South Hams
§ This page gives an overview of the South Hams local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ South Hams in Devon is a district of exceptional natural beauty, with a coastline stretching from Dartmouth to Plymouth Sound. It encompasses part of the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, featuring coves, cliffs, and sandy beaches such as those near Salcombe and Bantham. The River Dart winds through scenic valleys, with Dartmouth’s historic port at its mouth. Totnes, an inland market town, is known for its independent shops and historic castle. The district’s countryside includes rolling farmland and part of Dartmoor National Park, creating a mix of coastal and upland scenery.
The administrative boundary of South Hams can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of South Hams.
Key Facts about South Hams
What region is South Hams in? South Hams is in the South West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is South Hams in? South Hams is located in the county of Devon.
Is South Hams a city? No, South Hams is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs South Hams? The local authority for this district is: South Hams District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Devon is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Devon County Council.
▶ Official website of South Hams District Council 🔗 southhams.gov.uk
Which police force covers South Hams? Policing in South Hams is provided by Devon & Cornwall Police 🔗 devon-cornwall.police.uk, which serves 12 local authority districts: Cornwall ⁞ East Devon ⁞ Exeter ⁞ Isles of Scilly ⁞ Mid Devon ⁞ North Devon ⁞ Plymouth ⁞ South Hams ⁞ Teignbridge ⁞ Torbay ⁞ Torridge ⁞ West Devon.
Constituencies in South Hams
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in South Hams
South Hams is divided into 20 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Allington & Strete
- Bickleigh & Cornwood
- Blackawton & Stoke Fleming
- Charterlands
- Dartington & Staverton
- Dartmouth & East Dart
- Ermington & Ugborough
- Ivybridge East
- Ivybridge West
- Kingsbridge
- Loddiswell & Aveton Gifford
- Marldon & Littlehempston
- Newton & Yealmpton
- Salcombe & Thurlestone
- South Brent
- Stokenham
- Totnes
- Wembury & Brixton
- West Dart
- Woolwell
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in South Hams
South Hams is fully parished: 61 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Ashprington
- Aveton Gifford
- Berry Pomeroy
- Bickleigh
- Bigbury
- Blackawton
- Brixton
- Buckland-Tout-Saints
- Charleton
- Chivelstone
- Churchstow
- Cornwood
- Cornworthy
- Dartington
- Dartmouth
- Dean Prior
- Diptford
- Dittisham
- East Allington
- East Portlemouth
- Ermington
- Frogmore and Sherford
- Halwell and Moreleigh
- Harberton
- Harford
- Holbeton
- Holne
- Ivybridge
- Kingsbridge
- Kingston
- Kingswear
- Littlehempston
- Loddiswell
- Malborough
- Marldon
- Modbury
- Newton and Noss
- North Huish
- Rattery
- Ringmore
- Salcombe
- Shaugh Prior
- Slapton
- South Brent
- South Huish
- South Milton
- South Pool
- Sparkwell
- Staverton
- Stoke Fleming
- Stoke Gabriel
- Stokenham
- Strete
- Thurlestone
- Totnes
- Ugborough
- Wembury
- West Alvington
- West Buckfastleigh
- Woodleigh
- Yealmpton
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in South Hams
South Hams covers 43 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ashburton *
- Aveton Gifford
- Bickleigh
- Bigbury-on-Sea
- Bittaford
- Blackawton
- Brixham *
- Brixton
- Buckfast *
- Buckfastleigh *
- Chillington
- Dartington
- Dartmouth
- Dittisham
- Ermington
- Heybrook Bay
- Inner Hope
- Ivybridge
- Kingsbridge
- Kingswear
- Lee Mill
- Loddiswell
- Malborough
- Marldon *
- Modbury
- Newton Ferrers
- Noss Mayo
- Paignton *
- Plymouth *
- Salcombe
- Sherford *
- Slapton (South Hams)
- South Brent
- South Milton
- Stoke Fleming
- Stoke Gabriel
- Stokenham
- Strete
- Thurlestone
- Totnes
- Wembury
- West Charleton
- Yealmpton
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of South Hams.)
South Hams compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how South Hams compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
South Hams has 20 electoral wards.
South Hams has a population of 92,148 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for South Hams can be found on the ONS statistics for South Hams.