’), the population of Torbay rapidly expanded at the beginning of the 20th century. Despite the railways extending to Totnes and Kingsbridge, tourism did not impact greatly on the rest of South Devon. Even with the development of the fashionable hotel on Burgh Island in the 1930s, beyond Torbay the area remained a relatively unknown tourist destination.

During the 1950s and ’60s, with the rise of prosperity, the motor car and interest in yachting, tourism expanded. Despite the move towards foreign holidays in the 1970s and ’80s, tourist numbers have continued to increase with easier access by motorway and trunk roads.

During the 1990s, moves to intensive arable farming on the plateau led to the removal of many hedgebanks with negative consequences for farmland birds. The rate of loss has declined, but lack of management has meant deterioration of many of the remainder. Tourism has contributed to the urbanisation of some settlements, with demand for bungalows and retirement homes, increased traffic and expanding caravan sites. Demand for recreation has also increased pressure for access to estuarine waters for boating, with increasing numbers of moored boats and developments around slipways. However, tourism and recreation are an important part of the local economy and the South Hams part of the area has become a market leader in green tourism.