Kingsteignton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kingsteignton |
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 St. Michael's church |
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 Kingsteignton
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| Population | 10,600 (2011 UK Census) |
| District |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWTON ABBOT |
| Postcode district | TQ12 |
| Dialling code | 01626 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament |
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Kingsteignton is a town and civil parish in south Devon, England. It is located at the top of the Teign Estuary. This is west of Teignmouth in the Teignbridge district. The town is bypassed by the A380 road. Other roads like the A383 and A381 also pass through it.
Kingsteignton is currently represented in Parliament by Martin Wrigley. He is part of the Newton Abbot constituency. Local schools include Rydon Primary School, Teign School, Kingsteignton School, and Saint Michael's Church of England School. The town has a population of over 11,000 people. To avoid being joined with the nearby town of Newton Abbot, the local council decided to change Kingsteignton's status to a town. This change happened on January 1, 2009. The town is divided into two areas, East and West. In 2011, their combined population was 11,147.
Contents
History of Kingsteignton
Kingsteignton was started in the early 700s by the kings of Wessex. It was a very important place during Saxon times. The town gave its name to a Saxon area called the 'hundred' of Teignton. The local court used to meet here. By the time of the Domesday Survey, the area's name changed to Teignbridge. This might mean the court moved. In 1001, Danish raiders attacked and stole from Kingsteignton.
Medieval Times and the Church
In the 1400s, the town was doing well. This helped rebuild St. Michael's church. Its tall 85-foot (26 meter) tower was built around the 1480s. For many years, this church was the main church for nearby areas. These included Highweek and Newton Bushell.
The Fairwater Leat and Ram Roasting Fair
The Fairwater Leat is a channel that carries water. It gets its water from springs at Rydon. This leat became the main water supply in the Middle Ages. It also powered three mills. A legend says a drought led to the annual Ram Roasting fair. There wasn't enough water to baptize a child. So, a ram was sacrificed to the gods of the local spring. Water then flowed out, and a ram has been roasted at the fair ever since.
The fair is now held on the late May bank holiday. It used to be on Whit Tuesday. It moved to Whit Monday in the 1950s for school holidays. The move to the late May bank holiday was for the same reason.
Manor of Kingsteignton
Until the 1200s, the Manor of Kingsteignton was owned by the king. In 1509, the manor passed to the Clifford family. They still hold the title of Lord of the Manor today.
Education in Kingsteignton
The local secondary school is Teign School. It also has a college section for older students.
Primary schools in the area are St. Michael's, Rydon, and Kingsteignton School.
Getting Around Kingsteignton
The main bus company in the area is Stagecoach South West. They run regular buses to places like Exeter, Teignmouth, and Dawlish. County Bus (Newton Abbot) is a local company. They run buses to Brixham, Paignton, and Torquay.
Kingsteignton is served by Newton Abbot railway station. This station is on the Exeter-Plymouth line. Great Western Railway runs local trains. These go to places like Exmouth, Exeter St Davids, and Paignton. They also have longer-distance trains to London Paddington and Plymouth.
The town is close to the A380 dual carriageway. This road connects Exeter, Dawlish, Teignmouth, and Newton Abbot.
Geology and Quarrying
Kingsteignton has special clay beds called ball clay. These were formed about 40–30 million years ago. People started using these clays in the late 1600s. They found the clay was great for making pipes. Potters also liked its white firing properties. In 1791, Josiah Wedgwood bought Kingsteignton clay. For over 200 years, clay mining has provided jobs and wealth to Kingsteignton.
Limestone has also been dug up a lot in the past. This happened on both sides of Golvers Hill. Kingsteignton Quarry supplied stone for building Buckfast Abbey. Many limekilns, which are ovens for making lime, were found in the area. Some of these kilns still exist today.
Sand and gravel have also been quarried extensively. One large area became a landfill site. Old records mention that ancient Britons dug for tin in the gravels left by the River Teign.
Historic Estates
The Kingsteignton area includes several old estates. One is Whiteway. This was mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was later home to the Yard family. Today, it is a farmhouse known as Whiteway Barton.
Sports and Fun
Newton Abbot RFC (Rugby Football Club) started in 1873. They are based in Kingsteignton and play their home games at Rackerhayes. Kingsteignton AFC, known as the Rams, play football at Broadpark. They compete in the South Devon Football League.
Footballer Ryan Law was born and grew up in Kingsteignton. He currently plays as a defender for Truro City F.C.. He used to play for Plymouth Argyle F.C..
See also
In Spanish: Kingsteignton para niños
