Seaton History

The area around Seaton has been settled for more than 6,000 years with archaeological excavations revealing Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age remains.

The natural harbour of the River Axe estuary was at that time a much wider and deeper inlet and was one of the most important trading harbours in the South West protected by the Iron Age hill forts of Hawkesdown and Musbury. Prehistoric roads led to the harbour and the Fosse Way ended at Axmouth one mile up river. Besides the sea trade, the practice of harvesting salt in the River Axe tidal estuary began in the Iron Age and lasted for many centuries.

The Roman occupation of Devon established two main settlements at Dorchester and Exeter. Seaton, midway between these two Roman towns became a Roman ‘station’ and Axmouth Harbour became a major port for the area. The remains of Roman villas which date from the 1st to 4th centuries have been excavated in Seaton and artefacts from these excavations can be seen in Seaton Museum.

Seaton and Axmouth were important ports in the South West for trade and shipbuilding throughout the Middle Ages up until the 14th century when heavy storms caused a land slip at Haven Cliff to fall and partially block the estuary.

This sudden change to the landscape altered the patterns of the tidal and river currents and the shingle bank started to build up forming the pebble beach we can see today.

The change to the estuary mouth resulted in silt brought down by the river to be deposited in the estuary instead of being carried out to sea and the previously wide and deep river inlet ‘silted up’ preventing shipping from reaching Axmouth village one mile up river.

There were attempts to dig a channel through the shingle to re establish the deep water shipping access, but this was in vain as the tidal currents soon swept up more shingle to replace that which had been taken away.

Axmouth Harbour continued as a working port up until the building of the Seaton Branch Railway Line in 1868 which made goods bought in by sea uncompetitive.

In 1877 the construction of the Axmouth Road Bridge which crossed the river at the back of the harbour finally closed the river to trading ships as it prevented the passage of large vessels up river.

Although the building of the Branch Railway line to Seaton was constructed some 20 years later than the railway lines to towns like Torquay, Teignmouth and Dawlish, the railway bought mass tourism to the town.

The transformation to the out-of-the-way and tranquil town of Seaton by the influx of tourist revenues resulted in the growth of the town into a thriving seaside resort. Lodging Houses with ‘hot and cold’ running water, Hotels including one ‘giant’ Hotel, a theatre, smart shops and new beachfront houses were all well established 40 years after the coming of the railway to Seaton.

Despite its long history, Seaton today appears to be more modern in its appearance than the neighbouring towns and villages of East Devon. The Town centre is mainly composed of buildings built towards the end of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century.

The houses built on the flat land leading to Axmouth Harbour are a mixture of 1930’s and more recent construction. In the early 1970’s Seaton had a resident population of 2,500. A period of rapid expansion then began which saw a rise in the residential population to 6,500 as new housing was built.

In 2005 Seaton celebrated 1,000 years of the granting of its Saxon Charter of AD 1005 establishing the medieval town of Fleote (the town became known as Seaton in 1126AD)

 If you would like to learn more about Seaton's history, you can visit Seaton Museum on the top floor of the Town Hall in Fore Street. Web site:-  www.seatonmuseum.co.uk

Seaton Facts

• The present residential population of Seaton is 6,900

The nearest Towns are:-

• Lyme Regis - 7 miles.
• Axminster - 7 miles.
• Sidmouth - 9 miles.
• Honiton - 10 miles.
• Exeter is 24 miles from Seaton.

Travel Links:-

• Exeter Airport is 16 miles from Seaton.
• The Nearest Motorway is Junction 29 on the M5 (17 miles)
• The nearest Railway Station is Axminster (6 miles)

Seaton Today

Seaton is on the south coast of England close to the border between Devon and Dorset with Lyme Regis 7 miles to the east and Sidmouth 9 miles to the West.

This section of the coastline inside Lyme Bay contains much of the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Jurassic Coast the only place in the world displaying unbroken evidence of 235 million years of evolution.

Seaton Bay, at the foot of the Axe Valley where the River Axe flows into the sea is bounded with the red mudstone cliffs of the Triassic period to the east and the chalk cliffs of the Cretaceous period to the west.

The estuary of the river Axe although once wide and deep enough to be a safe haven for shipping has over recent centuries silted up and narrowed, and although there is still a small harbour it is now only suitable for yachts and the local fishing boats.

