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Dawlish is a town on the south coast of Devon, 12 miles from Exeter, with a population of around 13,500 people. During the eighteenth century, it grew from a small fishing port to become a well-known seaside resort.

The old town is situated atop red cliffs, while the coast to the North East, known as Dawlish Warren, is sandy. Dawlish is also known for its black swans (Cygnus atratus), introduced from Western Australia.

The town of Dawlish took its name from a local stream with a Brythonic name, once spelt 'Deawlisc', meaning 'Devil Water' (the name came from heavy rains churning up the red cliffs, making the brook run red). An alternative meaning proposed is 'black stream', cognate with Welsh du (g)lais. Several other spellings and meanings are found later in the Domesday Book and in documents from Exeter Cathedral.

Key Stats

• The population of the Dawlish Devon Town area for 2009 is 15800
• In the last 10 years, the population has increased by 4.66%
• Claimant counts for November 2008 were approximately 40 people
• Job Seekers Allowance for the area reached 0.42% of the working age population in November 2008
• District claimant count figures for 2008 showed a claimant count of 1.52% of the working age population
• The Average income in 2008 for the Dawlish Devon Town area is £31153.66 per household
• Average house price for the area in 2007 was recorded as £397,822.27
• There were 150 year 11 pupils in this area in 2007
• 48.0% of year 11 pupils attained 5 A*-C grades at GCSE in 2007
• There are 149 year 6 pupils throughout the Dawlish Devon Town area in 2007
• 78.3% of pupils attained KS2 Level 4+ in 2007
• For statistical profiles of the Dawlish please click here