| Lynton and Lynmouth | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Lynton and Lynmouth Location withinDevon | |
| Area | 30.5 km2 (11.8 sq mi) |
| Population | 1,405 (2021 census) |
| • Density | 46/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| 51°13′44″N3°49′59″W / 51.229°N 3.833°W /51.229; -3.833 | |
Lynton and Lynmouth is acivil parish in theNorth Devon district ofDevon, England. The parish is named after its two main settlements ofLynton, which stands on a plateau above the Glen Lyn Gorge, andLynmouth which lies at the foot of the gorge where theWest Lyn River andEast Lyn River converge and then meet the sea. The two are connected by theLynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway, a water-poweredfunicular railway.
The area is also sometimes poetically termedLittle Switzerland, on account of thescenic landscape which was considered by early tourists to resemble thelandscapes of Switzerland. The parish lies withinExmoor National Park.
In 1952 it was the scene of the devastatingLynmouth flood when in one night 35 people were killed and a further 420 were made homeless. Over 100 buildings and 28 bridges were destroyed.
The parish council has designated the parish to be a town, and so calls itself Lynton and Lynmouth Town Council. The parish was just called Lynton prior to 1976. In 2021 the parish had a population of 1,405.
The Little Switzerland term refers to the coast and countryside around Lynton and Lynmouth, including theValley of Rocks,Watersmeet andHeddon Valley. The resemblance was popularised by theRomantic Movement poetsWordsworth,Coleridge,Shelley andSouthey:[2][3][4]
From the Summerhouse Hill between the two is a prospect most magnificent - on either hand, combes and river; before, the beautiful little village, which, I am assured by one who is familiar with Switzerland, resembles a Swiss village".[5]
Southey had travelled to Lynton in 1799, journeying along theExmoor coast viaPorlock, and staying at one of Lynton's Inns. The poet's praise of Lynton and Lynmouth was used in publicity as the "English Switzerland" for the developing tourism industry, while his likening of the area to Switzerland sparked off a fashion for building in a Swiss style.[6][7]
Lynton and Lynmouth became popular with tourists in the early 1800s when theNapoleonic Wars closed mainland Europe to British travellers; unable to make theirGrand Tour due to the conflict, visitors to Lynton and Lynmouth found the area evocative of their earlier sojourns in the Alps en route to Italy.[8][9][10]
TheSouth West Coast Path andTarka Trail pass through, while theTwo Moors Way,Samaritans Way South West and theColeridge Way all finish there.The twin villages are also the centre for the21 Mile Drive figure of eightscenic route aroundLittle Switzerland.
There are three tiers of local government covering Lynton and Lynmouth, atparish,district andcounty level: Lynton and Lynmouth Town Council,North Devon District Council andDevon County Council.
Prior to 1976 the parish was just called Lynton.[11] The parish of Lynton was designated alocal government district in 1866, governed by an elected local board.[12] Local boards were reconstituted asurban district councils in 1894. The Urban District Council built itselfLynton Town Hall on Lee Road in Lynton in 1900 to serve as its headquarters.[13] Lynton Urban District Council was abolished in 1974 to become part of the new district of North Devon.[14]
Asuccessor parish called Lynton was established to cover the former urban district. The parish was renamed "Lynton and Lynmouth" on 12 January 1976.[15][16] The parish council has resolved that the parish shall have the status of a town, allowing the council to take the name "Lynton and Lynmouth Town Council" and the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[17] The town council continues to be based at Lynton Town Hall.[18]
... at the end of the nineteenth century, Grand Tour travel for the British was effectively halted by the Napoleonic Wars, as traversing Europe to get to Italy proved dangerous if not impossible ...
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