Editing South West England (section)

===Modern history===
Since 1650, the City of [[Plymouth]] has grown to become the largest city in Devon, mainly due to the naval base at [[Devonport, Devon|Devonport]]. [[HMNB Devonport|Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport]] is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the [[Royal Navy]]. HMNB Devonport is now the largest naval base in Western Europe.<ref name=hmnbdevonport>{{cite web|title=Devonport|url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Naval-Bases/Devonport|publisher=Royal Navy|access-date=17 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922011842/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Naval-Bases/Devonport|archive-date=22 September 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>  The large [[Portland Harbour]], built at the end of the 19th century and protected by [[Nothe Fort]] and the [[Verne Citadel]], was for many years, including during the wars, another of the largest Royal Navy bases.

The 19th century saw improvements to roads in the region with the introduction of [[turnpike trust|turnpikes]] and the building of canals and railways. The usefulness of the canals was short-lived, though they have now been restored for recreation. [[Chard, Somerset|Chard]] claims to be the birthplace of [[powered flight]], in 1848 when the [[Victorian Age|Victorian]] aeronautical pioneer [[John Stringfellow]] first demonstrated that engine-powered flight was possible through his work on the [[Aerial Steam Carriage]].<ref>{{cite book | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qNp3JM35UMoC&q=john+stringfellow+chard&pg=RA1-PA678 | title= Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology | first1= Lance | last1= Day | last2= McNeil|first2= Ian | page= 678 | year= 1998 | publisher= Taylor & Francis | isbn= 0-415-19399-0}}</ref><ref name=ChardFirst>{{cite news | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/10/07/dl0703.xml | title= Chard was there first | work= Daily Telegraph | date= 7 October 2006 | access-date= 17 October 2008 | location= London | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061029142320/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fopinion%2F2006%2F10%2F07%2Fdl0703.xml | archive-date= 29 October 2006 | url-status= dead }}</ref> [[North Petherton]] was the first town in England (and one of the few ever) to be lit by [[acetylene]] gas lighting.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18684 |title=North Petherton |access-date=19 November 2007 |work=British History Online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525092236/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18684 |archive-date=25 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Portiishead power station.jpg|thumb|left|[[Portishead power station]]]]

Around the 1860s, at the height of the iron and steel era, a [[pier]] and a deep-water [[Dock (maritime)|dock]] were built, at [[Portishead, Somerset|Portishead]] to accommodate the large ships that had difficulty in reaching [[Bristol Harbour]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Awdry|first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Awdry|title=Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies|publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |year=1990 |isbn=978-1-85260-049-5|page=19}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Martin|title=The Railways of Bristol & Somerset|publisher=Ian Allan Publishing |location=Sherton |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-7110-2063-4|page=96}}</ref> The [[Portishead power station]]s were coal-fed [[power station]]s built next to the dock. Industrial activities ceased in the dock with the closure of the power stations. The Port of Bristol Authority finally closed the dock in 1992,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/localact1992/ukla_19920021_en_1|title=City of Bristol (Portishead Docks) Act|year=1992|publisher=Office of Public Sector Information|access-date=1 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925100604/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/localact1992/ukla_19920021_en_1|archive-date=25 September 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> and it has now been developed into a marina and residential area.

During the [[First World War]] many soldiers from the South West were killed, and war memorials were put up in most of the towns and villages; only a few villages escaped casualties. There were also casualties&nbsp;– though much fewer&nbsp;– during the Second World War, who were added to the memorials. Several areas were bases for troops preparing for the 1944 [[D-Day]] landings. [[Exercise Tiger]], or Operation Tiger, was the code names for a full-scale rehearsal in 1944 for the [[Operation Overlord|D-Day]] invasion of [[Normandy]]. The British Government evacuated approximately 3,000 local residents in the area of [[Slapton, Devon|Slapton]], now [[South Hams|South Hams District]] of [[Devon]].<ref>[http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/environment/historic_environment/slapton-line/sl-monument_rededication.htm?textsize=1 Slapton Line: Slapton Monument Rededication] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531051958/http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/environment/historic_environment/slapton-line/sl-monument_rededication.htm?textsize=1 |date=31 May 2016 }}&nbsp;– Devon County Council&nbsp;– Devon.gov.uk&nbsp;– Updated 9 March 2007</ref> Some of them had never left their villages before.<ref name=stokes>Stokes, Paul. "Veterans honour 749 who died in D-Day rehearsal"&nbsp;– ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Daily Telegraph&nbsp;– London]]''&nbsp;– 29 April 1994</ref> Bristol's city centre suffered severe damage from [[Luftwaffe]] bombing during the [[Bristol Blitz]] of World War II.<ref>[http://fishponds.org.uk/luftbrim.html John Penny MA; The Luftwaffe over the Bristol area 1940–44] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511144048/http://fishponds.org.uk/luftbrim.html |date=11 May 2011 }} Retrieved 14 July 2008</ref> The [[Royal Ordnance Factory]] [[ROF Bridgwater]] was constructed early in [[World War II]] for the [[Ministry of Supply (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Supply]].<ref name=cocroft>Cocroft, Wayne D. (2000). ''Dangerous Energy: The archaeology of gunpowder and military explosives manufacture''. Swindon: English Heritage. {{ISBN|1-85074-718-0}}</ref> The [[Taunton Stop Line]] was set up to resist a potential German invasion, and the remains of its [[Bunker|pill boxes]] can still be seen, as well as others along the coast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pillboxes-somerset.com/taunton_stop_line.htm |title=Taunton Stop Line |access-date=25 October 2007 |work=Pillboxes Somerset |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028164855/http://www.pillboxes-somerset.com/taunton_stop_line.htm |archive-date=28 October 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:PorlockVale.jpg|thumb|[[Porlock]], [[Exmoor]]]]

[[Exmoor]] was one of the first British National Parks, designated in 1954, under the 1949 [[National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act]].<ref name="authority">{{cite web |url=http://www.everythingexmoor.org.uk/_E/Exmoor_National_Park_Authority.php |title=Exmoor National Park Authority |access-date=16 October 2007 |work=Everything Exmoor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010125203/http://everythingexmoor.org.uk/_E/Exmoor_National_Park_Authority.php |archive-date=10 October 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> and is named after its main river. It was expanded in 1991 and in 1993 Exmoor was designated as an [[Environmentally Sensitive Area]]. The [[Quantock Hills]] were designated as an [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]] (AONB) in 1956, the first such designation in England under the [[National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949]]. The [[Mendip Hills]] followed with AONB designation in 1972.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Mendip Society website | url=http://www.mendipsociety.org.uk/ | access-date=17 February 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205045607/http://www.mendipsociety.org.uk/ | archive-date=5 February 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref>