# Beer, Devon

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**Beer** is a seaside village and [civil parish](/source/Civil_parish) in the [East Devon](/source/East_Devon) district of [Devon](/source/Devon), England.[2] The village faces [Lyme Bay](/source/Lyme_Bay) and is a little over 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the town of [Seaton](/source/Seaton,_Devon). It is situated on the [Jurassic Coast](/source/Jurassic_Coast) [World Heritage Site](/source/World_Heritage_Site) and its picturesque cliffs, including **Beer Head**, form part of the [South West Coast Path](/source/South_West_Coast_Path).[3][4]

At the [2021 Census](/source/2021_United_Kingdom_census), the parish had a population of 1,283.[5]

## History

Beer is mentioned in the [Domesday Book](/source/Domesday_Book) of 1086, at which time it was located within [Colyton](/source/Colyton,_Devon) [hundred](/source/Hundred_(county_division)) and had 28 households.[6] Its name is not derived from the [drink](/source/Beer), but from the [Old English](/source/Old_English) word *bearu*, meaning "[grove](/source/Grove_(nature))" and referring to the original [forestation](/source/Forest) that surrounded the village.[7]

It is a coastal village that grew up around a smugglers' cove and caves which were once used to store contraband goods. These are now part of the attraction of the village.

Beer is home to a cave complex, the [Beer Quarry Caves](/source/Beer_Quarry_Caves), resulting from the quarrying of Beer stone. This stone has been prized since [Roman](/source/Ancient_Rome) times, because of its workability for carving and for its gentle yellow colour on exposure to air. Beer stone was used in the construction of 24 cathedrals [8] around the UK, including [Exeter Cathedral](/source/Exeter_Cathedral), [Westminster Abbey](/source/Westminster_Abbey) and [St. Paul's Cathedral](/source/St._Paul's_Cathedral), and was also used in the building of [Christ Church Cathedral](/source/Christ_Church_Cathedral_(St._Louis,_Missouri)), Missouri.

Bovey House, an [Elizabethan](/source/Elizabethan_architecture) [manor house](/source/Manor_house), is a mile inland.

Historically, the main sources of income for the village included [fishing](/source/Fishing) and [lace](/source/Lace) production.[9]

Bacteria taken from cliffs at Beer on the south coast were launched to the [International Space Station](/source/International_Space_Station) in 2008. The Beer microbes were placed on the [European Space Agency](/source/European_Space_Agency)'s (ESA) Technology Exposure Facility and were sent up still sitting on, and in, small chunks of cliff rock from the [Jurassic Coast](/source/Jurassic_Coast). After 553-days scientists found that many were still alive. The survivors are now reproducing in a laboratory. This was part of an experiment to study the survival of microbes (which naturally live on the stone) in extreme conditions. A new species of [cyanobacteria](/source/Cyanobacteria) was isolated at the [Open University](/source/Open_University) that could be used in future space settlements on the [Moon](/source/Moon) and [Mars](/source/Mars) to produce oxygen and break down rocks.[10]

## Economy

Nowadays, the sources of income are mainly [tourism](/source/Tourism) and fishing. Beer was also the home of the [Pecorama](/source/Pecorama) (run by the [PECO](/source/Peco) [model railway](/source/Rail_transport_modelling) manufacturer), which closed in November 2025,[11] and included pleasure gardens and the [Beer Heights Light Railway](/source/Beer_Heights_Light_Railway).

The shape of the coastline allowed local seafarers to operate in weather conditions when other towns could not, because it is protected from the prevailing westerly winds by Beer Head and the chalk cliffs which are the westernmost outcrop of [limestone](/source/Limestone) on the southwest coast.[12] Boats are winched up the beach as there is no harbour, and fresh fish is sold nearby. Nowadays small electrically-driven winches using steel cables or tractors are located on the beach to haul boats in. Higher up is an old manual [capstan](/source/Capstan_(nautical)) operated by up to 20 men, now disused.

## Physical features

Many of the buildings are faced with [flint](/source/Flint), a hard glassy stone found in the local [chalk](/source/Chalk) rock.[13]

A brook winds its way in an open conduit alongside the main road down to the sea.

Beer has a steep pebble beach.

## Transport

Beer is just off the A3052 which links [Exeter](/source/Exeter) to the West and [Lyme Regis](/source/Lyme_Regis) to the East.

Beer's nearest railway station is [Axminster railway station](/source/Axminster_railway_station), around 9 miles (14 km) away, which is on the Exeter to Waterloo line. There is a bus link from the rail station to Beer.

The bus services in the village are provided by locally based AVMT Buses who run services to many of the nearby towns and villages including [Seaton](/source/Seaton,_Devon), [Axminster](/source/Axminster), [Branscombe](/source/Branscombe), [Sidmouth](/source/Sidmouth), and [Colyton](/source/Colyton,_Devon).

