Trail Map
Hope Cottage – Museum
Hope Cottage – Museum
(Building 1 of 13)
Built – Early 1800s. Originally a house and solicitors' office. Became a bank in 1863, then council offices and town library. Opened as Sidmouth museum in 1971.
Claim to fame – JGG Radford one of the solicitors who worked here was a great benefactor to the town. His daughter Constance Radford gifted Hope Cottage to Sidmouth.
Interesting snippet – Stephen Reynolds, the writer and campaigner; author of A Poor Man's House the story of a Sidmouth fisher family, lived here.
Welcome to Sidmouth Museums 'then & now' trail. During the course of your journey, please use this space to add your thoughts, questions and photographs.
Fort House (Kennaway House)
Fort House (Kennaway House)
(Building 2 of 13)
Built – about 1812. Originally called Fort House it was re-named Church House in 1905 although it wasn't connected with the church. Now known as Kennaway House it was restored in 2008-09 and is Sidmouth's centre for the arts.
Claim to fame – Named after Sir John Kennaway, Sidmouth's first MP.
Interesting snippet – Note the inscription on the outer wall that runs alongside Coburg Road Come unto me ye children, I will teach you the fear of the Lord - said to be connected to the building's time as a Free Library.
Can you find the location of the 'Fort House' print and add your 'now' photo, or comments?
Wallis's Marine Library
Wallis's Marine Library
(Building 3 of 13)
Built – First built 1805 & rebuilt on this site 1813, It was one of the first buildings to appear on the Esplanade. Originally known as The Shed it then became Wallis' Royal Marine Library and Reading Rooms and became the Bedford Hotel in 1835.
Claim to fame – John Wallis, a bookseller and publisher and the owner of the library, was responsible for the publication of most of these prints that you are looking at.
Interesting snippet – Napoleon's arrival in Torbay on board HMS Bellerophon was witnessed through telescopes from the library's verandah.
Can you find the location of the 'Wallis' Marine Library' print and add your 'now' photo or comments?
Fort Cottage
Fort Cottage
(Building 4 of 13)
Built – circa 1814. Built on the site of two small cottages called Fortfield Cottages. Between 1882 and 1901 it became furnished apartments; later becoming the Fort Hotel and now the Fort Café.
Claim to fame – One of the more interesting guests was Samuel Read an artist who was a member of the Royal Water Colour Society and a regular contributor to the Illustrated London News.
Interesting snippet – When it was two cottages one of the tenants left because the firing of the guns, at the Fort next door, broke his windows.
Can you find the location of the 'Fort Cottage' print and add your 'now' photo or comments?
Belmont House
Belmont House
(Building 5 of 13)
Built – In the early 1800s and renovated in1817. A private home for many years it was purchased in 1920 by Mr Fitzgerald who converted it into a luxury hotel.
Claim to fame – One of the owners, Mr Wood, presented Sidmouth with its first steam Fire Engine.
Interesting snippet – In 1866 the housekeeper, Lucy Scotford, was killed when a platform, believed to have been associated with the old Fort next door, and which was being used as a washing line, collapsed on top of her.
Can you find the location of the 'Belmont House' print and add your 'now' photo or comments?
Woolbrook Cottage
Woolbrook Cottage
(Building 6 of 13)
Built – circa 1700 by a Mr King, of Bath. First known as King's Cottage it later became Woolbrook Cottage, Woolbrook Glen and then The Royal Glen Hotel.
Claim to fame – The holiday home of the Duke and Duchess of Kent and their infant daughter who later became Queen Victoria. The Duke of Kent died here in in 1820.
Interesting snippet – Whilst engaged in shooting at small birds in the gardens of the house, an apprentice boy narrowly missed killing the baby Princess when one of his shots accidentally broke a window in the nursery and passed close to her head. A piece of coloured glass marks the exact pane.
*Note: To find the vantage point of the original print, look for water between here and the next location!
Can you find the site of 'Woolbrook Cottage' and add your 'now' photo or comments?
Pebblestone Cottage
Pebblestone Cottage
(Building 7 of 13)
Built – circa 1826 and was once the pebble lodge of Rosemount.
Claim to fame – In the 1890s the occupants were Mrs Margaret Selley, the sextoness of All Saints Church, and her son Charley who was “a little simple.” Margaret Selley was also the church pew opener and Charley worked as a woodcutter and was an organ blower at Sidmouth Parish Church.
Interesting snippet – In 1954 a man from Sidbury was taken to court for disturbing the occupants of the cottage by knocking on the door.
*Note: In the background of this print you can see Audley House. Once home to the Dowager Lady Audley, this house was built in around 1821 and converted in the 1930s from a cottage ornée.
Adapted into flats in the 1970s, this location is now hidden from view, but can you find the stone pillars at the old corner entrance which came from the Parish Church gates?
Can you find the location of the 'Pebblestone Cottage' print and add your 'now' photo or comments?
Rosemount
Rosemount
(Building 8 of 13)
Built – Not known but the site has been occupied from at least 1663.
