Westward Ho! By Charles Kingsley (complete set volume 1 and 2) historical novel: The novel was based on the adventures of Elizabethan corsair Amyas ... World, where they battle with the Spanish.

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Published in 1855, the novel Westward Ho! was an almost immediate success. Written by native Devonian, Charles Kingsley, the book follows the adventures of English Corsair Amyas Preston.

As well as gaining popularity thanks to a book, Westward Ho! is also mentioned in a song by Half Man Half Biscuit reminiscing about holidaying in the town and is also included in a set of short stories by Rudyard Kipling. The poet and author, best known for the Jungle Book, grew up in Westward Ho! attending school there, his collection of stories, Stalky and Co, is based on his experiences while at school in the village, to commemorate this, you’ll find the first stanza of his poem, If, set into the pavement on the promenade. After more than three years, the little band reaches the shore of New Granada. There, after a furious fight, they capture a Spanish galleon. After they secure her and set sail, they go into the hold and release the prisoners the Spaniards have aboard. One of them is Lucy the witch, who tells them of the horrible fate of Rose and Frank. Before Eustace disappeared from La Guayra, he reported to the Inquisition that Rose kept her Protestant faith. She and Lucy were taken before the terrible tribunal, where Frank was also turned over to the torturers. Lucy confessed that she accepted the Catholic faith, but Frank and Rose, refusing to yield to the Inquisitors, were tortured for many days before they were burned at the stake. When Amyas hears this story, he is like a madman, vowing never to rest until he kills every Spaniard he sees. Two Spanish dignitaries on the ship witnessed the burning of Frank and Rose, and Amyas has them hanged immediately. Feb 2007. ("Westward Ho! is an invigorating starting point, because it's the only place in the British Isles with an exclamation mark.")

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The Natural Landscape (AONB) includes the beachwhich is one of a number of Blue Flag rated beaches in this region. During the summer life guards are stationed making it one of the safest in Devon for swimming and water sports. Like much of the coastline in this area of Devon, the current makes conditions perfect for a number of water based activities and the village is popular with those that like surfing, as such you’ll find a host of organisations renting equipment and offering lessons in a wide range of sports including paddle boarding and kayaking. There are also a number of businesses based in the village who offer training sessions and tours of the coastline by boat or board, so those of you interested in a sightseeing tour with a difference can really learn more about this fascinating village from the water. In fact, it turns out that the town of Westward Ho! is the only one in the UK to include punctuation marks (pretty cool fact!) Located just over a mile down the coastline from ever popular Bideford, you’ll find Westward Ho! Now, of course, the main attraction of Westward Ho! is its long sandy beach. After all, the village was first built as a resort specifically to serve the shoreline and act as a gateway to the great expanse of gold that stretches as far as the eye can see.

First off, I didn't really get into this book until almost half-way through. The start seemed to be largely about Amyas Leigh, the protagonist, desiring to go to sea, and his romance with the character Rose. In April 1925, the book was the first novel to be adapted for radio by the BBC. [7] The first movie adaptation of the novel was a 1919 silent film, Westward Ho!, directed by Percy Nash. [8] A 1988 children's animated film, Westward Ho!, produced by Burbank Films Australia, was loosely based on Kingsley's novel. [9] Legacy [ edit ] Construction of the town began in 1865 during the Victorian era and was built in a style typical of resort towns in the 19th-Century. The house façades are high and palm trees are everywhere. Should you opt to visit the seaside resort today, you’ll find a town which is much like many other former Victorian seaside resorts in the UK (a little weathered in places and otherwise very popular). Westward Ho! The Novel by Charles Kingsley Altogether there are almost two miles of sand, reaching the horizon on either side of the town. And just one trip here shows you exactly why the Victorians chose to build along these shorelines. Best things to do in Westward Ho!A prominent theme of the novel is the 16th-century fear of Catholic domination, [5] and this reflects Kingsley's own dislike of Catholicism. [4] The novel repeatedly shows the Protestant English correcting the worst excesses of the Spanish Jesuits and the Inquisition. [4] In comparison with other Devonian towns (even the nearby large town of Bideford), Westward Ho! is a fairly new addition to the landscape, meaning that there aren’t too many historicbuildings of interest about. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t interesting things to do (and spots to eat at). The Pig on the Hill

Kingsley dedicated the novel to Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak, and Bishop George Selwyn, whom he saw as modern representatives of the heroic values of the privateers who were active during the Elizabethan era. Although originally a political radical, Kingsley had by the 1850s become increasingly conservative and a strong supporter of overseas expansion. [4] The novel consistently emphasises the superiority of English values over those of the "decadent Spanish". [1] Although originally written for adults, its mixture of patriotism, sentiment and romance deemed it suitable for children, and it became a firm favourite of children's literature. [5] And the Earl of Portsmouth founded a hotel named ‘Westward Ho!’ Soon enough, other villas started to pop up nearby. And thus, the town of Westward Ho! was born. Find the Westward Ho! book for sale here. Westward Ho! Beach

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The book is the inspiration behind the unusual name of the village of Westward Ho! in Devon, the only place name in the United Kingdom that contains an exclamation mark. [10] Set in the 16th-Century, the story follows theCorsair’s (fancy word for pirate) journey to sea with Francis Drake (a famous confidant toQueen Elizabeth I). The book includes fights with the Spanish in the Americas, searches for gold and life in Devon. When the ship is damaged in a later encounter with the Spaniards, the crew beaches her and begins a march toward the fabled city of Manoa. It is a long and hazardous journey over high mountains and through a land of hostile Indians. They find no El Dorado, but a young priest of one of the tribes falls in love with Amyas and follows him the rest of the journey. She is called Ayacanora, and, although she is of an Indian tribe, she seems to have the look of a white woman. The seafront and the part of the village leading down to the water are part of a Natural Landscape(AONB) which covers the majority of Devon’s north coast.