Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis shown within Dorset
Population	4,406 [1]
OS grid reference	SY337922
- London	130 Miles (209 Km)
District	West Dorset
Shire county	Dorset
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LYME REGIS
Postcode district	DT7
Dialling code	01297
Police	Dorset
Fire	Dorset
Ambulance	South Western
European Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	West Dorset
List of places: UK • England • Dorset

Coordinates: 50°43′30″N 2°56′24″W / 50.725, -2.94

Lyme Regis (pronounced /ˌlaɪmˈriːdʒɪs/) is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and 25 miles (40 km) east of Exeter. Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government Demographics In the Census 2001 West Dorset registered a Population of 92350 estimated to be 94000 As of 2004. Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one South West England is one of the Regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The DT postcode area, also known as the Dorchester postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Beaminster, Blandford Forum, Bridport The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Dorset Police is the Home Office Police force with the responsibility of policing the English County of Dorset. The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Dorset Fire and Rescue Service is the Statutory Fire and Rescue Service for the area of Dorset, South West England. Divisions & Stations The trust is split into 2 divisions West - Devon and Cornwall including West Divisional HQ 999 and PTS Control at South West England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election West Dorset is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which covers almost the same geographical A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of settlements and other places in Dorset, England. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Dorset ( (or archaically, Dorsetshire) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Dorchester is a Market town in southern central Dorset, England, on the River Frome at the junction of the A35 and A37 Exeter ( (IPA ˈeksɪtər is a city, district and County town of Devon, England. The town lies in Lyme Bay, on the English Channel coast at the Dorset-Devon border. Lyme Bay is an area of the English Channel situated in the southwest of England between Torbay in the west and Portland in the east Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name It is nicknamed "The Pearl of Dorset. " In the 13th century it developed into one of the major British ports. The town was home to Admiral Sir George Somers, its one time mayor and parliamentarian, who founded the Somers Isles, better known as Bermuda. Admiral Sir George Somers (1554-1610 was a British naval hero Ba (officially The Bermuda Islands or The Somers Isles) is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Lyme Regis is twinned with St. George's, in that Atlantic archipelago. St George's (formally the Town of St George, or St George's Town) located on the island and within the parish of the same names was the first permanent settlement

The town has a population of 4,406, 45% of whom are retired. ^[2] Lyme is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey The Royal Charter was granted by King Edward I in 1284, with the addition of 'Regis' to the town's name. A Royal Charter is a Charter granted by the Sovereign on the advice of the Privy council to legitimize an incorporated body such as a city company Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307 popularly known as Longshanks, was a King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost This charter was confirmed by Elizabeth I in 1591.

Contents 1 History 2 Places of interest 2.1 The Cobb 2.2 The Town Mill 2.3 The Church 2.4 The Philpot Museum 2.5 Dinosaurland 3 Lepers Well 4 Physical geography 4.1 Landslips 5 Annual events 6 People connected with Lyme 7 See also 8 References 9 External links 9.1 Images 9.2 Other links

History

In 1644, during the English Civil War, Parliamentarians here withstood an eight week siege by Royalist forces under Prince Maurice. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The Parliament of England was the Legislature of the Kingdom of England. Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War ( 1642 &ndash 1651 Prince Maurice von Simmern KG ( December 17, 1620 &ndash September 1652 Count Palatine of the Rhine, was the fourth son of Frederick V It was at Lyme Regis that the Duke of Monmouth landed at the start of the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. James Crofts, later James Scott 1st Duke of Monmouth and 1st Duke of Buccleuch ( April 9 1649 &ndash July 15 1685) was an English The Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, was an attempt to overthrow James II, who had become King of England at

In the early 1960s, the town's railway station was closed, as part of the Beeching Axe. Axminster 177 NPseriesjpg|thumb|Map of northern section of line in 1946 showing sharp curves (grid squares of 1km]] The Lyme Regis branch line was a Branch line off the The Beeching Axe is an informal name for the British Government 's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system It was rebuilt at Alresford, on the Mid Hants Watercress Railway in Hampshire. Alresford station is a railway station in New Alresford, Hampshire, UK. The Watercress Line is the marketing name of the Mid-Hants Railway, a heritage line in Hampshire, England, running from New Alresford Wildlife Hampshire has wildlife typical of the island of Great Britain The route to Lyme Regis had been notable for being operated by aged Victorian locomotives, one of which is now used on the Bluebell Line in Sussex. The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East Sussex and West Sussex, England. Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex.

