Topsham - Devon - England - 4K Virtual Walk - August 2020

Our walk starts on Topsham Quay by Topsham Antiques Centre and The Lighter Inn. We take a stroll down Ferry Road, past Pebblebed Wine Cellar, Trouts Boatyard, Topsham Sailing Club and The Passage House Inn. Walking up Follett Road we come to Topsham Wines. We then walk down Fore Street, passing Matthews Hall, Topsham Bowling Club, Topsham Pool, Topsham Tennis Courts, Topsham Fire Station, The Salutation Inn, Topsham Pharmacy, Topsham Holiday Lettings, Country Cheeses, Topsham Bookshop, Topsham Clocks and The Globe, a beautiful 16th century coaching inn. Our walk finishes on Topsham Quay by The Lighter Inn.

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Topsham is a town in Devon, England, in the district of Exeter, on the east side of the River Exe, immediately north of its confluence with the River Clyst and the former's estuary, between Exeter and Exmouth. Although village-sized, with a current population of around 5,023, increasing to 5,519 at the 2011 census for the electoral ward population which includes Countess Wear, which is its own individual settlement, Topsham was designated a town by a 1300 royal charter, until the Exeter urban district was formed. It is served by Topsham railway station on the branch line to Exmouth. In 2011 was the 150th anniversary of the railway coming to Topsham, on what is now called the Exeter–Exmouth Avocet Line.

Formerly a major seaport, the town is now of interest for its architecture, scenery and proximity to nature reserves for wading and migrating birds, such as RSPB Bowling Green Marsh on the Exe Estuary, the whole of which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The native Celtic settlement of Topsham became the port of the Roman city of Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) in the first century AD, and continued to serve it until the Roman occupation of southern Britain ceased about the year 400. In the 7th century the Saxon rule in East Devon saw the settlement grow into a considerable village.

Topsham's position, offering a sheltered harbour to seagoing trade enabled it to thrive as a port, a centre for both fishing and shipbuilding. Notable ships such as HMS Terror (part of Franklin's lost expedition) and HMS Cyane (later known as the USS Cyane after capture by the American Navy) were built here in the early 19th century. The town was the scene of a notable Parliamentarian naval assault during the English Civil War.

There are many Dutch style houses in Topsham dating from the time when Topsham was an important cotton port. Many of Topsham's houses are built using Dutch bricks, which were brought over as ballast from Holland – to where the wool and cotton from South-West England had been exported.

Topsham was absorbed into the City of Exeter, along with the parishes of Alphington and Pinhoe, in 1966.

After a period of decline over the first half of the 20th century, Topsham has increasingly become a desirable and high-value residential location. The 21st century has seen development into the 'Topsham Gap' – greenfield land between Topsham and Exeter.

Topsham Museum is located in one of a set of 17th century buildings looking out over the Exe Estuary. It consists of furnished period rooms, displays of the local history of the town and memorabilia of Vivien Leigh, the film star.

One of the main focal points of the town is Topsham Pool. Topsham Pool is a community run project in the centre of the town. It was funded by a large fundraising exercise in the 1970s which included collecting waste paper and glass bottles, jumble sales and donations. A Sports Council grant completed the fund raising effort and, in 1979, the pool was opened by Olympic gold medallist swimmer David Wilkie. Topsham Pool is an open-air pool and, as a result, is only open between May and September. Between 6 am and 8.30 am each morning, the Pool welcomes the Nutters Club – a group that swims when the outside temperature is likely to be at its coolest.

The Bridge Inn is a Grade II listed public house at Bridge Hill, Topsham in the county of Devon, England. Mentioned as a dwelling in the 1086 Domesday Book, the building was largely constructed in the 18th century of cob and stone, with a 19th-century brick addition. Queen Elizabeth II visited the inn on 27 March 1998, her first official visit to a pub. There she was presented with a crate of commemorative ale, which she remarked that her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, would enjoy. As of 2014, the inn has remained in the hands of the same family for more than a century.

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