Sidmouth has a bright and colourful history. The small seaside town started life as a fishing village and port. Unfortunately, the principle of the port failed before the town became a fashionable resort for gentry in the early 19th century. During this time is when most of the esplanade was built with the numerous fine Georgian and Regency villas. Today, many of these are hotels catering for a very popular tourist destination.

Back in 1819, George III's son Edward, the Duke of Kent and his wife and baby daughter came to stay at the Woolbrook Glen for a few weeks. In less than a month, Edward unfortunately died after a brief illness. Later on in the years, his daughter became the future and legendary Queen Victoria and the house later became know as the Royal Glen Hotel. To this day you can see a plaque outside as a record of the visit.

Sidmouth is famous for a number of things, perhaps more amongst others is the Norman Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium will was completed in 1912. It was saved by the local community after it fell into ruin and now operates as a science education centre and regularly opens to the Public.

Sidmouth appeared in the Domesday Book as SEDEMUDA.

In 1824 Sidmouth was connected to the railway network by a branch line from Sidmouth Junction, but this was dismantled under the Beeching Axe, a government scheme to help cut costs, in the 1960s.