In 2005, as part of the bicentenary re-enactment of the arrival of the news, aboard the Bermuda sloop HMS Pickle, of Admiral Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the actor playing the part of Trafalgar messenger Lieutenant Lapenotiere was welcomed at Lyme Regis. An anniversary (from the Latin anniversarius, from the words for year and to turn meaning (returning yearly known in English since c. The Bermuda sloop is a type of fore-and-aft rigged sailing vessel developed on the islands of Bermuda in the 17th century Service In 1803 Pickle was attached to Admiral William Cornwallis ' Inshore Squadron where she was used to recconoitre enemy harbours during the Blockade Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson 1st Viscount Nelson 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (29 September 1758– 21 October 1805 was a British The Battle of Trafalgar ( 21 October 1805) was a historic sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the Captain John Richards Lapenotière (1770&ndash 19 January, 1834) was a British Royal Navy officer who as a lieutenant commanding the tiny Bermuda

Places of interest

The Cobb

Lyme Regis is well-known for "The Cobb", a harbour wall full of character and history. It is an important feature in Jane Austen's novel Persuasion (1818), and in the film The French Lieutenant's Woman, based on the 1969 novel of the same name by local writer John Fowles. Jane Austen (16 Persuasion is Jane Austen 's last completed novel She began it soon after she had finished Emma, completing it in August 1816 The French Lieutenant's Woman is a 1981 film directed by Karel Reisz and adapted by Playwright Harold Pinter. The French Lieutenant's Woman is a 1969 novel by John Fowles. John Robert Fowles ( March 31, 1926 &ndash November 5, 2005) was an English Novelist and Essayist.

The Cobb was of enormous economic importance to the town and surrounding area, allowing it to develop as both a major port and a shipbuilding centre from the 13th century onwards. Shipbuilding was particularly significant between 1780 and 1850 with around 100 ships launched including a 12-gun Royal Navy brig called HMS Snap. ^[3] The wall of the Cobb provided both a breakwater to protect the town from storms and an artificial harbour.

Well-sited for trade with France, the port's most prosperous period was from the 16th century until the end of the 18th century and as recently as 1780 it was larger than Liverpool. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary The town's importance as a port declined in the 19th century because it was unable to handle the increase in ship sizes.

It was in the Cobb harbour, after the great storm of 1824, that Captain Sir Richard Spencer RN carried out his pioneering lifeboat design work. Captain Sir Richard Spencer KCH, RN (1779-1839 was a sea captain of the Royal Navy who served in a number of battles particularly against

The first written mention of the Cobb is in a 1328 document describing it as having been damaged by storms. The structure was made of oak piles driven into the seabed with boulders stacked between them. The boulders were floated into place tied between empty barrels.

A 1685 account describes it as being made of boulders simply heaped up on each other: "an immense mass of stone, of a shape of a demi-lune, with a bar in the middle of the concave: no one stone that lies there was ever touched with a tool or bedded in any sort of cement, but all the pebbles of the see are piled up, and held by their bearings only, and the surge plays in and out through the interstices of the stone in a wonderful manner. "

The Cobb has been destroyed or severely damaged by storms several times; it was swept away in 1377 which led to the destruction of 50 boats and 80 houses. The southern arm was added in the 1690s, and rebuilt in 1793 following its destruction in a storm the previous year. This is thought to be the first time that mortar was used in the Cobb's construction. Mortar is a workable paste formed by mixture of Cement, Water and fine aggregate Masonry to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between The Cobb was completely reconstructed in 1820 using Portland Admiralty Roach, a type of Portland stone. Portland Admiralty Roach is a kind of stone from the Isle of Portland used to construct "The Cobb" the well known seawall at Lyme Regis in Portland stone is a Limestone from the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset.

The Town Mill

The watermill, dating from 1340, has been restored to working order and produces flour which is used in the mill's bakery and also sold in its shop. This article is about a type of structure For other locational uses see Milldam. The water comes from the River Buddle (also called Lym), which runs along a terrace or lynch, hence the description of lynch mill. In Agriculture, a terrace is a leveled section of a Hilly cultivated area designed as a method of Soil conservation to slow or prevent the rapid The Domesday Book records the existence of a mill at Lyme in 1086, so the site could be much older.

