Bere Alston
Encyclopedia
West Devon
West Devon is a local government district and borough in Devon, England. Towns in the district include Chagford, Okehampton, Princetown, and Tavistock, where the council is based....
in the county of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It forms part of the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Bere Ferrers
Bere Ferrers
Bere Ferrers, sometimes called Beerferris, is a village and civil parish on the Bere peninsula in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It has a population of 3,066, and is located to the north of Plymouth, on the west bank of the River Tavy...
.
History and geography
With a population of approximately 2000, the village lies in the Bere peninsula, between the rivers TamarRiver Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
and Tavy
River Tavy
The Tavy is a river on Dartmoor, Devon, England. The name derives from the Brythonic root "Taff", the original meaning of which has now been lost...
. Its origins lie in the once thriving local mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
industry and market gardening
Market gardening
A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. It is distinguishable from other types of farming by the diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically, from under one acre ...
sector. At one time, the mainline trains to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
would stop at the village to pick up locally grown produce destined for the capital.
Trains still run to Bere Alston railway station
Bere Alston railway station
Bere Alston railway station is an unstaffed halt situated near the village of Bere Alston in Devon, England, north of Plymouth on the branch to Gunnislake....
on the picturesque Tamar Valley Line
Tamar Valley Line
The Tamar Valley Line is a railway line from Devonport in Plymouth Devon, to Gunnislake in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The line follows the River Tamar for much of its route.-History:...
, and there has been discussion of making the town a junction once again by reopening the former 'main line' to Tavistock, the largest town in Devon currently without a railway station. Occasionally reopening the whole line through to Okehampton
Okehampton
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
and Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
is suggested, since the current Plymouth to Exeter route
Exeter to Plymouth Line
The Exeter to Plymouth line is a central part of the trunk railway line between London Paddington and Penzance railway stations in the southern United Kingdom. It is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line and runs from Exeter, to Plymouth, from where it continues as the Cornish Main Line...
is dependent on an extremely vulnerable route below the sea cliffs at Dawlish Warren
Dawlish Warren
Dawlish Warren is a small seaside resort near the town of Dawlish in Teignbridge on the south coast of Devon in England. Dawlish Warren consists almost entirely of holiday accommodation and facilities for holiday-makers especially caravan sites....
.
Bere Alston elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons
Unreformed House of Commons
The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act 1832.Until the Act of Union of 1707 joining the Kingdoms of Scotland and England , Scotland had its own Parliament, and the term refers to the House of Commons of England...
. Only a few burgage
Burgage
Burgage is a medieval land term used in England and Scotland, well established by the 13th century. A burgage was a town rental property , owned by a king or lord. The property usually, and distinctly, consisted of a house on a long and narrow plot of land, with the narrow end facing the street...
holders were entitled to vote but as most, if not all, of these holdings were held by a single individual for most of the time that Bere Alston was a parliamentary borough elections were seldom contested (see rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
). Its MPs included Sir George Beaumont, 7th Baronet
Sir George Beaumont, 7th Baronet
Sir George Howland Beaumont, 7th Baronet was a British art patron and amateur painter. He played a crucial part in the creation of London's National Gallery by making the first bequest of paintings to that institution....
, Peter King, 1st Baron King
Peter King, 1st Baron King
Peter King, 1st Baron King PC, FRS was an English lawyer and politician, who became lord chancellor of England.-Life:He was born in Exeter in 1669....
and Josceline Percy. The borough was stripped of its franchise in the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
.
Once home to numerous pubs, the village now only has one public house, The Edgcumbe Hotel, located on Fore Street.Now, there is a beautiful modern cafe opened called Hope Cottage next door to Bere Alston United Church.
There are plenty of beautiful country walks in Bere Alston that cross trainlines, woods, and fields.
Architecture
The village is notable for having one of the oldest primary schools in Devon, Maynard's School. Erected by Sir John MaynardJohn Maynard (MP)
Sir John Maynard KS was an English lawyer and politician, prominent under the reigns of Charles I, the Commonwealth, Charles II, James II and William III.-Origins and education:...
in 1665, the original building still forms part of the primary school today (the date is carved on a granite doorway).
The Bere Alston United Church on Fore Street was built in 1811. The Anglican church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1848.
Sport
The village being located in Devon, Bere Alston United football club is a member of the Devon Football Association, but play their matches in the East Cornwall Premier Division.There are four pool teams playing in the Winter Tamar Valley Pool League from Bere Alston.
From the Edgcumbe Hotel:
The Edgcume 'Aces' - Division 2 & The Edgcumbe 'B' - Premier Division (Division 1 Champions 2009-2010)