The charm of rural England: the houses of Devonshire can rightly be called fabulous. Panorama of Devon (county). Virtual tour of Devon (county). Sights, map, photo, video

The county of Devonshire, or Devon (English Devonshire, abbreviated English Devon), can rightfully be called fabulous. Houses of rare beauty, lovingly decorated with flowers and climbing plants, create the illusion of a fairy tale. Many rivers flow through the county. Nevertheless, most of The county's territory is occupied by the Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks or is rural, with a low population density for England. It is in this Devonshire, by the way, that the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon is located, the only one in England natural object listed world heritage UNESCO. Have you seen Jurassic Park? Dinosaur bones were among the first to be found here.

The motto of the county is "God willing", which was the motto of Sir Francis Drake. Apparently with God's help such an amazing place was created

Devonshire (or Devon), located in the southwest of England, is considered the third largest county in the country.

In the county, everyone is concerned about the problem of ecology and therefore landscaping and construction from environmental materials are very developed. The roofs are covered with reeds. Local houses are a bit reminiscent of Ukrainian “hutted huts” with front gardens in front of the house.

Large area Devonshire is occupied by national parks. The main source of income for the county is tourism. In the 19th century, after the construction of the railway, along which, by the way, Conan Doyle’s heroes, Sir Henry and Dr. Watson, arrived, coastal tourism was developed.

Many tourists come to walk along hiking trails this natural park, admire how various birds, animals and plants coexist side by side, many of which are listed as rare or protected.

The capital of Devon is Exeter, and the county's largest city is Plymouth, which has been called "the most desirable city in Britain". It was from Plymouth that it began in 1620 famous journey the pilgrim fathers in North America on the ship "The Mayflower". Today Plymouth is a dream city for lovers beach holiday And aquatic species sports

But in Devonshire, it’s not just big cities. The rural spaces here are rightly called fabulous. When looking at these houses you really get the feeling that you are in a fairy tale.

The buildings here are all of rare beauty, lovingly decorated with climbing plants and flowers. Like all Englishmen, the residents of the county think about the environment - they, unlike us, are very concerned about the future. Everything is made from environmentally friendly materials, and the roof is covered with reeds.

A little history

The territory of Devon began to be populated by people immediately after ice age, from those times, about 500 Neolithic sites remained in the Dartmoor area, which gave archaeologists a lot of information and valuable finds. By 55 AD e. The Romans occupied the region and left only 250 years later. Roman settlements became the basis for the creation of the British state. Revolutions and wars followed, including a brutal war with a romantic name - the Scarlet and White Roses.

The county of Devonshire played a significant role in the art of creating detective stories: it was here that Agatha Christie, the author of many wonderful novels with a detective plot, was born, the action of the film “10 Little Indians” took place here, and the famous hound of the Baskervilles lived here and terrified local residents at night.

Fairytale County Devonshire, England

The county of Devonshire can rightly be called fabulous. Houses of rare beauty, lovingly decorated with flowers and climbing plants, create the illusion of a fairy tale. In the county, everyone is concerned about the problem of ecology and therefore landscaping and construction from environmental materials are very developed. The roofs are covered with reeds. Local houses are a bit reminiscent of Ukrainian “hutted huts” with front gardens in front of the house. Many rivers flow through the county. However, much of the county is covered by Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks or is rural, with low population densities for England. The county has a natural UNESCO World Heritage Site - part of the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon.

Devonshire (or Devon), located in the southwest of England, is considered the third largest county in the country.

Very common in England hiking. The road network here is well developed, there are enough village hotels, so you can go to some railway station in Devonshire, and take a leisurely walk for several days, covering a couple of tens of kilometers.

After the railway was built through Devon in the 19th century, seaside resorts began to flourish in the county - helped by both the local mild climate and historical heritage together with marvelous nature. At this time, tourism becomes a good support for the Devonian economy.

A large area of ​​Devonshire is occupied by national parks. The main source of income for the county is tourism. In the 19th century, after the construction of the railway, along which, by the way, Conan Doyle’s heroes, Sir Henry and Dr. Watson, arrived, coastal tourism was developed.

You may have heard the name Devon in geology; scientist Adam Sedgwick named one of the geological epochs in honor of Devonshire. And the coast of East Devon is the only place in all of England that is protected by UNESCO as the Jurassic Coast. Have you seen Jurassic Park? Dinosaur bones were among the first to be found here.

The capital of Devon is Exeter, and the county's largest city is Plymouth, which has been called "the most desirable city in Britain". It was from Plymouth that the famous journey of the Pilgrim Fathers to North America on the ship “The Mayflower” began in 1620. Today, Plymouth is a dream city for beach and water sports lovers.

