Portal:Devon

The Devon Portal

Devon (/ˈdɛvən/ DEV-ən; historically also known as Devonshire /-ʃɪər, -ʃər/ -⁠sheer, -⁠shər) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west. The city of Plymouth is the largest settlement.

Devon has a varied geography. It contains Dartmoor and part of Exmoor, two upland moors that are the source of most of the county's rivers, including the Taw, Dart, and Exe. The longest river in the county is the Tamar, which forms most of the border with Cornwall and rises in Devon's northwest hills. The southeast coast is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and characterised by tall cliffs that reveal the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous geology of the region. The county gives its name to the Devonian geologic period, which includes the slates and sandstones of the north coast. Dartmoor and Exmoor have been designated national parks, and the county also contains, in whole or in part, five national landscapes. High Willhays (Dartmoor national park) is broadly recognised as the most southernly nuttall/hewitt mountain in the United Kingdom, standing at 621 m/ 2039 ft above sea level.

In the Iron Age, Roman and the Sub-Roman periods, the county was the home of the Dumnonii Celtic Britons. The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain resulted in the partial assimilation of Dumnonia into the kingdom of Wessex in the eighth and ninth centuries, and the western boundary with Cornwall was set at the Tamar by king Æthelstan in 936. (Full article...)

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Blackdown Hills National Landscape near Dalwood, Devon

The Blackdown Hills, or Blackdowns, are a range of hills along the Somerset–Devon border in south-western England. The plateau is dominated by hard chert bands of Upper Greensand with some remnants of chalk, and is cut through by river valleys.

The Blackdown Hills were designated in 1991 as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). In November 2023, AONBs became National Landscapes. The hills support an extensive range of wildlife leading to the designation of 16 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

There is evidence of human occupation since the Iron Age. Fortifications include the remains of ancient hill forts, Norman motte-and-bailey castles and Second World War airfields. There are also religious buildings such as Dunkeswell Abbey and village churches. The hills are crossed by a network of minor roads, and major transport routes including the M5 motorway run around the periphery. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Devon-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Exeter St Davids railway station (from Exeter)
Image 2The Devonport Leat on Dartmoor, looking up stream (from Plymouth)
Image 3Unloading mail by hand from the Sir Francis Drake at Millbay Docks, March 1926 (from Plymouth)
Image 4Roger Deakins, multi-award-winning cinematographer (from Devon)
Image 5The Roland Levinsky Building, faculty of Arts of the University of Plymouth (from Plymouth)
Image 6MV Pont-Aven: Brittany Ferries service to Roscoff (France) and Santander (Spain) in Millbay Docks (from Plymouth)
Image 7Civic Centre, completed 1962, symbolic of the post-war 'Heroic Modernism' of the welfare state; a listed building since 2007 (from Plymouth)
Image 8Royal William Victualling Yard, Stonehouse by Sir John Rennie, 1825–1833 (from Plymouth)
Image 9Plymouth the Promenade Pier (postcard c. 1925) by A.R. Quinton (from Plymouth)
Image 10Saltram House remodelled by the architect Robert Adam (from Plymouth)
Image 11Part of the seafront of Torquay, south Devon, at high tide (from Devon)
Image 12Geological map of Wales & Southwest England (from Devon)
Image 13An illustration of Exeter in 1563, entitled Civitas Exoniae (vulgo Excester) urbs primaria in comitatu Devoniae (from Exeter)
Image 14Menhir at Drizzlecombe (from Devon)
Image 15Exeter Canal Basin (from Exeter)
Image 16Grade I listed Town Hall, Column and Library in Devonport (from Plymouth)
Image 17Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay (from Devon)
Image 18Heathland at Woodbury Common in south east Devon (from Devon)
Image 19Ollie Watkins, plays football for England (from Devon)
Image 20County Hall, Exeter. Headquarters for Devon County Council. (from Devon)
Image 21Barnfield Theatre (from Exeter)
Image 22Watercolour by Olive Wharry c. 1942 depicting St Sidwell's Church after the Blitz. A 250 kilograms (550 lb) bomb struck the church in the early hours of 4 May 1942, leaving the tower standing but fatally weakened. It was subsequently demolished. (Collection of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum) (from Exeter)
Image 23HMNB Devonport – the largest operational naval base in Western Europe. (from Plymouth)
Image 24The 'invincible' Spanish Armada, 1588 (from Plymouth)
Image 25Armada Way, looking north (from Plymouth)
Image 26Beckley Point (from Plymouth)
Image 27Stores on Exeter's High Street in 2014 (from Exeter)
Image 28Population pyramid of Plymouth (unitary authority) in 2021 (from Plymouth)
Image 29Plymouth Drake's Island (1860s–1880s) by Francis Frith (from Plymouth)
Image 30National Armada memorial (Britannia) (from Plymouth)
Image 31The Great Hall in the Guildhall (from Plymouth)
Image 32The inner harbour, Brixham, south Devon, at low tide (from Devon)
Image 33Home Park (from Plymouth)
Image 34North-eastward view of Plymouth Sound from Mount Edgcumbe Country Park in Cornwall, with Drake's Island (centre) and, behind it from left to right, the Royal Citadel, the fuel tanks of Cattedown and Mount Batten; in the background are the hills of Dartmoor (from Plymouth)
Image 35The East Stand at Sandy Park, the home of the rugby union club Exeter Chiefs (from Exeter)
Image 36Sir Francis Drake (from Plymouth)
Image 37Plymouth harbour, around 1860 (from Plymouth)
Image 38From left to right, the 15th-century St Martin's Church, 16th-century Mol's Coffee House and 17th-century Nos 2–5 Cathedral Close (from Exeter)
Image 39Plymouth Pavilions, home to the Plymouth City Patriots (from Plymouth)
Image 40The flag of the historic county of Devon (from Devon)
Image 41Population pyramid of Exeter (district) in 2021 (from Exeter)
Image 42Plymouth Sound and Breakwater (from Plymouth)
Image 43Black-eyed Sue and Sweet Poll of Plymouth mourning their lovers, who are soon to be transported to Botany Bay, 1792 (from Plymouth)
Image 44John Foulston's Town Hall, Column and Library in Devonport (from Plymouth)
Image 45The main offices for Exeter City Council at the Civic Centre (from Exeter)
Image 46Plymouth (1860s–1880s) by Francis Frith (from Plymouth)
Image 47The Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Boniface (Stonehouse) (from Plymouth)
Image 48The Plymouth Combined Crown and County Court Centre (from Plymouth)
Image 49A portion of Exeter's city wall, formed of both Roman and medieval stones (from Exeter)
Image 50Bridge carrying the M5 motorway across the River Exe (from Exeter)

