South Hams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
South Hams District | |
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Shown within Devon |
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Geography | |
Status: | District |
Region: | South West England |
Admin. County: | Devon |
Area: - Total |
Ranked 39th 886.51 km² |
Admin. HQ: | Totnes |
ONS code: | 18UG |
Demographics | |
Population: - Total (2005 est.) - Density |
Ranked 281st 82,800 93 / km² |
Ethnicity: | 99.1% White |
Politics | |
South Hams District Council http://www.south-hams-dc.gov.uk/ |
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Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
Executive: | Conservative |
MPs: | Anthony Steen, Gary Streeter |
South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England. It contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Salcombe, and Totnes, where the district council have their offices.
To the north it includes part of Dartmoor National Park, to the east borders Torquay, and to the west Plymouth. It contains some of the most unspoilt coastline on the south coast, including the promontories of Start Point, and Bolt Head.
The South Hams is the last British refuge of the Cirl Bunting.
[edit] History
The current district was formed on April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of Dartmouth and Totnes municipal boroughs, Kingsbridge and Salcombe urban districts, and Kingsbridge Rural District, Plympton St Mary Rural District and Totnes Rural District.
In 1967 the suburban towns of Plympton and Plymstock were amalgamated with the City of Plymouth.
In the Anglo-Saxon era the South Hams was a feudal estate consisting of all of the land between the River Plym and River Dart and south of Dartmoor with the English Channel forming the southern boundary.
In 1917 the village of Hallsands was abandoned after much of it was lost to the sea. This happened because the shingle bank protecing the shore was removed to help build Devonport dockyard.[1].
In 1944 several villages were evacuated so that training for D-day could be carried out in secret. The area was chosen because of the resemblance of its beaches to those of Normandy. Preparations were disrupted, and secrecy nearly compromised, by a devastating E-boat attack during Exercise Tiger.
[edit] Villages
In addition to the towns above, South Hams district contains the following villages:
- Ashprington
- Aveton Gifford
- Berry Pomeroy
- Bickleigh
- Bigbury
- Blackawton
- Brixton
- Buckland Tout Saints
- Charleton
- Chivelstone
- Churchstow
- Cornwood
- Cornworthy
- Dartington
- Dean Prior
- Diptford
- Dittisham
- Dodbrooke
- East Allington
- East Portlemouth
- Ermington
- Halwell
- Harberton
- Harford
- Holbeton
- Holne
- Kingston
- Kingswear
- Littlehempston
- Loddiswell
- Malborough
- Marldon
- Modbury
- Moreleigh
- Newton Ferrers
- North Huish
- Rattery
- Revelstoke
- Ringmore
- Shaugh Prior
- Sherford
- Slapton
- South Brent
- South Huish
- South Milton
- South Pool
- Staverton
- Stoke Fleming
- Stoke Gabriel
- Stokenham
- Thurlestone
- Ugborough
- Wembury
- West Alvington
- Woodleigh
- Yealmpton
[edit] See also
Districts of South West England | |
Bath and North East Somerset | Bournemouth | Bristol | Caradon | Carrick | Cheltenham | Christchurch | Cotswold | East Devon | East Dorset | Exeter | Forest of Dean | Gloucester | Isles of Scilly | Kennet | Kerrier | Mendip | Mid Devon | North Cornwall | North Devon | North Dorset | North Somerset | North Wiltshire | Penwith | Plymouth | Poole | Purbeck | Restormel | Salisbury | Sedgemoor | South Gloucestershire | South Hams | South Somerset | Stroud | Swindon | Taunton Deane | Teignbridge | Tewkesbury | Torbay | Torridge | West Devon | West Dorset | West Somerset | West Wiltshire | Weymouth and Portland |
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Counties with multiple districts: Cornwall - Devon - Dorset - Gloucestershire - Somerset - Wiltshire |