In the charming town of Colyton in Devonshire, home to a delightful vintage tram service

On arrival in Colyton I see a sign. ‘The most rebellious town in Devon’, it says. The rebellion in question refers to that of the Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II, against the new Catholic King James II in 1685.

More than 100 men from Colyton joined the so-called “Pitchfork Rebellion,” but it did not end well because of the retaliation of the infamous “Bloody” judge Jeffreys and his fellow judges.

But today, when locals re-enact the uprising in full costume, it’s a much happier affair, with cream teas and cakes everywhere.

Colyton is a charming town, with steep narrow streets built on the rounded Saxon model and if you come in summer you will see colorful heraldic banners flying proudly from the buildings.

History is everywhere you look. East Devon grew rich from the cloth trade and at The Merchant’s House my guide Maggie tells me the story of the medieval wall painting that was on display in the 1970s.

Experts were called and identified the characters in the painting as musical angels. I then learn about ‘The Feoffees’.

These were 20 merchants who went to London in 1546 to ask Henry VIII if they could work for the benefit of the townspeople in place of the ‘Lord of the Manor’, Henry Courtenay, who lost his head.

They were ‘feoffed’ by the king and to this day the Feoffees of Colyton operate as a kind of shadow parish council.

Across the street from Market Place is the Church of St Andrew. The distinctive 14th century octagonal lantern tower is a local landmark.

Neil stays at the Old Bakehouse, a ‘tastefully decorated’ guest house on Lower Church Street

Inside, a plaque tells of Captain Henry Wilson, who commanded the East India Company’s pack ship, Antelope.

It was wrecked in the Pelew Islands in 1783 and “beautifully preserved with the Ship’s Company among strangers, in a land not often visited and unknown.” Wilson came home and died in Colyton in 1810 at the age of 70.

St Andrew’s also has a large West Window, one of the finest you will see in a parish church in England.

My base in Colyton is the Old Bakehouse, a Grade II listed building on Lower Church Street dating back to the late 1600s.

‘Colyton is a charming little town, with steep narrow streets built on the round Saxon model,’ writes Neil. Upstairs is the city’s tram station

Today it is a tastefully decorated, comfortable guest house run by a delightful couple, Fiona and Steve. They are very welcoming and all the ingredients for the delicious full English breakfast are from Devon, including a Colyton sausage from the award-winning Anton’s Butchers on Market Place. Colyton thrives.

Not only does it have a butcher’s shop, there is also a pharmacy, a library, two convenience stores, a social club and a town hall that is still in use. There is also a tannery and a father-and-son master wheelwright.

In the Gerrard Arms, an old coaching inn, I drink a pint of Exmoor Gold. The tasty local dishes on offer at The Kingfisher, built around 1600, include Lyme Bay crab and hand-dipped scallops.

A afternoon. I head to Colyton Tram Station, which has had an electric tram service to the Jurassic Coast since 1970.

I enjoy a delightful three-mile open-top ride on a beautifully preserved vintage tram, passing through the Ax Valley and the Seaton Wetlands, where a wide variety of birds can be seen depending on the season.

The driver tells us to look out for a buzzard on the post ahead. The bird is nicknamed Boris, because of his unruly haircut.

I later learn that the good people of Colyton are still rioting, this time to make sure they have their say in any breaches of the ‘green wedge’ between them and the seaside town of Seaton. Good luck to them.