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Little Trowlesworthy Tor on Lee Moor, near Cadover Bridge.

Recently featured: Bigbury sea tractor - Crazywell cross - South Devon Cattle - Dartmoor tors – Plymouth harbour – Westward Ho! beach

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Some of the larger settlements of Devon

See List of places in Devon for more information

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Did you know...

... that Plymouth's lighthouse, Smeaton's Tower (pictured), was dismantled and then rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe as a memorial?
... that Devon is the third largest of the English counties and has a population of 1,109,900?
... that the name Devon derives from the name of the Celtic people who inhabited the southwestern peninsula of Britain at the time of the Roman invasion?
... that Devon was one of the first areas of England settled following the end of the last ice age?
... that the St Nicholas Priory in Exeter is being restored with the same methods that were used 500 years ago?
... that Devon is the only county in England to have two separate coastlines?
... that there was no established coat of arms for Devon until 1926?
... that the English Riviera Geopark in Torbay is the world's only urban Geopark?

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Economy and industry of Devon • Flag of Devon • History of Devon • Notable people from Devon

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v t e Ceremonial county of Devon
Devon Portal
Unitary authorities	Plymouth Torbay
Boroughs or districts	East Devon Exeter Mid Devon North Devon South Hams Teignbridge Torridge West Devon
Major settlements (cities in italics)	Ashburton Axminster Bampton Barnstaple Bideford Bovey Tracey Brixham Buckfastleigh Budleigh Salterton Chagford Chudleigh Chulmleigh Colyton Crediton Cullompton Dartmouth Dawlish Exeter Exmouth Great Torrington Hatherleigh Holsworthy Honiton Ilfracombe Ivybridge Kingsbridge Kingsteignton Lynton Moretonhampstead Newton Abbot North Tawton Northam Okehampton Ottery St Mary Paignton Plymouth Plympton Plymstock Salcombe Seaton Sidmouth South Molton Tavistock Teignmouth Tiverton Topsham Torquay Totnes See also: List of civil parishes in Devon
Rivers	Ashburn Avon Axe Barle Bovey Bray Burn Clyst Creedy Culm Dart East Dart West Dart Erme Exe Heddon Lemon Lew Lumburn Lyd East Lyn West Lyn Meavy Mole Okement East Okement West Okement Otter Plym Sid Swincombe Tamar Tavy Taw Teign Thrushel Torridge Walkham Wallabrooke East Webburn West Webburn Wolf Yealm
Topics	Flag Devon County Council Parliamentary constituencies Economy Places Towns by population SSSIs Country houses Grade I listed buildings Grade II* listed buildings Scheduled monuments Bridges History Schools Museums Lord Lieutenants High Sheriffs Notable people Dartmoor Exmoor South Devon AONB Tamar Valley AONB Jurassic Coast South West Coast Path Two Moors Way North Devon's Biosphere Reserve