IInns & shops · listed 1951Royal Glen HotelPhoto: Simon Cobb · CC0
Royal Glen Hotel · Photo: Simon Cobb · CC0AHistory Grade
History of Sidmouth · Historic England
233 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I
Historic England counts them inside Sidmouth’s built-up area, 176 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 1 scheduled monument. We have photos of 15 of its listed buildings and 3 old views of the town. 23% of its homes were built before 1919. Sidmouth grades A for history: #10 of 47 in Devon.
Listed buildings
233
176 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
2
exceptional interest
Grade II*
10
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
1
1 registered park or garden
Homes built before 1919
23%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures
Sidmouth in 21 photos and old views
Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed, and the town before 1950. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
The Old ChancelGrade I listed
Beach HouseGrade II* listed
Clock TowerGrade II listed
Constitutional Club Sidlands LodgeGrade II listed
BridgeGrade II listed+16See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.
Through time
Sidmouth from 1840 to 1879
An old map and 3 old photos and postcards, in date order. All public domain, made before 1950.
1840
1870
1879
1879Public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server. Each credit opens the image’s page with its full description and history.
The map
Where Sidmouth’s history is
Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park, over the age of each neighbourhood’s homes.
Grade IGrade II*Scheduled monumentPark or garden
Homes built before 1919, by neighbourhoodunder 10%10–25%25–50%50%+
1 of 8neighbourhoods have mostly pre-1919 homes; in the oldest, 52% were built before 1919.
Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.
233 listed buildings by grade
2 Grade I10 Grade II*221 Grade II
Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.
Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings. Neighbourhood dots: the population-weighted centre of each Census 2021 output area, coloured by its neighbourhood’s (LSOA’s) share of homes built before 1919 (Valuation Office Agency, March 2025).
Grade I
The 2 Grade I listed buildings in Sidmouth
Buildings of exceptional interest, about 2.5% of all listed buildings. Every one is photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.
IHouse · listed 1951The Old ChancelPhoto: Neil Owen · CC BY-SA 2.0
Grade II*
The 10 Grade II* listed buildings in Sidmouth
Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Every one is photographed.
II*House · listed 1951Beach HousePhoto: Simon Cobb · CC0
II*House · listed 1970AudleyPhoto: Simon Cobb · CC0
II*Church · listed 1951Kennaway HouseOn the list as Aurora Church HousePhoto: Ian James Cox · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*Inns & shops · listed 1951Bedford HotelPhoto: Simon Cobb · CC0
II*Church · listed 1951Church of St Giles with St NicholasPhoto: Chris Downer · CC BY-SA 2.0
II*House · listed 1951Coburg TerracePhoto: Simon Cobb · CC0
II*House · listed 1973Little Cob Merton Cottage. Tudor CottagePhoto: Simon Cobb · CC0
II*House · listed 1951Manstone Old HousePhoto: Simon Cobb · CC0
II*House · listed 1973SidholmePhoto: Simon Cobb · CC0
II*House · listed 1951St David'sPhoto: Simon Cobb · CC0
What’s protected
Most of Sidmouth’s listed buildings are homes
Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.
Houses, terraces & villas175
Inns, shops & warehouses25
Walls, gates & bridges22
Churches, chapels & priories5
Public & civic buildings3
Memorials, crosses & tombs3
175 entries (75%) are houses, terraces and villas. 5 are churches, chapels and priories.
Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.
Grade II
221 Grade II listed buildings
Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.
