chrisbell said:
Welcome! (with an !). So, what was Westward Ho! called before it became Westward Ho! (with an !)?
Here's a brief history taken from the Devon History Society website:
Westward Ho! has left us with another linguistic curiosity: the only British placename with an exclamation mark. It's generally known that the town is named after the novel, but not that it was constructed entirely in response to it. Kingsley eulogized the area in the novel, which he wrote while living at Bideford.
Its bestseller status led to such interest in the area that a group of entrepreneurs saw a tourism market opportunity. Starting in 1863, the Northam Burrows Hotel and Villa Building Company, chaired by Lord Portsmouth, established the first buildings (Westward Ho! was to be an exclusive health resort) and another group, the Northern Pier Company (Limited) built a pier.
The developers in addition lobbied successfully for the right to build a railway. According to The Rise of the Devon Seaside Resorts 1750-1900 by John F. Travis (see pages 139-140), despite much publicity, the resort was only a moderate success, suffering from public health problems in the 1870s.
and from Wikipedia:
The village name comes from the title of Charles Kingsley's novel Westward Ho! (1855), which was set in nearby Bideford. The book was a bestseller, and entrepreneurs saw the opportunity to develop tourism in the area. The Northam Burrows Hotel and Villa Building Company, chaired by Lord Portsmouth, was formed in 1863, and its prospectus stated:
"This Company has been formed for the erection of a Family Hotel, on an Estate purchased for the purpose immediately contiguous to Northam Burrows, and of Villas and Lodging Houses for Sale or Lease. The want of such accommodation has long been felt, and as no attempt to supply it has hitherto been made by individuals, it is deemed to be a legitimate project to be undertaken by a Company. The salubrity and beauty of the North of Devon have long been known and appreciated. Sir James Clark has placed it in the highest position for health-giving qualities; and the recent publication of Professor Kingsley's "Westward Ho" has excited increased public attention to the western part, more especially, of this romantic and beautiful coast. Nothing but a want of accommodation for visitors has hitherto prevented its being the resort of families seeking the advantages of sea bathing, combined with the invigorating breezes of the Atlantic...."
The hotel was named the Westward Ho! Hotel, and the adjacent villas were also named after the book. As further development took place, it also acquired the name of Westward Ho!