But it's not just the big cities that are of interest in Devonshire. The rural spaces here are rightly called fabulous.

When you look at these houses you really get the feeling that you are in a fairy tale!

The famous writer Agatha Christie was once born in this county.

The buildings here are all of rare beauty, lovingly decorated with climbing plants and flowers.

Like all Englishmen, the residents of the county think about the environment - they, unlike us, are very concerned about the future. Everything is made from environmentally friendly materials, and the roof is covered with reeds.

V.R. - Looking at these photographs, you feel delighted by the fabulous beauty and sadness because for us this is impossible in principle... And therefore...

Let's continue to admire Devonshire!

The county of Devonshire, which is located on the coast of Lyme Bay, carefully preserves mystical story, which began on February 8, 1885 in the town of Exmouth. Early in the morning, city residents saw in the freshly fallen snow mysterious footprints, resembling small hoof prints. Many especially superstitious people became alarmed, believing that the Lord had turned away from them, since the devil himself had come to their region.

Unrest and rumors quickly swept the county, and the traces immediately interested people of science. Each of them was ten centimeters long, seven centimeters wide, and the distance between two adjacent prints, which was exactly the same everywhere, was twenty centimeters. The tracks stretched in a perfectly straight line, and, therefore, they could only have been left by a creature moving on two legs, and nothing like this had ever been found in the south of England.

The footprints were distinguished by another inexplicable feature: although the snow that had fallen the night before was very soft and fluffy, each print in it was covered with a thin ice crust, which made it especially clear. Such prints could only appear if the hooves (or what left these prints) were in the snow for a very short time and were abnormally hot. But the devilry didn’t end there either.

When people decided to trace the route of the strange beast, they were faced with an even more complex mystery. The creature made its way through fences, roofs of houses, three-meter stacks of hay and other obstacles. The even chain of footprints did not deviate even a centimeter from the straight trajectory, and the step length remained equal to 20 cm.

This mysticism excited even skeptics and the mysterious events were immediately covered in local newspapers, where they at least somehow tried to clarify the situation and reassure the public. Some pages have survived to this day.

As it turned out later, having passed through Exmouth, the unknown creature headed north, but then sharply turned west at a right angle and crossed the mouth of the Exmouth River, which is about 3 km long. On the other side, the mysterious traveler turned sharply south again, reached the town of Teignmouth and came out onto the shore of ice-covered Lyme Bay, where his trace was lost.

After a more thorough inspection of the area, the trackers again came across hoof prints on the other side of the bay. Once again on land, the creature headed southwest, passed several small settlements, passing through snow-covered fields and pastures, arriving in Bicton, one of the areas of the city of Totnes, where the tracks finally ended. The total length of this route was more than 160 kilometers.

In one of the church parishes, through the territory of which a two-legged ungulate made its way, the local pastor, Reverend J. M. Musgrave, calming the agitated parishioners, assured them that nothing special had happened, that the tracks in the snow were left by a kangaroo that had escaped from the menagerie .

But where the kangaroo got its hooves from and how it managed to walk 160 kilometers in one night in frosty weather, jumping over fences and climbing onto the roofs of houses, the Holy Father was unable to explain. Local “experts” offered other, no more convincing explanations. They said that the tracks belonged to a lame hare, a toad, an otter, a huge bird that had flown from the continent, and other absurd guesses.

Meanwhile, the press continued to discuss and sketch the devil's hoof prints, trying to get to the bottom of the truth.

Many years have passed since this mysterious incident, but its mystery has still not been solved, and it still attracts the attention of scientists, professional researchers, writers, journalists and simply inquisitive people. And often they find new documents - written eyewitness accounts, old newspaper publications - that help them get closer to the solution and give rise to proposing new versions of what happened.

Among such enthusiasts is Robert Lesnyakevich, a former career officer border service, engineer, journalist, writer, one of the leading Polish ufologists and researchers mysterious phenomena nature, as well as Dr. Milos Jesensky, a Slovak journalist and writer who devoted himself to studying the same problems. In a joint article, “Devil's Footprints in Devonshire,” prepared in 2002 for the Polish magazine Nieznany Swiat, Lesniakiewicz and Jesenski analyze the data available to date and put forward their own hypothesis for the appearance of the mentioned traces. One of important documents, related to the incident in question, are fragments of the book “Riddles and Notes from Devon and Cornwall,” written by the daughter of a pastor from the town of Dawlish, Henrietta Fasdon, and published at the turn of the 50-60s of the 19th century:

“The tracks appeared at night. Because my father was a pastor, other clergy from our Anglican diocese came to him and they all began to talk about these unusual marks that could be seen all over Dawlish. The footprints had the shape of a small hoof, and inside some of them there were visible claw prints. One chain of footprints stood out especially sharply in the snow-covered churchyard, stretching from the threshold of our house to the sacristy. The other approached the wall of the columbarium, stopped in front of it, and then continued on the other side. There were also many similar traces on the roofs of houses in different parts of the town... I still remember how clear these strange and somehow ominous traces were, how many of them there were and what fear they instilled in my soul. I then thought that such tracks could have been left by huge wild cats, and I was very afraid that the servants would forget to lock all the doors at night.”

