This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Illustration provided by South Hams Council


The proposed plans for the Newcomen Plaza


important historical figure. “Eric is a wonderful scholar who has created a fantastic account of his life and achievements which has already sold well – we hope it sows the seed of interest in Newcomen,” he said.


The strategy for the group is to create a greater sense of the engineer’s achievements in the South West and then build up a national and international profile of the man and Dartmouth as THE place to visit to find out about him. So the Park and Ride Buses


in Dartmouth have been named for Newcomen and the Tourist Information Centre which holds the ONLY original working Newcomen engine (the one in Dudley is a replica) in Mayors Avenue is getting a complete overhaul and a new plaza is being placed in front of it by South Hams Council. The Plaza will give a focus to the centre and attract more visitors. Currently the only entrance is through the Tourist Information Centre, and this means


awareness of it is low.


A new Newcomen Logo for the town has been designed by Paul Barclay and a two-metre oval version is to be placed on the side of the Tourist Information Centre - making sure everyone who uses the town’s main car park knows there is a connection to him.


We have to get his name into the national consciousness in the same way Shakespeare is associated with Stratford.


There is also a plan to build


a permanent monument on the roundabout coming into the town. This will remind every single visitor to the town - estimated to be hundreds of thousands each year – Newcomen is inextricably linked with Dartmouth. The Newcomen Celebrations group are looking for funds to build the Phil Hudson-


designed aluminium monument. “We have Greenway down the


river: home to Agatha Christie, and that attracts thousands of visitors,” said Ray. “Arguably Newcomen’s influence is greater than any novelist – as before his invention we really only had horse and man power. We have to get his name into the national consciousness in the same way Shakespeare is associated with Stratford. Dartmouth should be the name people think of when they think of Newcomen, and we must get his name out there and embed him in the national consciousness. “Our long-term goal is to create a legacy of appreciation for Newcomen which allows more people to appreciate his amazing achievement, and also brings more people to Dartmouth,” said Ray. “We think he is worth celebrating and hope the whole of the town, and eventually the whole country, come to agree with us.”•


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144