Shaldon The Hidden Gems

It was good to see you Dave in my 'home village' and sorry I couldn't chat longer... as you know it was more a working day what with being the Shaldon Regatta's Press & Publicity officer (to see my pics of the whole weeks proceedings, and report, check out the website at www.shaldonregatta.co.uk. Thanks Dave for allowing the plug!)
So here I am. 9.45 on a Bank holiday monday evening finalising not only the Fans Forum page for saturday's game but doing the write-up and pictures for the regatta website and reports for all the local papers which have to be in first thing tomorrow....
ps, The new Mrs E has just seen the mention of needing to be wealthy to have a place in Shaldon and wants to know where all my money's hidden!

Well budleighgull put up a picture and said the bridge in the background was the old wooden Shaldon Bridge, or I thought it would be good to learn a few things most of would not have known about Shaldon Bridge.


Before the opening of the road bridge linking Shaldon with Teignmouth, travellers had the choice of making a crossing by the foot ferry or, if they had horses or a vehicle, of making a detour of some 12 to 14 miles, going down-river to the outskirts of Newton Abbot then turning back and returning on the opposite bank

the Shaldon Bridge Company opened a new bridge and, at the same time, purchased the ferry rights from Lord Clifford. The very first bridge was made of wood and was designed and built by Roger Hopkins. It was claimed at the time to be the longest wooden bridge in England with a length of 1,632 feet and 34 arches and the second longest bridge in Europe. It had stone abutments at both ends and a swing bridge at the Teignmouth end to allow passage for tall masts.



The bridge was erected at the expense of a joint-stock company, incorporated by, and acting under the authority of, an Act of Parliament passed in the session of 1824. The foundation stone was laid by William Langmead, Esq., of Elfordleigh near Plymouth, the chairman of the committee, on the 20th September following; but, in consequence of some unexpected difficulties in raising the necessary funds, the works were not proceeded with for nearly twelve months. In September 1825, the erection was commenced with spirit, and the bridge was opened for public passing on the 8th of June 1827.

This bridge lasted a relatively short time; in 1838 it collapsed and upon examination the whole structure was found to be riddled with shipworm.




Between 1838 and 1840 a new stone bridge was built and in spite of the nature of its exposed position, remained in use until 1893 when, it was closed again to be completely refurbished. This bridge remained in use until the 1920s but by then the nature of the traffic crossing the river had changed completely. The pedestrians, horses and riders and small carts and wagons of the 19th century had been replaced by cars, lorries and motor buses.


The bridge in 1900




In 1926, an Act of Parliament was passed, enabling widening and strengthening and this was finally completed in 1931 when a new 324 metre-long structure was opened consisting of four concrete-encased girders spanning concrete piers supporting a reinforced concrete deck. After World War 2, traffic increased in volume and individual vehicles carried heaver loads so a weight restriction was imposed.
On 28 October 1948 Devon County Council bought the bridge from the Shaldon Bridge Company for £92,020 and tolls were abolished

An examination of the structure in 1998 revealed serious defects affecting the safety of the bridge and the decision was taken to strengthen the fixed spans, widen the carriageway and strengthen the lifting span at the Teignmouth end. Work was finally completed at the end of 2002, and so important had the bridge become to life in the area, that it was open to one-way traffic throughout the whole period of its refurbishment - something of an achievement for the engineers.


The original toll house remains at the Teignmouth end of the bridge. and had a five-bar gate to prevent people crossing without paying.





The toll house is now a private residence. Permission to take tolls from the users of the bridge was granted by Act of Parliament in the 1830s.

Many thanks so glad you enjoyed them and I do love taking photos, hundreds of them ;D, check this thread later in the week, as Budleighgull will be treating us to some real old photos of Shaldon.

......and better viewed by boat I believe

Budleighgull will tell you

She is a local girl called Georgia, who was enjoying the Pillow fight against another local girl, Amanda... to see more pics of this, and other events, check out my Regatta website at www.shaldonregatta.co.uk Sorry, Do you think that's enough plugs now Dave!?

Your plug it away as often as you like Leigh as I know you have put a lot of work and effort into it and also do so much to make the Shaldon Regatta the success it is.

My only regret was I did not challenge you to a pillow fight, I'm sure my low center of gravity would have made me a sure winner.