There are two bridges crossing the river Axe at the Harbour, the present road bridge was built in 1990 to carry the traffic as the smaller earlier bridge was not considered strong or wide enough.

This earlier bridge was built as a toll bridge in 1877 and is the earliest surviving concrete bridge in the country.Now it is only used as a pedestrian or cycle bridge over the river.

The Axe estuary continues inland from the two bridges. The estuary is made of mud flats, islands, salt marsh and reed beds, and is particularly interesting for its birdlife which can be viewed from the roadside.

On the eastern side of the estuary, the wildlife can be observed from a purpose built bird watching hide or for those who prefer a ride on one of Seaton Tramways open top trams.

Seaton Marshes further up the estuary on the flood plain of the River Axe are fresh water grazing marshes with scrapes, ditches and ponds that attract considerable wildlife interest, from wildfowl and wading birds in the winter to dragonflies and butterflies in the summer.

This narrowing of the estuary was brought about by the tides and currents creating a shingle bank at the harbour mouth and the mile long pebble beach of Seaton Bay. The beach is gently sloping and safe to swim from with the pebbles being small to medium in size although after severe winter storms the pebbles do sometimes get swept away by the tides exposing the course sand which lies below the pebbles.

At the top of the beach is the Esplanade, a flat, level walk 1,160 metres in length stretching from the boundary of Axmouth Harbour at the eastern end of the bay to the Chine café towards the western end of the bay. Although much appreciated by walkers, visitors should be aware that this walk is at the front of the sea wall and access for part of its length is through one of the several storm gates let into the wall. For much of the year these storm gates are open, allowing easy access onto the esplanade and beach. During the winter months when the risk of flooding by the sea is high, these gates may be closed, requiring walkers to use the steps at the harbour end to get over the sea wall or walk back to the open section of the esplanade near the town centre.

Lyme Bay Holiday Village is near the Harbour on the aptly named Harbour Road. The camp now caters for adults only short term breaks but it does have a good indoor swimming pool and gymnasium which are open to non-residents.

Seaton Town Centre is close by the Esplanade and is largely pedestrianised.

There are several pay and display car parks serving the Town Centre, the largest being on the Underfleet near the terminus of Seaton Tramways and the Tourist Information Centre.

The town centre still retains its mix of small individual shops:-

Antiques,aquatics, bakers, betting shop, builder’s merchants, business agents, butchers, cafes, carpet shop, car sales and repairs, chemists, children’s clothing, clocks and watch repairs, computer sales and repairs, craft materials.

Delicatessen, DIY shop, DVD/video rentals, estate agents, financial services, fishmongers, fitted kitchens, florists, gifts shops, greengrocer, hair and beauty salons, health foods, home furnishers, ice cream parlour, insurance brokers, kitchenware.

Ladies fashions, mobile phone shop, mobility, newsagents and stationers, opticians, outdoor wear, pet foods, photo developers,picture framers, printers, soft furnishings, shoe shop, solicitors, specialist bookshops, sportswear, supermarket and a Traditional Ironmongers.

All of these shops can be found in Seaton Town centre

There is a selection of restaurants with a choice of cuisine styles and most of the Public Houses also offer food at lunchtimes and evening, and of course there are fish and chip shops. The pubs also provide a thriving live music scene although this is mainly at the weekends.

The Esplanade continues past the Town Centre on what is known as the West Walk. At the end of the West Walk is the Chine Café where you can sit at the outdoor tables admiring the view over the bay towards Beer Head and on a clear day Portland Bill.

At the top of the red mudstone cliffs of the West Walk are the Cliff top gardens with picnic tables and offering superb views. It is in these gardens that Seaton’s Millennium Labyrinth can be found. The path up to these gardens starts at the side of the Chine Café, but visitors should be aware that the path up to the top of the cliff is up steep steps.

An easier route to the Cliff top gardens is to walk up Castle Hill from Fisherman’s Gap, the main entrance onto the Esplanade from the Town centre.

Across the road from Fisherman’s Gap are the Jubilee Gardens, and the Jubilee House clock. Carrying on along the path are the Seafield Gardens with a Cactus House containing a display of cactuses. The Seaton Bowling Club, small putting green, two tennis courts and an excellent children’s playground.