A Tale of Two Banks: The History of Dartmouth and Kingswear

From our front door in Kingswear, Dartmouth looks like something out of a storybook: pastel houses stacked up the hillside, boats swinging on their moorings, and the castle keeping watch at the mouth of the river. But this deep, sheltered harbour has seen more history than almost anywhere else in England. Here's a little of what you'll be walking through.

A harbour fit for crusaders

The River Dart is one of the deepest natural harbours on the south coast, and it has been drawing sailors for a very long time. In 1147, and again in 1190, great fleets gathered here before setting sail for the Second and Third Crusades. For centuries afterwards, Dartmouth grew rich on trade, carrying wool, cloth and wine to and from France and Spain.

John Hawley, the Shipman and the chain across the river

Dartmouth's most colourful medieval figure is John Hawley: merchant, many times mayor, and a privateer whose ships raided French and Spanish vessels with royal blessing. Geoffrey Chaucer visited Dartmouth in 1373, and many believe Hawley inspired the Shipman in The Canterbury Tales, a rather piratical character who, Chaucer tells us, came from "Dertemouthe".

Hawley also began fortifying the river mouth. Dartmouth Castle grew from his defences into one of the first castles in England built specifically for guns. A great iron chain could be pulled across the river to Kingswear to stop enemy ships, and on our side of the water Kingswear Castle was built in the late 1400s to hold the other end. You can take the little castle ferry from Dartmouth, or walk out along the coast path to see both.

Bayard's Cove: cobbles and the Mayflower

If one spot captures old Dartmouth, it's Bayard's Cove. The cobbled quay is lined with handsome old merchants' houses, including the Old Custom House of 1739. At the far end stands Bayard's Cove Fort, a small artillery fort built in the early 1500s to guard the harbour. Its gun ports still look out over the water.

In August 1620, two ships lay at anchor here: the Mayflower and the Speedwell, carrying the Pilgrims bound for the New World. They had put into Dartmouth for repairs to the leaking Speedwell, and set sail from Bayard's Cove. Some 300 miles beyond Land's End the Speedwell began taking on water again, and both ships turned back to Plymouth. From there the Mayflower sailed on alone and into the history books. A plaque on the quay marks their visit, and on the South Embankment you'll find Pilgrim, a sculpture of steel and copper made by artist Mark Gregory with students from Dartmouth Academy.

Lights, camera, Dartmouth

Fans of classic television may find Bayard's Cove oddly familiar. Throughout the 1970s the BBC filmed The Onedin Line, its much-loved drama about a Victorian shipping family, here in Dartmouth. The town's quays, old warehouses and tall ships stood in for 19th-century Liverpool, and Bayard's Cove, with its cobbles and merchants' houses, needed barely any dressing up at all. Stand on the quay today and it's easy to picture the square-riggers tied up alongside.

Follow the Mayflower Trails

If you'd like to walk in the Pilgrims' footsteps, Dartmouth has three linked Mayflower Trails. A Town Trail takes you around the historic streets. A walking trail follows the old packhorse route from Townstal, the original hilltop settlement, down to the port. The Castle Trail runs from Bayard's Cove out to Dartmouth Castle. Together they make up the Mayflower Heritage Trail, and it's a lovely way to spend a morning after hopping across on the ferry. You'll find the trail maps on Explore Dartmouth.

The Butterwalk

In the heart of Dartmouth, the Butterwalk is one of the finest rows of 17th-century buildings in Devon. Built in the 1630s for local merchant Mark Hawkins, its timber-framed upper floors hang out over the pavement on granite pillars. The name is often explained by the covered walkway, which kept dairy produce cool and dry at market.

In 1671, King Charles II was driven into Dartmouth by a storm and is said to have been entertained in the Butterwalk. The buildings were badly damaged by a bomb during the Second World War and carefully restored afterwards. Today the first floor is home to the Dartmouth Museum, with its wonderful carved ceilings and panelling. It's well worth an hour on a rainy afternoon.

Steam, sailors and D-Day

Dartmouth gave the world Thomas Newcomen, born here in 1664, whose steam engine helped power the Industrial Revolution. One of his engines is still on display in the town. It feels fitting that steam still puffs into Kingswear today.

On the hill above the town, the grand Britannia Royal Naval College has trained Royal Navy officers since it opened in 1905. In 1944 the whole river was packed with landing craft, and in June hundreds of vessels slipped out of the Dart carrying American troops to Utah Beach for the D-Day landings. Walk along the river on a quiet morning and it's hard to imagine it so crowded.

Our side of the river: Kingswear

Kingswear may be the smaller sister, but it has plenty of history of its own. When the railway arrived in 1864, Kingswear became the end of the line. Dartmouth never got its own tracks, which is why the town's lovely old "station" building by the river is famous for never having seen a train. Passengers simply crossed on the ferry, as they still do today.

The railway is now the Dartmouth Steam Railway, running along the coast to Paignton, and hearing the whistle echo across the water is one of our favourite parts of staying here. In the village, the church of St Thomas of Canterbury has been a landmark since medieval times. A short way upriver is Greenway, Agatha Christie's beloved holiday home, which you can reach by boat.

Every time we cross on the ferry, we think about the crusaders, pirates, pilgrims and kings who crossed this same stretch of water before us.

We hope you'll enjoy exploring it all as much as we do. Pick up a map, hop on the ferry, and let the river tell you its stories.

Caroline & Dave