A village built into a crack in a tremendous cliff

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Clovelly is a masterpiece of human ingenuity and preservation. Built into the wooded sea cliffs of north Devon, its steep, cobbled main street is so vertical that goods are still moved by sledge rather than vehicle. It is a place where history is literally carved into the stone.

The village's unique geography is so extreme that it has been described as a street fitting into the bottom of a crack in a cliff, with stones set slant-wise to provide footing. This verticality has dictated the village's logistics for centuries; while donkeys were once the primary movers of cargo from Clovelly Bay, they have been largely replaced by sledges. This isn't a tourist performance but a practical necessity, as the main street remains entirely inaccessible to motor vehicles.

The history of Clovelly is one of continuous private ownership and architectural preservation. Managed by the Hamlyn family since 1738, the village has remained under the stewardship of only three families since the mid-13th century. In the late 16th century, George Cary transformed the area into a fishing village by spending £2,000 to erect a stone breakwater, fish cellars, and warehouses. Today, the Clovelly Estate Company maintains the village's character, ensuring that almost all terraced buildings along the main street are architecturally listed.

Beyond its physical structure, Clovelly has served as a cultural touchstone for centuries. It was a home to the novelist Charles Kingsley, whose 1855 work boosted its tourism, and it inspired works by Charles Dickens and Winston Graham. It even holds a darker, fictional legacy: an 18th-century chapbook once claimed the village was home to a tribe of cannibalistic bandits. Despite these myths, the village remains a living community and a vital maritime site, home to an RNLI lifeboat station that has saved 158 lives between 1899 and 1931.

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