Uplyme

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude = 50.7337
longitude = -2.9503
official_name = Uplyme
population = 1700
shire_county = Devon
region = South West England
postcode_district =DT7
postcode_area = DT
dial_code = 01297

Uplyme is a village which lies in East Devon on the Devon-Dorset border and the River Lym, adjacent to the Dorset coastal town of Lyme Regis. It has a population of approximately 1700.

History and Background

The parish of Uplyme has one of the largest boundaries in England - in excess of convert|16|mi|km, the area of the village being approximately convert|3618|acre|km2.

The remains of a Romano-British villa were excavated near to the village in 1850. The earliest recorded reference to the parish was in AD740 when Cynewulf, King of Wessex gifted the manor of Uplyme to Glastonbury Abbey. The Domesday Book also mentions the village.

The parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul lies within the village and is located adjacent to the primary school. The 14th century tower is the oldest part of the church.

The new village hall is situated a few hundred yards from the church, with adjacent playing fields containing a children's play area and 2 cricket pavilions (one worthy of listed status is currently disused). The old village hall was replaced by the modern building in the 1990s and was financed by determined fundraising and grant funding under the inspired leadership of villager Adrian Pearson.

Primary school

Mrs Ethelston's C of E Primary School is named after Mrs Anne Ethelston (1799-1854), the wife of the ReverendCharles Wicksted Ethelston. After her death, Reverend Ethelston decided to erect a building in hiswife's memory in order to house the already existing school. Sadly, however the main building was not opened until 1873, ayear after Reverend Ethelston's death.

The school currently houses around 120 pupils, encompassing 7 years in 5 classes. The school consists of two buildings, an early 1990s building for reception to year 2 known as Wood Haven, whilst the main original old building is home to years 3, 4, 5 and 6, as well as the staff and administration areas. A swimming pool is in the progress of being built.

Village Facilities

In line with other villages throughout the country Uplyme has seen deterioration in the number of local facilities. At the turn of the 20th/21st centuries we saw the reduction of public houses to just one with the closure of the Black Dog and The New Inn. The last hotel The Devon Hotel, formally the vicarage, was converted to flats with the extensive grounds being developed for housing. Shops were reduced to one when the village butchers closed.

The future for the three remaining facilities after their individual difficult periods is now more optimistic. Doubts that the village shop come post office would continue to trade when it changed hands in 2007 were soon dispelled. Volunteers rallied round to run the shop before the new owner took possession. The owner’s determination to run the shop as a going concern is becoming obvious with a complete revamp of the premises.The Talbot Arms, the one remaining public house, after several years of merely ticking along was reinvigorated when Steve and Wendy Gardener took over the management. In 2007 planning permission was granted to demolish the bowling alley and replace it with holiday accommodation.

The village filling station after being closed for a period is now flourishing.

External links

* [http://www.uplyme.net/ Community website and village forum]
* [http://www.uplymeparishcouncil.org/ Official Uplyme Parish Council Website]
* [http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~rhg/ A collection of websites covering proposed and existing developments in and around the parish, parish council meetings June 2001 to February 2004 and rainfall data from a Met Office recording station in the parish]