Post by Dave on Nov 4, 2015 18:27:21 GMT
Beesands Cellars Home Of Beesands Rovers
I wonder how many football pitches are located right beside a beach. Not very many I would have thought, but we have one here in Devon. Beesands beach in about a mile long, up one end of it is houses and the village pub and at the other end all on its own, the football pitch.
If you look at the first picture on this thread (below) you might be forgiven for thinking you were looking at Slapton Sands, as both have the sea on one side and a fresh water lake on the other. The lake on Slapton sands is much bigger and has a proper road dividing it from the sea. This area was used to prepare for the D-Day landings, during one exercise a total of 749 American soldiers were killed when three ships were torpedoed by German U-boats.
The name Beesands was derived from ‘Bay Sands’ and records suggest there was a small community living there as early as the 16th century. But it was first inhabited properly in the late 18th century when the threat from seaward pirates had diminished; In 1805 there were 6 dwellings at the southern end of the village and by the first national census of 1841, 104 men women and children were living there in 17 houses, with the majority of families being supported by the sea
Keith Richards'(Rolling Stones fame) family spent regular holidays at Beesands during the 1950s. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger's first public performance was at The Cricket Inn in the village.
To get too Beesands one must be prepared to drive along some very narrow roads, wide enough for just one car in places and with a good number of tight turns. There is a car park that is free to park in, something rare in the South Hams. If you are in Beesands to watch a match, you might want to park here and walk to the pitch as a part of the road was washed away in the 2014 February storms. You can drive to the pitch and park in it, but the temporary road is a very bumpy affair and not recommended unless you are in a four by four. On my recent visit I did drive to the pitch and if I had of known how bad the track was, would have parked in the car park and walked.
There is only one building at the ground, a wooden shed that has seen better days, but it serves its purpose. The pitch has two major slopes on it and I was told the farmer who owns the field had offered to level the pitch itself. But the grounds man was reluctant to have this done as he was concerned it might effect the wonderful natural drainage the pitch enjoys.
Due to all the sand under the top surface very few games ever get called off at Beesands Cellars, but my own thoughts is that maybe they should have taken up the farmers offer.
I have put up a few shots taken of the pitch and two great you tube videos that show the February storm in progress and the day afterwards where you can see first hand all the damage that was caused.