The Church

The parish church is St Michael's, on Church Street. Michael (מִיכָאֵל Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; Μιχαήλ Mikhaíl; Michael or Míchaël; ميخائيل Mikhā'īl) is an Its full title is parish church of St Michael the Archangel. Archangels are superior or higher-ranking Angels Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions including Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism It is situated above Church Cliff and is on ground high enough to dominate the old town. There are three ways to access the churchyard. From Church Street, one can enter through the archway and up the steps, next to the Boys' Club or from higher up the hill, direct from Church Street. From Long Entry, there is a steep climb either up steps or up the service road in front of the flats overlooking Lyme Bay. Mary Anning is buried here and there is a stained-glass window dedicated to her memory by members of the Geological Society of London, an organisation that did not admit women until 1904. Mary Anning ( May 21, 1799 &ndash March 9, 1847) was an early British Fossil collector and paleontologist. The Geological Society of London is a Learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"

The Philpot Museum

The museum, built on the site of Mary Anning's birthplace and family shop off Bridge Street, houses a large collection of local memorabilia, historical items and exhibits explaining the local geological and palaeontological treasures. Ammonites are an extinct group of marine animals of the subclass Ammonoidea in the class Cephalopoda phylum Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Palaeontology redirects here For the Scientific journal, see Palaeontology (journal.

Set into the pavement, outside the museum, is an ornate example of Coade stone work, in the form of ammonites, reflecting both local history (Eleanor Coade) and the palaeontology for which the town is famous. Coade stone was a Ceramic material that has been described as an Artificial stone.

Dinosaurland

Housed in the old Congregational church, in which Mary Anning was baptised and would have worshipped, this museum provides unique displays on the geology and palaeontology of the area. Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently It has many rare fossils, not just from the Jurassic Coast and provides an insight into the time-scale of the evolution of life on earth.

Lepers Well

On the West bank of the River Lym near the Town Mill is the site of an old chapel "St Mary & the Holy Spirits", known locally as "Lepers Well". The term "Leper" was used as a blanket description of medieval skin diseases and not necessarily "Leprosy" as it is understood today. There is a small plaque on the wall telling of the hospital which stood on the site 700 years ago. The water still runs today although one assumes in a much reduced flow. Little information survives today, the land was left untouched for many years and some locals can remember livestock being kept on the land before it was landscaped into a visitors garden in the 1970's.

Physical geography

The town is famous for the fossils found in the cliffs and beaches, which are part of the Heritage Coast—known commercially as the Jurassic Coast—a World Heritage Site. Blue Lias is a sequence of layers of Limestones and Shales laid down in Jurassic times between 195 and 200 million years ago FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. A Heritage Coast is a strip of UK Coastline designated by the Countryside Agency in England and the Countryside Council for Wales as having notable The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex The Blue Lias rock is host to a multitude of remains from the early Jurassic, a time from which good fossil records are rare. Blue Lias is a sequence of layers of Limestones and Shales laid down in Jurassic times between 195 and 200 million years ago The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Ma (million years ago to  Ma that is from the end of the Triassic to the beginning ^[4] Many of the remains are well preserved, with complete specimens of several important species. Many of the earliest discoveries of dinosaur and other prehistoric reptile remains were made in the area surrounding Lyme Regis, notably those discovered by Mary Anning (1799–1847). Significant finds include Ichthyosaur, Plesiosaur, Dimorphodon, Scelidosaurus (one of the first armoured dinosaurs) and Dapedium. Ichthyosaurs ( Greek for 'fish lizard' - ιχθυς / ichthyos meaning 'fish' and σαυρος / sauros meaning 'lizard' were giant Plesiosaurs (ˈpliːziəˌsɔɹ ( Greek: plesios/πλησιος meaning 'near' or 'close to' and sauros/σαυρος meaning Dimorphodon daiˈmɔː(rfədɑn ("Two-form Teeth" was a genus of medium-sized (wing span 1 Scelidosaurus (ˌsɛlɨdəˈsɔrəs meaning "limb lizard" from Greek skelos/σκελος meaning 'leg' and saurus/σαυρος Armor (or armour) in animals is external or superficial protection against attack by predators formed as part of the body (rather than the behavioural use of protective external Dapedium (aka Dapedius or Moonfish) is an Extinct species of Enamel-scaled fish. The town now holds an annual Mary Anning Day. A fossil of the world's largest moth was discovered in 1966 at Lyme Regis.