The first 150 of 221 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Albany VillasAlbert TerraceAlbion HouseAlma CottageAlma TerraceAmyatt's TerraceArcot House Old People's HomeAscerton HouseBarn Approximately 60 Feet South West of Bulverton Well FarmhouseBarnwell HouseBarretts Flat Part of Premises Occupied by Field's Part of Premises Occupied by Field's and Including Waterloo House and Barretts Flat Waterloo House and Barretts FlatBarrington VillaBarton CottageBarton HouseBelgrave CottageBickwell CottagesBridgeBridgeBridge House the Old Mill HouseBritish Legion HallBulverton CottagesBulverton FarmhouseBulverton Well FarmhouseBurnhamCambridge TerraceCamdenCarlton Mansions York TerraceCedar Shade HotelChurch of All SaintsClaremontClifton CottageClifton HouseClifton LodgeClock TowerClovelly HouseConservatory of Cedar Shade HotelConstitutional Club Sidlands LodgeCornerwaysCrossways CottageCypress PlaceDevon Cottage Myrtle LodgeDrinking FountainDukesEglantineEgyptEnfieldFairlawn Lawn EndFairparkFaulkner Hotel York TerraceFern Cottage Ye Olde HouseFlats 1, 2 and 3 Country HouseFortescue Farmhouse Outhouse to North of Fortescue FarmhouseFortfield ViewGarden House to Rear of No 21Garden Wall Including Gatepiers (Extension to That of Fairlawn and Lawn End, Elysian Fields)Garden Wall and Gate Piers of Cedar Shade HotelGarden Wall and Gate Piers of Primley HouseGarden Wall of AudleyGarden Wall of Barrington VillaGarden Wall of Clifton Cottage to Sea FrontGarden Wall of Fairlawn and Lawn EndGarden Wall of No 21 Bridge HouseGarden Wall of Powys Including Gate PiersGarden Wall of Radway Guest HouseGarden Wall of Rock Cottage Along Peak Hill RoadGarden Wall of Town House Including Gate PiersGarden Wall of the Beacon to Peak Hill RoadGarden Walls of Nos 1 to 4 Alma TerraceGateway to Belmont HotelGlen CloseGrassmereGreen Gables HotelGrotto in the Garden of Knowle Grange (Flats) Including Rockery, Pool, Vase, Pedestal and SummerhouseGwydir CottageHarstonHerald OfficeHeydon's CottageHigh Street Entrance Gates and Wall of Unitarian ChapelHill'sHills CottageHope CottageHunters Moon HotelJacob's LadderLaburnum and Laburnum CottageLarbi CoteLittlecourt HotelLivoniaLodge at Entrance to Drive Leading to Sidmouth Urban District OfficesLong OrchardLower LodgeLower Woolbrook FarmhouseLymebourne HouseLyndon House Premises Occupied by Olive Ltd Premises Occupied by Stead and SimpsonMay CottageMead Petit ChampMilestonesMocha CafeMount Pleasant HotelNorton GarthNumbers 1 and 2 Rivulet Cottages, Vinnicombe's Bakery, BarnscotNumbers 1 and 2 Thatched CottagesNumbers 1-3 and 4 (Albert House ), Orchard TerraceOld Farm HouseOld Ship CafeOutbuildings at Sidcliffe Farm Sidcliffe FarmhouseOutbuildings, Link Wall and Garden Wall of Mead and Petit ChampPart of Premises Occupied by Field'sPauntleyPauntley CottagePeak HousePebblestone CottagePeter Dominic Premises Occupied by Briggs Premises Occupied by Davies (Binocular Shop) YendellsPowysPremises Occupied Burgoynes Premises Occupied by Peter MarshPremises Occupied by Baskerville House Premises Occupied by Charles Wood, Jeweller Premises Occupied by la Boutique Premises Occupied by Lake's, Plumbers Premises Occupied by RuthsPremises Occupied by BootsPremises Occupied by C E Green, FruitererPremises Occupied by Fields (Man's Shop)Premises Occupied by French'sPremises Occupied by Gainsborough House AntiquesPremises Occupied by Govier and SonPremises Occupied by H T Scratchley, AutioneerPremises Occupied by Hyatt Antiques Premises Occupied by Pottery PlusPremises Occupied by Irish, Tobacconist Premises Occupied by the Spinning WheelPremises Occupied by Knight and Sons DrapersPremises Occupied by Knight and Sons DrapersPremises Occupied by Ladysmith House AntiquesPremises Occupied by National Westminster BankPremises Occupied by Potbury and Sons LimitedPremises Occupied by SambatiPremises Occupied by Sports ShopPremises Occupied by Trumps StoresPremises Occupied by the Village CollectionPrimley HouseProspect CafeRadway Guest HouseRadway InnRadway Post OfficeRear Garden Wall of Beach HouseRiviera HotelRose CottageRoseneath Spring CottageRoyal York Hotel York TerraceSalcombe CottageSalcombe LodgeSeacourt SeafieldSid AbbeySid CottageSid HouseSidcliffe
Conservation areas
5 conservation areas cover 18% of Sidmouth
Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.
Sidmouth Town Centre 197029 ha
Sidmouth Bickwell Valley 197827 ha
Sidmouth Sid Vale 197021 ha
Sidmouth Elysian Fields 19779 ha
Sidford 19814 ha
89 hain conservation areas, of 497 ha inside the built-up area.
The first, Sidmouth Town Centre and Sidmouth Sid Vale, were designated in 1970; the newest, Sidford, in 1981. 178 of the 233 listed buildings stand in one.
Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.
How the list grew
More than half of Sidmouth’s listed buildings were added in one year, 1973
The year each building now on the list was first listed.
1973 · 1611951 · 66
19501960197019801990200020102020
The first 66 entries were listed in 1951, 2 of the 2 Grade I buildings among them. 161 came in 1973, in the national resurvey of the 1970s and 80s. Only 1 has been added in the last 15 years.
Monuments & landscapes
Monuments, parks and gardens
Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.
1 scheduled monument
Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Secretary of State, advised by Historic England.
