The Rotary Club's Blue Plaque Scheme for Seaton

In 2005, Seaton celebrated the 1000th anniversary of the town — then known as Fleote* — being granted its Charter by Ethelred the Unready. 2005 was also Rotary International's Centenary year; the movement was started in Chicago in 1905.

Various ideas were considered by Rotary as its contribution to celebrate the joint occasion and, eventually my suggestion that we put up commemorative Blue Plaques on interesting buildings in Seaton was chosen. I knew about cities and towns mounting Blue Plaques to identify buildings where famous personages had once resided and thought: " Why not do the same for Seaton."

When I investigated this 140-year old scheme on the Internet, I found that a town or city has to submit its list of proposed dignitaries to English Heritage for consideration and, seemingly, rare approval. A nominee has to have been dead for a minimum of 20 years, to have been well known to the public and to have actually resided in a particular house — not just visited it. Once approval is given for a name, an expensive round plaque has to be manufactured in pottery, with embossed white lettering on a blue background similar to Wedgwood. Each plaque can cost from £150 to £200.

Clearly, Seaton did not warrant (and,indeed, could not afford) such a grandiose idea, but I decided we could still put up our own more modest plaques to identify buildings and sites — rather than dignitaries — within the Town. These sites were to be of historical interest to local school children and residents, as well as visitors, some of whom, as I learnt from The Tourist Information Office, are Blue Plaque “twitchers” (my word not theirs!)

In 2006, considerable time was spent by our club member, David Lee, in computer-designing the plaques, in my reading up Seaton's history, researching the Listed Building Register at the Knowle, tracking down and writing to owners — some far afield — as well as seeking and being awarded an Awards For All funding grant.

Eventually, from a short list of 20 buildings, compiled with the assistance of local history worthies Ted Gosling and Roy Chapple, 16 owners agreed to have the Blue Plaques mounted on their walls.

The plaques, manufactured by Rob Gibbons of R & H Signs, are in aluminium with a PVC laminate. They bear the Seaton Coat of Arms, the Rotary International Wheel symbol, and a brief write-up of the building's history. These plaques were put up in January 2007 as Phase 1.

Three of Seaton's most interesting houses are:-

Seaforth Lodge on New Beer Road
Built in 1863 for Lady Ashburton, who had the following distinguished visitors to stay at one time or another.
Florence Nightingale; Thomas Carlyle; Alfred, Lord Tennyson; Robert Browning; and the Pre-Raphaelites John Ruskin, Charles Swinburne and Sir John Millais

Overmass House in Queen Street
The largest farm house and one of the earliest residences in Seaton in the 1500s.

White Cross Cottage, downhill from Seaton Electronics
Built in the 16th century on the site of a farm house, registered in the Doomsday Book. Originally, the cottage was much bigger, with a large hall and 8 bedrooms and is named after a white cross that stood at what is now the junction of Queen Street and New Beer Road. Monks used to preach at the cross until the 12th century.

Phase 2, involves researching a further 12 buildings, including six listed houses. Three historical sites are also under consideration for plaques, namely:-
 
The Burrow, or hillock, on the Esplanade — arguably, Seaton's most interesting site — which was:-
The site of a Henry VIII fort, inspected by the King in 1544;
   A 17th century watch tower with 3 cannons,
   A gun battery from 1794 until 1817 with two 32 lb. guns, and
   In a more peaceful guise, the site of Devon's first public library.

The Marine Parade Roundabout, where Sir Walter Trevelyan built a 2-storey Bath House, or Spa, in 1874 "To attract the right sort of visitors"!

 The WWII Coastal Artillery Searchlight post on West Walk.

Once this project is finished, the Axe Valley Heritage Society intends to produce a booklet elaborating on the histories of the various sites, and including a map showing the locations of the Blue Plaques.

*Editor’s Note: The word ‘’fléot” is an Old English word meaning ‘a stream, a river; also a creek or inlet”; Old Norse “fljot”. Presumably this takes us back to the time before the shingle bar almost blocked the Axe Estuary, which would then have been an inlet. There are several places in England called Fleet or a compound of it (e.g. Fleetwood) [Johnson: Place Names of England and Wales].