Axmouth — Devon, England
Axmouth is a picturesque village as well as a civil parish in Devon located near the mouth of the estuary of the River Axe, with views of a hillfort on Hawkesdown Hill above the village.
This once prosperous trading port shows evidence of settlements thousands of year's old beginning with Iron Age trade with Phoenician traders availing themselves of this port. During the age of the Romans the settlement of Alaeni Ostia took advantage of the natural harbour making Axmouth one of the busiest ports on the South West coast which continued into medieval times. There are many historic inns along this part of the coast attesting to the prosperity of these times.
Good times for the harbour were curtailed following heavy storms in the 14th century which caused partial blockage of the estuary by a fall of part of the Haven Cliff which in turn caused change to the tides, a shingle bank that remains today and a narrowing of the estuary. Attempts were made to clear the silt build-up and to cut through the shingle bank to no avail. In 1870 John Hallett dug a channel and quay at the mouth of the river making shipping easier; however it left Axmouth Harbour commercially irrelevant.
Axmouth Harbour is still viable for recreational uses with the western bank housing the yacht club and clubhouse, floating jetties and slipways. One can still walk across the river by using the old toll bridge with its three arches built in 1877. This was one of the first bridges to be built in concrete and remarkably, is the oldest surviving example of its kind.
The Church of St. Michael whose historical interest is evident in its ties to the Norman times was not the first church built in Axmouth. There was a church in Axmouth during Saxon times with an actual estimation of an existing church in 1090 which may, or may not be on the same site as the Church of St. Michael. The pre-Doomsday Book references to the first church are unclear, with the only evidence of an older building being the chancel on the south side of St. Michael's. There are many architectural points of interest here to keep the historian preoccupied, but the most interesting from an artistic point of view are the 13th century wall paintings which were uncovered during a 19th century restoration of the church. They are done in a rare, Italianate style and depict several saints with Christ bearing his wounds, the identity of the saints are not known, with a number of assumptions to their identity being offered by the pundits of the art world.
One visits Axmouth for the sheer beauty of the area, for its river sports and for the nearby attractions. Axmouth offers a view of the ancient harbour to the modern water sport of yachting, as well as being a starting point to view ancient hillforts, lovely vistas whether on land or sea, quaint village cottages and the advantage of viewing 18th and 19th century farm houses, plus an added attraction of seeing two fine houses dating from the 15th to the 17th century.
Where is Axmouth?Axmouth is located in east Devon along the B3172 road between Seaton and Lyme Regis. The nearest populated areas include Seaton and Colyton to the west and Axminster to the north.
Map of Axmouth, circa 1940.
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