In the fall of 1957, an article by a researcher appeared in Tomorrow magazine paranormal phenomena Eric Dingwall called "The Devil Walks Again". It, in particular, cited the story of a certain Colin Wilson about how in the summer of 1950, on one of the desert sea ​​beaches He saw Devonshire on the smooth and dense surface of damp sand, compacted sea ​​waves, strange prints that look like hoofprints. The prints looked fresh and very clear, “as if they had been cut with a razor or stamped with some sharp tool.” The distance between the prints was about 180 centimeters, and they were significantly deeper than those left in the sand of Wilson's bare feet. And he weighed more than 80 kilograms.

Strange tracks went from the very edge of the water, but there were no tracks back to the water. At the same time, it seemed that the tracks appeared literally a few minutes before Wilson’s arrival. If he had arrived at the beach a little earlier, he might have come face to face with the Devonshire Devil himself. Wilson later joined the ranks of researchers of the “devil” mystery, and in 1979 his book The Occult Mysteries was published in London, where in the chapter dedicated to the Devonshire Devil, the author writes:

“The tracks looked like the creature was looking for something. It wandered around the back streets, and it looked like it was completely unfamiliar with the human way of life.” And then Wilson reports a real sensation: “One of the correspondents of the Illustrated London News newspaper cites a fragment from the notes of the famous British polar explorer James Ross, dated May 1840. When Ross's ships dropped anchor near one of the islands of the Antarctic Kerguelen archipelago, members of the expedition were surprised to see hoof prints on the snowy shore. They went in the direction where the tracks led, but soon reached a rocky hill free of snow, where the tracks were no longer visible. The appearance of hoof prints in these places seemed completely inexplicable, since no ungulates were found on these islands.”

Already in our time, the events described above received an unexpected and surprising continuation. It turned out that one of the members of the Ross expedition, a certain Clark Perry, after leaving the British Navy, settled in the county of Devonshire, in the already mentioned coastal town of Teignmouth, located about ten kilometers southwest of Exmouth. In 1980, among the papers of the late Clark, his a diary and a daguerreotype (an old photograph), which depicted Clark himself, holding some strange spherical object in his hand. As for the diary, the following picture of events emerged from its regular and extensive entries.

The object Clarke is photographed with is a metal ball he brought back from Kerguelen. According to Clark, James Ross deliberately kept silent about the fact that on the island, in addition to inexplicable footprints in the snow, two strange metal balls were discovered, one of them intact, and the other broken into pieces. Moreover, the hoof prints began precisely from the fragments of the broken the ball and led from it in a perfectly straight line to a rocky hill. According to Clark, the balls they found fell from the sky, and he adds that during his stay on the island he had the feeling of the constant presence next to the members of the expedition of some invisible spy who did not take his eyes off them.

When the ships of the expedition headed for the island of Tasmania, both mysterious ball- both whole and broken - lay in Clark Perry's sailor's chest. However, when the other sailors found out what souvenirs Clark was bringing from Kerguelen, they were seized with superstitious fear, and they began to persuade him to throw the balls overboard. However, he did not listen, and then the sailors demanded that Clark and his balloons leave the ship as soon as they arrived in Hobart. main city and the port of Tasmania. This time Clark obeyed, and after some time he hired himself as a sailor on another passing ship, on which he safely arrived in England in the fall of 1842. This time, during the entire voyage, he did not say a word to anyone about what lay at the very bottom of his chest.

Clark settled in Teignmouth, found work on the shore there, and hid the chest with mysterious souvenirs in the basement of the house, where they remained for thirteen years, until February 3, 1855. On that ill-fated evening, Clark returned home in the company of several friends, and all of them were very tipsy. The libations continued, and in a “drunk matter” Clark let his friends know about the balls. They wanted to immediately inspect the overseas curiosity. Everyone went down to the basement, Clark took the balls out of the chest. By unanimous opinion, it was decided to open the whole and unharmed ball. Everyone in turn began to hit the ball with a heavy hammer as hard as they had the strength. After one of the blows, a grinding noise was heard from inside the ball, and a crack appeared on its surface. Clark instantly sobered up, escorted his friends out of the house and went to bed.

