KINGSBRIDGE

Further back in this blog, we visited ports such as Charlestown from where large quantities of china clay were transported. That the china clay industry in Cornwall came into being at all is thanks to a native of Kingsbridge, William Cookworthy. Cookworthy, an apothecary, became fascinated by the provenance of Chinese porcelain and set about searching for the type of clay needed to make this fine china. He did not need to look far, because he found minerals in Cornwall known as Moorstone or Growan clay. Eventually, he was granted a patent for making porcelain from these materials. Today there is a museum devoted to him in the town.

Kingsbridge is situated five miles upstream from Salcombe, at the northern end of the estuary. Like Looe in Cornwall, in Kingsbridge you get two towns for the price of one, Kingsbridge and Dodbrooke. In the 19th century the town had an important cloth manufacturing industry, as well as being a thriving centre for shipbuilding and tannery. It has more recently grown into a popular tourist destination. There are pleasant walks along the estuary to nearby creeks, such as Bowcombe Creek.

For a list of events in the South Hams, see here.

Map of the area.

Kingsbridge-devon-uk-estuary-view. Photo by Stickman, via Wikimedia Commons.