Kingsbridge

The broad body of water to the south of Kingsbridge is officially known as Kingsbridge Estuary, although strictly speaking it is not an estuary at all – no river runs into it – but a ria, or drowned valley. Whatever the correct name, it provides an attractive setting for this busy little town, an agreeable spot in which to spend an hour or two strolling along the quayside or through the narrow alleys off Fore Street bearing such graphic names as Squeezebelly Lane.

In Fore Street is St Edmund’s parish church, mostly 13th century, and well known for the rather cynical verse inscribed on the gravestone of Roger Phillips who died in 1798:

Here lie I at the chancel door
Here lie I because I’m poor
The further in the more you pay
Here lie I as warm as they.

Nearby is The Shambles, an Elizabethan market arcade whose late 18th-century upper floor is supported on six sturdy granite pillars. Next door, the town hall hosts various markets during the season - a flea market on Monday, local produce on Wednesdays, and crafts on Fridays.

Above the church, the former Kingsbridge Grammar School, founded in 1670, now houses the Cookworthy Museum of Rural Life, named after William Cookworthy who was born at Kingsbridge in 1705. Working as an apothecary at Plymouth, William encountered traders from the Far East who had brought back porcelain from China. English pottery makers despaired of ever producing such delicate cups and plates, but Cookworthy identified the basic ingredient of porcelain as kaolin, huge deposits of which lay in the hills just north of Plymouth. Ever since then, the more common name for kaolin has been China clay.

During the season, a popular excursion from Kingsbridge is the river cruise to Salcombe. Coastal cruises and private charter boats are also available.