Kingswear is a village in the South Hams area of South Devon, residing on the east bank of the River Dart. As of the year 2000, it has a population of 1,411. A village is a human residential settlement commonly found in rural areas. ... South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England. ... Devon is a large county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... The River Dart The River Dart is a river in Devon, UK. The river rises on Dartmoor, as two separate branches (the East Dart and West Dart), which join at Dartmeet. ...

Kingswear is noted for being the terminus for the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway. It also has numerous ferry links to Dartmouth, which lies on the opposite bank of the river. The village itself contains numerous small tourist-oriented shops and several public houses, and is also home to Kingswear Castle, a privately owned 15th century artillery tower situated on the outskirts. Kingswear also contains a church, which is a member of the Anglican Diocese of Exeter and whose patron saint is Saint Thomas of Canterbury. The word terminus is used in several different contexts including various topics: In transport a terminus is commonly used to describe a bus station/rail station acting as an end destination. ... Situated in Devon and arguably one of the most picturesque lines in England, the standard gauge Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway operates from Paignton to Kingswear along the former Great Western Railway branch line. ... Map sources for Dartmouth, Devon at grid reference SX877514 The town seen from the River Dart Dartmouth is a town in Devon in the south-west of England. ... For notes on some individual UK pubs, see Notable United Kingdom public houses. ... Kingswear Castle was built between 1491 - 1502, as an artillery tower for use with heavy cannon. ... A church building (or simply church) is a building used in Christian worship. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in England, UK. It is located at , . In the 2001 census its population was recorded at 111,066. ... In several forms of the church of Christianity, but especially in Roman Catholicism, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ... Saint Thomas Becket (December 21, 1118? – December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170. ...

History

Kingswear is not mentioned in the Doomsday Book, but it's believed that Kingston, which is above Kingswear, dates from as far back as Saon times, with evidence of Stone Age settlers. The first documentary mention of Kingswear was c.1170 when William de Vinci gave the local church half of the land.

It is not clear why Dartmouth, on the opposite side of the river Dart, developed so much more than Kingswear. Travellers arriving by sea preferred Kingswear as a landing place on their way to the tomb of Thomas à Beckett in Canterbury. This is why the parish church is dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury. The church was rebuilt in 1847.

Kingswear railway station was opened on 16 August 1864 by the Torbay and Dartmouth Railway, and the Royal Dart Hotel provided accommodation for passengers waiting to sail to South Africa and elsewhere. Kingswear railway station is the terminus of the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, a heritage railway in Devon, United Kingdom. ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

During the Second World War the hotel became HMS Cicala and headquarters of the British 15th Destroyer Flotilla. They made journeys to the northern beaches of Brittany, landing agents and equipment for the French Resistance and bringing back escaping allied soldiers and airmen. The Free French Navy operated motor launches and motor torpedo boats from Kingswear and was based in Brookhill, a large house on the outskirts of the village dating from about 1820. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Traditional coat of arms This article is about the historical kingdom, duchy and French province, as well as one of the Celtic Nations . ... Bold textItalic textLink title // Headline text Headline text Headline text == The cross of Lorraine used by the French Resistance as a symbolic reference to Joan of Arc. ... The Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres in French) were French fighters who decided to go on fighting against Germany after the Fall of France and German occupation and to fight against Vichy France in World War II. General Charles de Gaulle was a member of the French Cabinet in...

Films and television

In recent history, Kingswear and the River Dart were used as filming locations for the movie The French Lieutenant's Woman, the TV series The Onedin Line, and also Down to Earth, though the latter was mainly for shots of neighbouring Dartmouth. The French Lieutenants Woman is a 1981 film directed by Karel Reisz and adapted by playwright Harold Pinter. ... Photograph from Radio Times depicting Peter Gilmore as James Onedin and Jessica Benton as Elizabeth Frazer. ... Down to Earth is a TV series on BBC 1. ...

Other information

Kittery, Maine takes its name from a house called Kittery Court in the village. Location of town of Kittery in state of Maine Kittery is a town located in York County, Maine. ...

Kingswear is home to the Royal Dart Yacht Club.

The 630-mile long South West Coast Path crosses from Dartmouth on the ferry and then follows the coast around towards Brixham. The South West Coast Path passes along the cliffs (seen in the distance) at Ilfracombe, North Devon. ... Location within the British Isles Brixham is a small town in the county of Devon in the southwest of England. ...

Sources

• Census Data for South Hams (2000)