1 registered park or garden
Connaught GardensGrade II
History Grade
Sidmouth grades A for history
Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.
Protected heritage, for its size and in all (250 points, 189 per 10,000 residents)More than 90% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (23%)More than 68% of UK towns
Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.
Homes by age
23% of Sidmouth’s homes were built before 1919
Every home by when it was built, from council tax records, against England & Wales (the dark tick).
16%
Before 1900
6.4%
1900–18
6.1%
1919–29
9.9%
1930s
5.2%
1945–54
11%
1955–64
14%
1965–72
9.5%
1973–82
7.4%
1983–92
2.6%
1993–99
5%
2000–08
6.2%
2009–15
1.1%
2016–25
SidmouthEngland & Wales
16% of homes are Victorian or older, against 16% across England and Wales. The busiest period since was 1965–72, which added 14% of today’s homes.
Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties by build period, 31 March 2025, for the neighbourhoods (LSOAs) that make up the town, split by where their residents live. Homes with no recorded build period (60 here) are left out; 1939–44 is not a period in the data.
Born here
10 notable people born in Sidmouth before 1900
Their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Arthur Broome
Francis Fulford
Frederick Slessor
John Horn, Jr.
William Saville-Kent
Sir Walter Barttelot, 2nd Baronet
Bruce Hamilton
Sir Walter Barttelot, 3rd Baronet
Hope Patten
Harry Pursey
175017751800182518501875190019251950
William Saville-Kent1845–1908 · British biologist (1845-1908)
Francis Fulford1803–1868 · Anglo-Catholic Bishop of Montreal (1803-1868)
Bruce Hamilton1857–1936 · British Army general
Sir Walter Barttelot, 3rd Baronet1880–1918 · British Baronet (1880–1918)
Hope Patten1885–1958 · British priest
SB
Sir Walter Barttelot, 2nd Baronet1855–1900 · British baronet (1855–1900)
HP
Harry Pursey1891–1980 · British politician (1891-1980)
AB
Arthur Broome1779–1837 · English clergyman and animal advocate (1779–1837)
Everyone born in Sidmouth → Birthplaces from Wikidata; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Towns its size
Sidmouth has the 58th most Grade I buildings of 580 towns its size
Places of 8,000–21,000 people outside London, by Grade I listed buildings.
Sidmouth2
#47 of 580for listed buildings per resident (176 per 10,000). Brecon, Ludlow and Richmond lead.
57 have more. The typical town its size has 0.
Neighbours
Listed buildings in the places around Sidmouth
| Town | People | Listed | Grade I | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidmouth | 13,258 | 233 | 2 | A |
| Newton Poppleford | 1,918 | 24 | 0 | B+ |
| Ottery St Mary | 6,043 | 49 | 1 | A− |
| West Hill | 2,109 | 2 | 0 | C− |
| Budleigh Salterton | 5,237 | 37 | 0 | B+ |
| Beer | 1,280 | 21 | 0 | A− |
| Feniton | 1,725 | 0 | 0 | D− |
| Woodbury | 1,749 | 45 | 1 | A |
In brief
Sidmouth in brief
For its size, Sidmouth has more listed heritage than 90% of UK towns. All told, the list holds 233 listed buildings, 2 of them Grade I, including Royal Glen Hotel. Of its homes, 23% were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town. Only 57 of the 580 towns nearest its size have more Grade I buildings.
Its older streets lie in 5 conservation areas, the first designated in 1970. Of the whole list, 75% are houses, terraces and villas. William Saville-Kent (1845), Francis Fulford (1803) and Bruce Hamilton (1857) are among the 10 people born here before 1900. Beyond that, it also has a scheduled monument.
Questions about Sidmouth’s history
How many listed buildings are there in Sidmouth?
Historic England lists 233 buildings inside Sidmouth’s built-up area: 2 Grade I, 10 Grade II* and 221 Grade II.
What are the Grade I listed buildings in Sidmouth?
2, including Royal Glen Hotel and The Old Chancel.
Are there scheduled monuments in Sidmouth?
Yes, 1 scheduled monument, including Sidford packhorse bridge, Church Street.
How many conservation areas are there in Sidmouth?
5, covering about 89 hectares of the town. The largest are Sidmouth Town Centre and Sidmouth Bickwell Valley.
When were Sidmouth’s buildings listed?
The first in 1951; the most, 161, in 1973.
Are there old photos of Sidmouth?
Yes: 3 public-domain photos and postcards from 1840 to 1879, and an old map from 1879, all on this page.
Who was born in Sidmouth?
Among people born before 1900: William Saville-Kent (1845), Francis Fulford (1803), Bruce Hamilton (1857), Sir Walter Barttelot, 3rd Baronet (1880) and Hope Patten (1885).
How old are the homes in Sidmouth?
23% of homes were built before 1919 and 39% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.
Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.