While getting ready for work the next morning, Clark saw that the crack on the surface of the ball had noticeably increased, and realized that the “souvenir” could break at any moment. After this, contrary to custom, there were no entries for several days, and then, on February 7, 1855, only one phrase was recorded, which stated that on that day Clark would throw the balls into the sea on the beach at Teignmouth, and then go to Exmouth, where he will spend the weekend with his friend. This is where Clark Perry's diary ended...

Clark's relatives, who still live in Teignmouth, managed to find out that he died on the night of February 8-9, 1855 in Bicton, that is, where the 160-kilometer journey of the Devonshire Devil, which began on the beach in Exmouth, ended. Does this mean that the devil was really looking for something, as Colin Wilson claims in his book? And he was looking for Clark Perry with the intention of killing him. After all, Clark was the only person who died in Devonshire on the night mentioned...

But why and how did the creature from the ball kill the former sailor, and what then happened to this creature itself? It can be assumed that the answer to the first part of the question is that the creature needed to get rid of an unwanted witness who had lifted the veil of secrecy about the unusual object falling into his hands. The answer to the second part contains a death certificate, which states that Clark Perry died of a broken heart (sic. old times called myocardial infarction), caused by severe mental shock. Perhaps the shock was the horror that gripped Clark when the devil visited him at night.

It is possible that in both 1855 and 1950 people saw traces of the same creature, only over the past 95 years it has grown and matured. By the way, in different time the press reported the appearance of traces of mysterious two-legged ungulates - in the snow or on sandy beaches- not only in Devonshire and the Kerguelens: in Scotland in the winter of 1839-1840 (Times newspaper of March 13, 1840), in Poland in 1855 (Illustrated London News of March 17, 1885), in Belgium in 1945 (Doubt magazine No. 20, 1945), in Brazil in 1954 (book by Bernard Huvelmans “On the Trail of Unseen Animals”).

You might be interested in: - where the Devil's Bible was written.

A magical place called Devonshire is located in the South-West region of England, near northern shore English Channel. The capital of this picturesque corner is the city of Exeter with a total area of ​​47 square kilometers. There are two national parks- Exmoor and Dartmoor. The region has a thriving agricultural industry and the British people live in... small villages. Surrounding nature attracts tourists, but perhaps main feature This region is not only about fresh air.

History of the British resort

The population appeared on these lands of Great Britain for a very, very long time. Historical evidence suggests that the first settlements took place immediately after the end of the Ice Age. Some of the first dinosaur remains were found in modern Devonshire. But these are things of a long time ago. If we return closer to modern times, it should be noted that the convenient location between Bristol Bay and the English Channel has attracted tourists to Devon since the century before last. People came here in a newfangled, newly built railway to breathe fresh air, improve your health and enjoy the picturesque scenery.

It was here that the widely known and talented writer Agatha Christie was born. And it was along this railway, in book stories, that Dr. Watson and Sir Henry rode. This place was destined for success. In the 20th century English village partially lost its popularity, it was replaced by more exotic tourism and entertainment of the era of global industrialization. But these days, when people increasingly like to enjoy peace and tranquility, the county in England again welcomes guests en masse all year round. Here, in addition to eco-tourism and architectural sightseeing, they offer wellness and relaxation.

Beautiful village houses and more...

Even if you have not read Conan Doyle and are not interested in the geography of Europe, at least once on the Internet you have definitely seen a photo of a Devonshire village. Fairytale houses with neat lawns, small windows and reed roofs are often published as illustrations for fantastic stories. Well, or just as a presentation picturesque corners planets.

But this is not surprising, it should be recognized that the UK definitely boasts majestic, but at the same time charming architecture. And the county of Devon itself, and in particular the capital Exeter, stands out not only for its small houses.

On total area An impressive number of castles are concentrated in almost 7,000 square kilometers. We recommend checking out Compton and Litford. The first is located in the village of Torquay and was originally a small estate. But over time, when hostilities began in the county, it was converted into defensive building, after which Compton became a castle. Litford, from the very beginning, was imposing and slightly sinister. At first, a local court sat here, later the castle was reclassified as a prison. There is also an area in the county that is protected by UNESCO. This is local national park in east Devon. All tourist routes pass through it, and in the thicket park areas Rare animals and birds live here.

