Horrabridge
Encyclopedia
Horrabridge is a village in West Devon
, England
with a population of 2,115 people in 2006, down from 2,204 in 1991. It is located approximately 12 miles north of the city of Plymouth
and 4 miles south of Tavistock and is within the Dartmoor
National Park.
It sits on the River Walkham
, a fishing river famous for its salmon. The village's name may have been taken from the 15th century pack-horse bridge which remains the only vehicular route from one side of the village to the other, and featured in the Children's television programme Bagpuss
.
Horrabridge has two pubs, the Leaping Salmon and the London Inn but has lost many of its shops over the last 20 years including a draper, television shop and general store. The village does however retain its post office, family bakery, hairdresser, florist, DIY and hardware shop, and newsagent.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, the main industry was the mining of copper
and tin
. This industry has completely disappeared, leaving a legacy of unmapped mineshafts in the village and the surrounding area. It is a popular starting point for walks on Dartmoor and has become a dormitory village for the adjoining towns.
Horrabridge has a football
club associated with it; Horrabridge Rangers Sports Association. The football club has 2 adult teams and 8 youth teams. The football club has been around for over 100 years and provides a useful activity for the children of Horrabridge and the surrounding villages of Yelverton
, Buckland Monachorum
, Crapstone, Meavy
and Walkhampton
.
Musician Seth Lakeman
recorded his Mercury Music Prize-shortlisted album Kitty Jay in Horrabridge.
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....
, 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...
with a population of 2,115 people in 2006, down from 2,204 in 1991. It is located approximately 12 miles north of the city of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and 4 miles south of Tavistock and is within the Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
National Park.
It sits on the River Walkham
River Walkham
The Walkham is a river whose source is on Dartmoor, Devon, England. Flowing under Merivale and Huckworthy Bridges, the river reaches Horrabridge. About three miles further on, by a footbridge on the West Devon Way, it joins the River Tavy.-See also:...
, a fishing river famous for its salmon. The village's name may have been taken from the 15th century pack-horse bridge which remains the only vehicular route from one side of the village to the other, and featured in the Children's television programme Bagpuss
Bagpuss
Bagpuss is a 1974 UK children's television series, made by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate through their company Smallfilms. The title character is "an old, saggy cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams"...
.
Horrabridge has two pubs, the Leaping Salmon and the London Inn but has lost many of its shops over the last 20 years including a draper, television shop and general store. The village does however retain its post office, family bakery, hairdresser, florist, DIY and hardware shop, and newsagent.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, the main industry was the mining of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
. This industry has completely disappeared, leaving a legacy of unmapped mineshafts in the village and the surrounding area. It is a popular starting point for walks on Dartmoor and has become a dormitory village for the adjoining towns.
Horrabridge has a football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club associated with it; Horrabridge Rangers Sports Association. The football club has 2 adult teams and 8 youth teams. The football club has been around for over 100 years and provides a useful activity for the children of Horrabridge and the surrounding villages of Yelverton
Yelverton, Devon
Yelverton is a large village on the south-western edge of Dartmoor, Devon, in England.When the village's railway station opened in the 19th century, the village became a popular residence for Plymouth commuters...
, Buckland Monachorum
Buckland Monachorum
Buckland Monachorum is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district of Devon, England, situated on the River Tavy, about 10 miles north of Plymouth.In 2006 the neighbourhood had an estimated 1,511 residents and 654 dwellings....
, Crapstone, Meavy
Meavy
Meavy is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Devon. Meavy forms part of the district of West Devon. It lies a mile or so east of Yelverton. The River Meavy runs near the village...
and Walkhampton
Walkhampton
Walkhampton is a village and civil parish on the western side of Dartmoor in the county of Devon, England. The village lies on the Black Brook, a tributary of the River Walkham, about south-east of Tavistock, near the villages of Horrabridge, Yelverton and Dousland. Burrator Reservoir, constructed...
.
Musician Seth Lakeman
Seth Lakeman
Seth Bernard Lakeman is an English folk singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, who is most often associated with the fiddle and tenor guitar, but has also mastered the viola and banjo...
recorded his Mercury Music Prize-shortlisted album Kitty Jay in Horrabridge.