Pathway Of Prosperity

CATHY SAYERS reveals how a noble family commissioned the building of a drive stretching nine miles around a beautiful part of the South Devon coastline

- Cathy Sayers

THE SOUTH DEVON coastline is a favourite for walkers and a particular stretch nearing Newton Ferrers from the east, has a remarkable history. The nine mile area was literally carved out of the rock by teams of workmen at the end of the 19th century. It was the brainchild of Edward Charles Baring, the local landlord. His ideas were on a grandiose scale.

Baring purchased nearby Membland Hall on 26 June, 1871. He’d grown to love the area after marrying a local South Devon woman. Coincidentally his cousin, Lord Henry Bingham Mildmay, bought the nearby estate of Flete and also married a local lady, Georgiana Bulteel. Both men were partners of Barings Bank in London and soon set about spending their money to improve their estates.

Baring took the title of the parish adjacent to Membland, becoming Lord Revelstoke in 1885. He bought up large tracts of land in the area. What had been an estate of around 2,000 acres grew to around 4,500. He owned most of Noss Mayo and 14 cottages in Newton Ferrers.