Landslips

The coast around Lyme Regis is subject to large landslips. A landslide is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement such as rock falls deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows which can occur This means that Jurassic age fossils are regularly exposed and can be found on the beaches, but also causes devastation to the town. ^[5] One of the most spectacular landslips occurred on 24 December 1839, 3 miles west along the coast in Devon belonging to Bindon Manor and known as "The Dowlands Landslip". Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1839 ( MDCCCXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common About forty five acres of fields growing wheat and turnips were dislodged when a great chasm was formed more than 300 feet across, 160 feet deep and three quarters of a mile long. The crops remained intact on the top of what became known as "Goat Island" among the newly formed gullies. On February 3rd 1840, 5 weeks later, there was a second landslip nearby but much smaller than the former. This strange phenomenon attracted many visitors, and the canny farmers charged sixpence for entrance and held a grand reaping party when the wheat ripened. ^[6] The area is now known as The Undercliff and is of great interest because of its diverse natural history. The Undercliff is the name of several areas of Landslip on the south coast of England.

In 2005, work began on a £16 million engineering project to stabilise the cliffs and protect the town from coastal erosion. ^[7] The town's main beach was reconstructed and re-opened on 1 July 2006.

On the evening of 6th May 2008, a 400m (1,312ft) section of land slipped onto the beach between Lyme Regis and Charmouth. Local Police described the landslip as the "worst for 100 years". ^[8]

Annual events

The town has a busy calendar of annual events, including the 'Lyme Regatta', The Lyme Regis Fossil Festival (in conjunction with the London Natural History Museum) and Mary Anning Day. The Natural History Museum is one of three large Museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London (the others are the Science Museum The traditional conger cuddling event takes place during Lifeboat Week. Conger coddling is a traditional event in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, in which a dead Conger eel is thrown at members of the Royal National The 'Lyme Regatta' is an event which takes place over a whole week, during August and is organised by a committee of local volunteers. Funds are raised for local charities. The Summer Regatta includes outdoor movies, parades, games such as egg tosses, events such as rubber duck races on the River Lym, and fireworks.

People connected with Lyme

Lyme Regis has had its share of notable visitors. Jane Austen spent several weeks here in the summer of 1804 and seems to have enjoyed it a great deal. ^[9] The dramatic events in Persuasion led to a flow of fans to the town: the poet Tennyson is said to have gone straight to the Cobb on his arrival, saying, "Show me the exact spot where Louisa Musgrove fell!"^[10]

Jane Austen and family visited the seaside town of Lyme three times between 1803 and 1804. Alfred Tennyson 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892 was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and remains one of the most popular English poets Jane Austen (16 On their first visit they also stayed at Charmouth, Uplyme and Pinny. Charmouth is a village at the Mouth of the River Char in West Dorset, England.

Around 1834, the English Romantic artist J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) painted a scene of Lyme Regis (now in the Cincinnati Art Museum, Ohio, USA). The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 &ndash 19 December 1851 was an English Romantic landscape painter, Watercolourist and Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads His near-contemporary, James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) also visited and stayed in Lyme.

Beatrix Potter's 1904 holiday in the town resulted in illustrations for her book Little Pig Robinson. ^[11]

In addition to Mary Anning and John Fowles, notable residents include:

• Thomas Coram (c 1688–1751), founder of the Foundling Hospital in London
• Elinor Coade (1733–1821), manufacturer of the artificial stone known as coade stone

See also

• Eleanor Coade
• South West Coast Path
• East Devon Way
• HMS Formidable
• List of Dorset Beaches
• List of fossil sites (with link directory)

References

External links

Images

• Pictures of Lyme Regis

• Photos of Lyme Regis in 3d (Anaglyphs)

Other links

• Lyme Regis Documentary
• "Explore the Jurassic Coast" at the National Trust
• The Town Mill
• Official Website - Welcome to Lyme Regis
• Information & Tourism Website
• Lyme Regis Info Website
• The Dorset Page
• Jurassic Coast Online Guide
• Events Calendar
• Fish of Lyme bay and history of the Cobb
• Geology of Lyme Regis Area
• Geology of the Wessex Coast

• The Lyme Regis Fossil Festival

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