Tavistock
Encyclopedia
Tavistock is a market town
within West Devon
, England
on the River Tavy
, from which has its name derives, and has a population
of 11,018. It traces its history back at least to AD 961, when Tavistock Abbey
, whose ruins lie in the centre of the town, was founded. Its most famous son is Sir Francis Drake
.
runs wide and shallow allowing it to be easily crossed, and near the secure high ground of Dartmoor
, was inhabited long before the historical record. The surrounding area is littered with archaeological remains from the Bronze
and Iron Age
s and it is believed a hamlet
existed on the site of the present town long before the town's official history began, with the founding of the Abbey.
The abbey of Saint Mary and Saint Rumon was founded in 961 by Ordgar, Earl of Devon. After destruction by Danish
raiders in 997 it was restored, and among its famous abbot
s was Aldred
, who crowned Harold II
and William I
, and died Archbishop of York
.
In 1105 a Royal Charter
was granted by Henry I
to the monks of Tavistock to run a weekly "Pannier Market
" (so called after the baskets used to carry goods) on a Friday, which still takes place today. In 1116 a three-day fair
was also granted to mark the feast of Saint Rumon, another tradition that is still maintained in the shape of the annual "Goosey" fair on the 2nd Wednesday in October.
By 1185 Tavistock had achieved borough
status and in 1295 became a parliamentary borough
, sending two members to parliament. The abbey church was rebuilt in 1285. In 1305, with the growing importance of the area as one of Europe's richest sources of tin
, Tavistock was one of the four stannary towns appointed by charter of Edward I
, where tin was stamped and weighed and monthly courts were held for the regulation of mining affairs.
Parish church
The church of Saint Eustachius (Eustace) (named after the Roman centurion who became a Christian) was dedicated by Bishop Stapledon
in 1318 though there are very few remains of that building today. It was rebuilt and enlarged into its current form between 1350 and 1450, at which time the Clothworkers' Aisle (an outer south aisle) was included, an indication of the growing importance of the textile industry
to the local economy—the trade was protected by a 1467 statute
. The whole is in the Perpendicular style and consists of a nave and chancel, both with two aisles, tower and outer south aisle.
It possesses a lofty tower supported on four open arches, one of which was reputedly added to accommodate the 19th century "tinners" or tin miners. Within are monuments to the Glanville and Bourchier families, besides some fine stained glass, one window being the work of William Morris
and another of Charles Eamer Kempe
. It also has a roof boss featuring one of the so-called 'Tinners' Hares
', a trio of rabbits/hares joined at and sharing three ears between them. The font is octagonal and dates from the 15th century.
to the Earl of Bedford
, then lord
of the manor
.
In the 17th century great quantities of cloth were sold at the Friday market and four fairs were held at the feasts of Saint Michael
, Epiphany
, Saint Mark
, and the Decollation of John the Baptist
. The charter of Charles II
instituted a Tuesday market, fairs on the Thursday after Whitsunday
and at the feast of Saint Swithin.The town continued to prosper in the charge of the abbots, acquiring one of England's first printing press
es in 1525. Tavistock remained an important centre of both trade and religion until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
--the abbey was demolished in 1539, leaving the ruins still to be seen around the centre of the town. From this time on, the dominant force in the town became the Russell
family, Earls and later Dukes of Bedford, who took over much of the land following the Dissolution.
Tavistock is tied from late medieval times with the Russells, the family name of the Earls of Bedford and since 1694, the Dukes of Bedford. This is clearly seen from the history of the town. The second title of the Duke of Bedford
is the Marquess of Tavistock, taken as the courtesy title of the eldest son and heir to the dukedom, and illustrates the importance of this Devon town, its hinterland and the minerals beneath it to the family's fortunes. It is believed that the Russell family retains considerable interests in the locality. Most recently, Robin
, the short-lived 14th Duke, as Marquess of Tavistock, was a frequent visitor to the town along with his wife, Henrietta. Andrew Russell
is the 15th Duke of Bedford and Marquess of Tavistock.
It is this Russell family connection through the Bedford Estates which gives the name by ownership to Russell Square
and Tavistock Square
in London
, famously home to the Tavistock Clinic
, and the bus-bombing of 7 July 2005
.
was born at Crowndale Farm, just to the west of what is now Tavistock College
. A Blue Plaque
is mounted on the current farmhouse, behind which Drake is believed to have been born, the original farmhouse having been dismantled and the stone transported for use in Lew Trenchard
. He became a prominent figure of his age, a champion of Queen Elizabeth
, the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world and one of the English commanders in the famously decisive victory against the Spanish Armada
in 1588. Drake is more important to Plymothians for his part in constructing Drake's Leat
a long open granite watercourse bringing clean fresh water from the high moor into the town of Plymouth
.