Claim to fame – Once the residence of Sir Harry Harling Lamb OBE who had had a distinguished career in the Civil Service.
Interesting snippet – The house was originally leased to tenants on a curious tenure. The lease was granted by the Harlewyn family for a period of three thousand years at the rent of “two nutmegs, if asked for.”
*Note: The original vantage point of this print is largely obscured, giving a clear idea of how Sidmouth has changed over the years.
Despite this, both the house and cottage seen in the print can be found on Seafield Rd.
Can you find the location of the 'Rosemount' print and add your 'now' photo or comments?
Woodland Cottage
Woodland Cottage
(Building 9 of 13)
Built – The Manor of Old Hayes was granted to Sir William Peryam in 1598 by Queen Elizabeth I. Originally a farmhouse it was converted in the early 1800s to a cottage ornée by Lord Gwydir who re-named it Woodland Cottage. In the 1920s it became a hotel and is now called The Woodlands Hotel.
Claim to fame – Lord Gwydir was a close friend of King George IV.
Interesting snippet – In 1973 a waiter at the hotel was left a tip by two American tourists – a 1962 Wolseley car.
Can you find the location of the 'Woodland Cottage' print and add your 'now' photo or comments?
Belle Vue
Belle Vue
(Building 10 of 13)
Built – Early 1800s. First called Belle Vue it later became Oaklands and now Cedar Shade.
Claim to fame – Between 1833 and 1835 it was home to the Barrett family whose daughter Elizabeth later became Mrs Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the poet.
Interesting snippet – Whilst living here Elizabeth was courted by the Rev George Hunter, minister of the Marsh Independent Chapel. However their romance faded after she left the area, although they remained good friends.
Can you find the location of the 'Belle Vue' print and add your 'now' photo or comments?
May Cottage
May Cottage
(Building 11 of 13)
Built – In the 1600s and restored in 1830. At various times it has been furnished apartments and a guest house. Now Sidmouth International School for foreign students.
Claim to fame – Became Sidmouth's first hospital opening in March 1885.
Interesting snippet – Miss Annie Leigh Browne who owned the property in the 1880s, let it to the hospital trust at a peppercorn rent. The hospital started with three to four beds.
Can you find the location of the 'May Cottage' print and add your 'now' photo or comments?
Coburg Terrace
Coburg Terrace
(Building 12 of 13)
Built – In 1815 in Strawberry Hill Gothic style by John Amyatt, for his cousin Sir John Kennaway of Fort House (now Kennaway House). The building you can see in the background on the right of the print is No.13 Belle Vue.
Claim to fame – Named after the Duke and Duchess of Kent - the parents of Queen Victoria.
Interesting snippet – In 1871 an apprentice, in the process of running away from his master, spiked himself on the railings in front of number 4. He was taken inside and cleaned up and presumably returned to his master.
Can you find the location of the 'Coburg Terrace' print and add your 'now' photo or comments?
Amyat Place
Amyat Place
(Building 13 of 13)
Built – early 1800s by John Amyatt and originally called Amyatt's Place after Sir James Amyatt who owned the land. Legend says it was built at the request of Sir John Kennaway, of Fort House (now Kennaway House), to hide the churchyard from his view. The gravestones could be seen from Fort House and Coburg Terrace and this upset him. Now Amyatts Terrace. The building on the right hand end of the terrace is the museum.
Claim to fame – Sir James Amyatt was MP for Totnes (1774-1780) and Southampton (1784-1807).
Interesting snippet – Sir James' brother, Peter Amyatt, was head of the East India Company in India and was murdered returning from an unsuccessful peace mission to the Nawab of Bengal.
You are now back at the museum - do come in (it's free) and see more of the old prints in our collection on the 1st floor, including the fantastic 'Long Picture' of 1814, showing the whole of the seafront.
Please feel free to ask our volunteers any questions you might have about your trail and the wider heritage of the town.
Can you find the location of the 'Amyat Place' print and add your 'now' photo or comments?
My Sidmouth - Then and Now Notes
Sidmouth - Then and Now
This trail allows you to explore the heritage of Sidmouth as represented by our museums fine and rare print collection of the early 19th century. Your challenge on this trail is to find the houses shown in the prints, and to use your thoughts, creativity, and camera skills to capture what has changed from the 'then' to the 'now'
Sidmouth Museum has an extensive collection of old prints from the early part of the 19th century showing of some of the principal houses in the town. Some of these prints have been used to make this walk. Go and have a look at these houses now to see how they and the town has changed (if at all) from the prints on this App.
This trail will allow you to enjoy these fine prints in relative context and allow you to learn more about the towns heritage as you explore each location on the map.
Your challenge on this trail is to find the original vantage points of the prints, and use your camera skills to capture how the 'then' look to us in the 'now'.
Any further thoughts, comments, questions and information are also facilitated by the App.
We hope you enjoy your time on the trail, and please feel welcome to come and see us and some of the original prints at the museum itself.
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