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A Description of the Watering Places,
On the South-East Coast of Devon

From the River Exe to the Dart inclusive, Comprehending Dawlish, Teignmouth, Shaldon, and Torquay.
With a Sketch of their Local History;
And a Tour to and concise Account of Nobleman's Seats

by

W. Hyett

Exeter: Trewman and Son (c.1805), illus. v, 105 pp.

Prepared by Michael Steer

The first local guidebooks began to appear in the Westcountry in the 1790's and Hyett's is an early example. Slighter in size than the earlier historical compilations, they provided practical information for those who wished to explore the area, although historical information was not omitted. The book consists of a series of excursions, sometimes lengthy walks, sometimes rides. Watering places on the southeast coast of Devon quickly became famous in the Georgian period not only for sea bathing, but in many cases as winter residences for those suffering under pulmonary complaints, the climate being mild, and the towns and villages being sheltered from the easterly winds. In many watering places there were assembly rooms, baths, libraries, &c.; as well as an occasional sea-wall. This rare and much sought-after book was produced digitally from a copy in the Bodleian Library collection and can be downloaded from Google Books. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.