Beer, Devon

We've been to Devon a few times during our lives and so when I came across this the other day I thought it might be worth an airing again. It was originally in my Panoramio account.

Beer, Devon Aug 2013

'Once a fishing village, Beer later made its name as the source of Beer Stone, which provided the material for many of Britain's most famous buildings. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and the manor of Beer was once owned by Catherine Parr, last wife of Henry VIII. It later became infamous as a haven for smugglers. - The first thing to clear up is the origin of the name; it has nothing to do with an alcoholic drink, but comes from the Saxon word 'bearu' for 'grove', a reference to the woodland once grew thick around this area of the coast.
Beer grew up around a sheltered bay which made fishing easier than at other places along the Jurassic Coast. But fishermen were not the only ones to make use of Beer; smugglers also appreciated the relatively easy anchorage and used caves in the cliffs to store contraband goods. There is no natural harbour at Beer so boats had to be winched up onto the shingle. This used to be done manually with a capstan on the shore which required 20 men to operate. Now electrically driven winches make light work of the task!' (www.britainexpress.com)

Enjoy, full screen.