Only in Dartmouth
1 The station platform with no trains
The building now called The Embankment Bistro was originally built as a railway platform for Dartmouth. Unfortunately the train line never made its way across the river, so whilst tickets could be purchased from the building for trains over the river in Kingswear, no one has ever caught a train from the platform.
2 The UK’s only coal fired paddle steamer
The paddle steamer, Kingswear Castle, is the only remaining coal fired paddle steamer in the UK. In her heyday she would carry almost 500 passengers up the Dart between Dartmouth and Totnes. Nowadays she is a stunning part of the river cruise trips on the Dart.
3 The first working steam engine
Thomas Newcomen was the engineer who designed the first successful steam engine. He was born in Dartmouth, and had a workshop here which is marked by a plaque on Newcomen Road. An early Newcomen Engine can be seen at the Visitor Centre in Dartmouth.
4 Christopher Robin’s bookshop
Winnie The Pooh’s Christopher Robin ran the Harbour bookshop in Dartmouth for over 30 years. His father, AA Milne, wrote his son into his books so it is fitting that Christopher grew up to have his own book shop. Unfortunately the bookshop is no longer trading, but the site continues as a shop on the corner of Newcomen Road.
(Image: © Apex News & Pictures)
5 Home of the Gurgling Jugs
Whilst gurgling water jugs were invented in the late 1870s by the British company Thomas Forester & Sons, the Dartmouth Pottery in Warfleet gave the jug its memorable fish-shaped design.
6 The UK’s only commercial freediver
James Kirkcaldy runs a truly unique business from Dartmouth. He supplies a small number of Michelin starred restaurants with scallops that he sources from the local bays. What makes this a standout operation is that his scallops are caught by freediving on a single breath. These are truly handpicked products, which makes them such a sought after delicacy. This ‘light touch’ style of fishing also means it is a damage-free approach, leaving the seabed undisturbed.
(Image:@greenstraight_scallops)
7 Tony Soper & Ospreys on the Dart
The wildlife presenter Tony Soper used to run wildlife cruises on his boat on the Dart. It was at that point that ospreys were regularly recorded on the Dart Estuary.
Areas of the Dart, such as Dittisham, are great places to go and look for these ‘river hawks’.
(Image:www.tonysoper.com)
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