## Notable people

- [William George Aston](/source/William_George_Aston) (1841–1911), Irish [diplomat](/source/Diplomat) and writer, died in Beer
- [Frederick T. Durrant](/source/Frederick_T._Durrant) (1895–c. 1979), organist, was born in Beer
- [Richard Gush](/source/Richard_Gush) (1789–1858), an [1820 Settler](/source/1820_Settlers) in [South Africa](/source/South_Africa), was born in Beer
- [Rowland Molony](/source/Rowland_Molony) (born 1946), poet and novelist, lives in Beer
- [Charles William Peach](/source/Charles_William_Peach) (1800–1886), naturalist and [geologist](/source/Geologist), lived in Beer
- [Jack Rattenbury](/source/Jack_Rattenbury) (1778–1844), smuggler, was born in Beer
- [William Henry Woodgate](/source/William_Henry_Woodgate) (1827–1877), murderer, was born in Beer
- [Innes FitzGerald](/source/Innes_FitzGerald) (2006– ), athlete, was brought up in Beer[14][15]

## References

1. ["Home - Beer Parish Council"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180413192128/http://www.beerparishcouncil.org.uk/BeerParish/Default.aspx). *www.beerparishcouncil.org.uk*. Archived from [the original](http://www.beerparishcouncil.org.uk/BeerParish/Default.aspx) on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2016.

1. ["Beer, East Devon - area information, map, walks and more"](https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getoutside/local/beer-east-devon). *OS GetOutside*. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 11 January 2018.

1. ["Beer Head, East Devon - area information, map, walks and more"](https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getoutside/local/beer-head-east-devon). *Ordnance Survey Get Outside*. Retrieved 11 January 2018.

1. [*Lyme Regis & Bridport - OS Explorer Map 116 (Chard)*](https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/explorer-map-lyme-regis-bridport.html). United Kingdom: Ordnance Survey. 16 September 2015. p. 1. ISBN 9780319243176. Retrieved 11 January 2018.

1. ["Beer (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location"](https://citypopulation.de/en/uk/southwestengland/admin/east_devon/E04002940__beer/). *citypopulation.de*. Retrieved 2025-01-16.

1. ["Beer"](http://opendomesday.org/place/SY2289/beer/). Open Domesday. Retrieved 12 October 2016.

1. Mills, A. D. (2011). *A Dictionary of British Place-Names*. [Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press). ISBN 978-0-1996-0908-6.

1. Heptinstall, Simon (2008). *Devon*. Crimson Publishing. p. 111. ISBN 9781854584267.

1. ["Beer History"](http://beervillageheritage.org.uk.websitebuilder.prositehosting.co.uk/beer-history). *beervillageheritage.org.uk.websitebuilder.prositehosting.co.uk*. Retrieved 11 January 2018.

1. Amos, Jonathan (23 August 2010). ["Beer microbes live 553 days outside ISS"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11039206). *[BBC News](/source/BBC_News)*. Retrieved 23 August 2010.

1. Clarke, Lewis (14 November 2025). ["Popular Devon attraction announces sudden closure"](https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/popular-devon-attraction-announces-sudden-10646180). *Devon Live*. Retrieved 27 November 2025.

1. ["East Devon Landscape Character Assessment"](https://eastdevon.gov.uk/media/2816886/lca_complete_final_march-2019_low-res.pdf). *eastdevon.gov.uk*. Retrieved 13 July 2019.

1. ["Flint Mining in Beer - Visit Beer, Devon"](http://www.beer-devon.co.uk/village-history/flint-mining-in-beer/). *Visit Beer, Devon*. Retrieved 11 January 2018.

1. Evans, Francesca (17 July 2022). ["East Devon runner Innes continues to impress with biggest victory of her young career"](https://axminster.nub.news/news/local-news/east-devon-runner-innes-continues-to-impress-with-biggest-victory-of-her-young-career-141727). *Axminster.nub*. Retrieved 4 July 2023.

1. Lytton, Charlotte (28 January 2023). ["Innes FitzGerald: ‘Greta Thunberg of sport’ wants (green) gold at Olympics"](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/innes-fitzgerald-greta-thunberg-of-sport-wants-green-gold-at-olympics-mbx2wbnzg). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. Retrieved 4 July 2023.

## External links

- [BBC heritage walk subpage](https://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/outdoors/walks/branscombe_cont.shtml)
- [Beer Parish Council](http://www.beerparishcouncil.org.uk/BeerParish/Default.aspx) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180413192128/http://www.beerparishcouncil.org.uk/BeerParish/Default.aspx) 13 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- [Beer Village Website](https://beervillage.co.uk)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Beer, Devon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer%2C_Devon) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer%2C_Devon?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.