After having visited Sidmouth (Jacob’s Ladder) and Budleigh Salterton (The Otter Estuary) earlier this year, I turn to another quaint village along the coast or actually at the estuary of river Exe: Topsham.
Topsham is an old Celtic settlement that became the port of the Roman city of Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter). After the Romans, Topsham grew under Saxon rule to a larger village and port. The name is Anglo-Saxon and means Toppa’s village. Toppa was a local important landowner.
Topsham was granted a Charter in 1300 by Edward I and was the port for export from and import into Exeter. It became a centre for shipbuilding and the export of cotton and wool, mainly to the Netherlands. The ships sailed to Dutch harbours, and after offloading their goods they brought back Dutch bricks as ballast. And not only that but also Dutch architecture and culture.
Some of the most interesting houses along the Strand, the main road along the harbour on the east side of River Exe, are built in Dutch style and with Dutch bricks offloaded from the ships on their return from Holland. Many were built between 1700 and 1730 when the wool export flourished and they have the typical Dutch gables towards the street and are narrow but deep.
My photo shows what is in my opinion one of the most beautiful houses from that period. The image is captured from the churchyard, overlooking the port and the river Exe.