Chudleigh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chudleigh | |
  Chudleigh shown within Devon |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | Teignbridge |
| Shire county | Devon |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWTON ABBOT |
| Postcode district | TQ13 |
| Dialling code | 01626 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Teignbridge |
| List of places: UK • England • Devon | |
Chudleigh is a small town in Devon, England located between the towns of Newton Abbot and Exeter.
Chudleigh is very close to the edge of Dartmoor and bypassed by the A38 road. It began life as a small wool market town. Chudleigh has expanded a good deal in recent years as commuter houses have been built around its edges, but it still retains a fairly traditional town centre.
Local Amenities include
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Cricket field and football pitches
- Skate park
There is a Primary School located in the centre.
Nearby "the Rock" is a natural beauty spot and attracts rock climbers who scale the range of routes on the (limestone) crag.
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[edit] Chudleigh Carnival
There has been an annual carnival each summer which draws a large crowd from the surrounding area. This did not take place in 2006, but the carnival returned in July 2007.
[edit] The Great Fire of Chudleigh
The weather conditions in Devon in the year 1807 have been described as a drought. Weeks without rain left many people short of water and had farmers worrying about their crops. There was a bakery in Culver Street (now New Exeter Street) and around noon on 22 May 22, a small fire broke out in pile of furze that was stacked near the ovens.
Later reports state that the staff in the bakery seemed unaware of the danger this posed, but the fire, fed by the exceptionally dry fuel, exploded. In the shortest time imaginable, the fire had spread to the roof of the bakery (thatched, as was the roofing on 90% of the houses in Chudleigh at the time) and huge hunks of burning reed and straw were swept aloft by a rapidly growing north-easterly wind.
After the fire, only the church and seven houses were left standing.
[edit] Victory Ground
The Victory Ground was a football stadium on the outskirts of Chudleigh. The stadium was built in 1905, mainly for the "local" football team, Exeter City F.C.; however the club refused to play at the stadium because it was too far away from Exeter. The owner of the stadium, Stephen Bradley, decided to let two football teams based in Chudleigh use the land. The stadium had a wooden grandstand, and three small terraces on the sides of the pitch. Opposite the grandstand was a small seated stand. The wooden grandstand had around 300 seats, and a small paddock. The changing rooms and a small bar area were in this stand as well. The Stadium capacity was 4,500 when first opened. The stadium was first called 'Rockviews', but the name was changed to The Victory Ground in 1906. The reason for this was because the two teams that played in the stadium were unbeaten in 45 games prior to the ground being renamed.
During the second world war attendance went down to as few as 35 people. The Victory ground played a huge role during the second world war. Football was halted at the stadium for two years, as children from London and Plymouth stayed on the pitch, in tents. Up to one point, over 350 people lived on the Victory Ground pitch.
But, nearing the end of the war, the 'tent village' was no longer needed, and it was transformed back to a football venue. A few months later, it was announced that Mr. Bradley was to sell off the stadium, due to rising costs in maintenance.
On the 7th June 1941, the very last football game was played at the Victory Ground in front of 800 people. On the 8th June 1941, the Victory Ground was totally demolished, and three new houses were built on the land. Nowadays it's hard to work out where the stadium was, as the three houses described above were demolished in the 1980s to make way for new houses.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Map sources for Chudleigh
- East Dartmoor Baptist Church in Chudleigh
- Chudleigh Information web site, provided by The Chudleigh Business Guild
[edit] References
- Chudleigh now and then (1996)
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