A new year is on the horizon, so here are 24 fun facts you should know about Seaton before the end of 2024! Will you be visiting before the year is out? Find out what’s on here and plan your trip here.
1 – Across the world there are 16 different places all with the name Seaton – these places are spread across 4 different countries, with the highest number in the UK. There are 7 places named Seaton in the UK, 6 in the USA, 2 in Australia and 1 in Canada.
2 – It’s not just a name that Seaton shares with other locations, it is also twinned with a town in France, Thury-Harcourt-le-Horn, which is known locally as Le Hom.
3 – Seaton was first mentioned in the Papal Bull by Pope Eugenius III, that was back in 1146.
4 – At one point there was a Baron Seaton, the title was created in 1839 for Sir John Colbourne, however, the title and the family line both ended in 1955.
5 – The best preserved 4th century collections of Roman coins ever found in Britain was discovered in Seaton. The collection was discovered in November 2013.
6 – Seaton is part of the Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site, which doesn’t just cover the Jurassic period, but three different eras. While the cliffs are stunning all along the coast, at Seaton, you can find a particularly unique stretch of the coast because rocks from all three eras, the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous can be found here.
7 – Like most places along the Jurassic Coast, Seaton is a great place for finding fossils, particularly ammonites.
8 – In the Saxon times, Seaton was known as Fluta or Fleet, which was the Saxon word for creek. The town of Fleet was founded by Saxon Charter in 1005 AD
9 - Prior to the Roman invasion, Seaton was a farming community that had existed for over 4000 years. A number of nearby Iron Age forts show how important the area was.
10 – During the Roman occupation, Seaton became an important port and many of the original structures have been buried to help preserve them. For some time, Seaton was the base of the General Vespasian and it is believed that the lost settlement of Mordunam was located around the Seaton area.
11 – It wasn’t just the Romans who viewed Seaton as an important port – Edward I used it as a way to supply ships and sailors in his wars against Scotland and France.
12 – During the 14th century, a series of bad storms caused a landslip which blocked most of the estuary and led to the creation of the beach area.
13 – The 14th century was when the church on the edge of town was first built, though the tower was added in the 15th century.
14 – In Victorian times, the railway arrived in Seaton and the harbour slowly started to fall out of use. The Seaton branch line opened in 1868, running from Seaton Junction on the Salisbury to Exeter line. You can still ride bits of the line by visiting Seaton Tramway.
15 – Seaton’s railway line had one of the world’s first concrete bridges, which was built over the River Axe.
16 – The railway helped to make Seaton a holiday destination and after WWI, a Warners holiday camp opened close to the station which made it a much loved resort in the thirties and forties.
17 – The majority of Seaton’s town buildings have stood there since the Victorian era, making it a great place to experience the region’s history.
18 – Seaton now is much higher than it was when the Victorians started using it as a holiday resort, because of anti flooding measures, parts of the town are now higher than flood level, using sand brought in from the sea.
19 – The town is home to the Seaton Fault, which can be seen at Seaton Hole, at the western end of the beach and is the reason for the chalk cliffs that make Beer famous.
20 – Seaton is home to a huge number of nature reserves, not only do you have Seaton Wetlands but you’re also close to the Lyme Regis Undercliffs Reserve. The area is known for being home to several species of water fowl, including the Audouin’s Gull, which has only been recorded in Britain four times.
21 – Though not as well known as their friends from the River Otter, Seaton is home to otters that live around the River Axe and have been seen at Seaton Marshes.
22 – The Axe Estuary area of Seaton holds international importance for the aquatic creatures that live there.
23 – In Seaton you can explore 1000 years of history by visiting the Seaton Labyrinth and Geological timeline which is located at Cliff Field Garden overlooking the sea and was constructed to celebrate the town’s 1000th anniversary. It spans millions of years of history and reveals 185 million years of evolution.
24 – Seaton’s beach is one of the most accessible in the UK, with accessible matting allowing wheelchair users to easily get down to the sea front.
How many of these things did you know about Seaton?