Kingsbridge
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- This page deals with the town of Kingsbridge in Devon. For other references, see Kingsbridge (disambiguation)
  Map sources for Kingsbridge at grid reference SX7344
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Kingsbridge is a popular market and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of about 5,800. It is situated at the northern end of the so-called Kingsbridge Estuary, which is in reality a text-book example of a ria.
Kingsbridge is in fact a combination of two towns, Kingsbridge and Dodbrooke: while the latter was orignally considered to be the dominant of the two, Kingsbridge later expanded to include Dodbrooke. The town consists of two parishes: St.Edmund's in the west and St. Thomas Becket in the east. The parish church of St. Thomas Becket displays a particularly well-preserved rood screen.
Kingsbridge has been the main market town in the area for centuries. Its proximity to the spectacular south Devon coast and sailing venues (such as Salcombe) has for more than 200 years also made it a popular destination for tourists. Indeed, the Prince Regent (the future King George IV) considered building his pavilion above nearby South Sands beach before finally settling on Brighton. Apart from its location, its attractions include several restaurants and pubs, a cinema housed in the town hall building and a museum about the chemist William Cookworthy, who was born in Kingsbridge in 1705.
The town is linked to Plymouth and Dartmouth, Devon by the A379. The town previously had a railway station but the branch line via South Brent, opened in 1893, was closed down in 1963 as part of the Beeching Axe.
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