The largest concentration of must-see attractions is located in the capital, Exeter. Here, in the 15th century, one of the first town halls in Britain was built. The building itself and the street nearby have retained their original appearance, so you can walk along the cobblestones and feel like an authentic British person. And don’t ignore the local University. This educational institution not only trains specialists European level in 11 faculties, but is also famous for its architecture. Main building The university is considered one of the most beautiful in the whole country.

If we return to the local houses, it is not so easy to describe them in words. This is not the tall Gothic English house familiar from the films. Each house is a work of environmental art. Basically, all architecture and beauty is based on the fact that local residents They care very much about nature. And they try to use synthetic materials in their everyday life to a minimum. Houses are built from natural stones, using clay, and the roofs are most often covered with natural reeds. Why do they sometimes look like plush ones, and the houses themselves look like toys?

It's really fairy corner, where on an ordinary street you will see such a concentration of flowers, bushes and stone paths between squares! You immediately get the feeling that somewhere around the corner you will find a “Gingerbread House”, and in the park you will hear Snow White singing songs with birds and bunnies.

Devil's Mark

Besides the fact that Devon is fabulously beautiful, it is also quite mysterious. Writers, researchers and, of course, local residents talk about mysterious story the end of the 19th century. On February 8, 1885, in the small village of Exmouth, local residents discovered mysterious prints in the fresh snow. The tracks found resembled hooves. The townspeople were surprised by this find, because well, one of them did not leave the livestock at night, and the horsemen did not come to Exmouth at that time. Religious community occupying high position in the society of that time, stated that Satan himself visited the village. Panic began, people began to tell neighbors and relatives from nearby villages about what had happened. Soon the entire county of Devonshire was notified of the mysterious devilish tracks.

Of course, what happened caused big interest among scientists and researchers. Witnesses said that each footprint was approximately 10x7 centimeters in size, and the “path” itself was straight. The prints were slightly frozen by the time they were discovered, from which scientists concluded that the “hooves” were hot and the creature was moving quite quickly. Anthropologists stated that these tracks were left exclusively by an upright creature with two lower limbs.

Video - A Devonshire Tale

The most curious followed the trail and discovered that the creature walked exclusively in a straight path, without even going around buildings, fences and haystacks. The “ungulate” overcame all obstacles along the top. These discoveries made even the most skeptical observers think and tense. The mysterious traveler passed through the town, then a little north of Exmouth and crossed the River Exe, reached the village of Teignmouth, approached the icy Lyme Bay and disappeared from sight. Apparently, having crossed the bay, the “ungulate” left tracks in the fields on the way to Bicton and reached the town of Totnes. At this point the tracks stopped completely. They were not found anywhere else.

The case was widely covered in the local press, and sketches of the tracks were captured on the pages of dozens of research diaries. But to this day no explanation has been found for this strange case.

In Devonshire - relax your soul

The region amazes with its friendliness, beauty of soul and love of tradition. And it’s not just the abundance of tourists who come here all year round. The locals themselves love music very much, art and theatrical performances. The county often hosts various cultural events, where all guests are welcome.

National celebrations are also celebrated here on a grand scale. If you manage to come to Devonshire for Christmas, All Saints' Day, Easter or even Shakespeare's Day, then this is a trip you won't soon forget. An abundance of competitions, colorful decorations and delicious treats - all this is guaranteed to you.

And, of course, Devon is always ready to receive guests. Tourist area here it is developed at the highest level. All hotels are equipped according to European standards, and many of them, although built from 5 to 50 years ago, often comply ancient architecture. And, again, everything is made from natural materials. In the center of each town there is an abundance of restaurants with local cuisine and dozens of souvenir shops. Overall, it’s definitely worth going to Devonshire.

Tourist notes

To visit the fabulous county, a Ukrainian tourist should. It is issued for up to six months with the right to multiple visits to the UK. The best way to get to Devonshire is through London. There are no direct flights to Exeter; you will have to change planes at least once in Paris, Munich or Amsterdam.

As we have already said, in the county a large number of. The cheapest in the capital are Mercure Exeter Rougemont Hotel, Jurys Inn Exeter Hotel, Jurys Inn Exeter Hotel costing from 1,800 hryvnia per night.

To try it out ecological tourism, you don’t have to go to the mountains for a week. You don't have to pay thousands of euros at Greek spas to get healthy and relax. You don't have to stand in line at Disneyland for hours to feel like you're part of a fairy tale. To get to know England, you don’t have to listen to the languid chimes of Big Ben. All these factors can be combined into one exciting holiday V magical corner Great Britain. Just one ticket from Kyiv to Devon, and your idea of ​​an atmospheric holiday will change once and for all.