The famous statue of Drake on Plymouth Hoe
is a copy of that on a roundabout
on the A386 at the western end of the town, with panels not replicated on the Hoe copy. Drake later made his home at Buckland Abbey
, about 8 miles (12.9 km) away towards Plymouth, jointly owned/run by Plymouth City Council and the National Trust
, and now a museum to Drake.
, manganese
, lead
, silver
and tin
were previously in the neighbourhood and the town played host to a considerable trade of cattle
and corn
, and industries in brewing
and iron-founding.
By the 17th century, tin was on the wane and the town relied more heavily on the cloth trade. Under the stewardship of the Russells the town remained prosperous, surviving the Black Death
in 1625 (though 52 townspeople died). In the English Civil War
starting 1642, the town was at first held by the Parliamentarians
(Francis Russell, the 4th Earl of Bedford was a leading figure in the parliamentarian movement), before later hosting King Charles I
and his Royalist troops in 1643 after the defeat of the Parliamentary forces at Braddock Down
.
The woollen industry decayed at Tavistock and was attributed by the inhabitants in 1641 to the dread of the Turks
at sea and of Popish Plot
s at home.
In 1694, William Russell, 5th Earl of Bedford became the first Duke of Bedford
.
had been dug (most of the labour being done by French prisoners of war
from the Napoleonic Wars
, to carry copper to Morwellham Quay
on the River Tamar
, where it could be loaded into sailing ships weighing up to 200 tonnes. In 1822 the old fairs were abolished in favour of six fairs on the second Wednesday in May, July, September, October, November and December.
In the mid-nineteenth century, with nearby Devon Great Consols mine at Blanchdown one of the biggest copper mining operations in the world, Tavistock was booming again, reputedly earning the 7th Duke of Bedford alone over £2,000,000. A statue in copper of the 7th Duke stands in Guildhall Square. The Duke built a 50,000 imperial gallon (230 m³) reservoir to supply the town in 1845, as well as a hundred miners' houses at the southern end of town, between 1845 and 1855. There is a strong, recognisable vernacular
"Bedford style" of design, exemplified most strikingly in Tavistock's Town Hall and "Bedford Cottages" ubiquitous across Tavistock and much of the local area to the north and west, where the Bedfords had their estate and summer "cottage" at Endsleigh House and Gardens (since 2005, Alex Polizzi's
Hotel Endsleigh).
Tavistock was deprived of one member of Parliament in 1867 and finally disenfranchised in 1885.
The railway
came to the town in 1859, with the town being connected to the Great Western Railway
and the London and South Western Railway
. At around this time the centre of town was substantially and ruthlessly remodelled by the 7th Duke of Bedford, including the construction of the current Town Hall and Pannier Market buildings, and the widening of the Abbey Bridge, first built in 1764, and a new Drake Road ramped up northwards from Bedford Square to the LSWR station. Tavistock (North) Railway Station opened to much acclaim and fanfare in 1890. The population had peaked at around 9,000. By 1901 the population had halved, recorded as 4,728. In 1968, following the Beeching Report Tavistock Station closed its doors, and in 1999 English Heritage
listed the building as Grade II.
Kelly College
, a co-educational public school
, to the north-east of the town, was founded by Admiral Benedictus Marwood Kelly, and opened in 1877 for the education of his descendants and the orphan sons of naval officers, and is a pastiche
of the Bedford and High Victorian
styles of building.
In 1911, the Bedford influence on the town came to an end after over 450 years, when the family sold most of their holdings in the area to meet death duties
. The Bedford name can still be seen in many place names around the town. The Town Council is the owner of much former Bedford property from around this time, making it one of the richest parish councils in England. The council cannot raise capital or income from the landholding and most of its budget on managing the properties.
West Devon Borough Council is based in Tavistock, about 500 metres north of Bedford Square at Kilworthy Park. There is a small police station under part of the Bedford building complex on Bedford Square but the adjacent historic Magistrates Court has been closed and the nearest criminal court is now at Plymouth.
In 1933 the long-disused canal was put to use providing hydroelectric power
for the area.
A war memorial
in Bedford Square commemorates many, but not all, of the townsfolk killed in the First
and Second
World Wars. Many families across Britain exercised their right not to have their family members named on these public memorials. In 2006, this memorial is in process of being moved, to a site in the graveyard of the Parish Church.
Tavistock had two railway stations, both now closed. Tavistock South was the Great Western Railway
's station, on the route between Launceston and Plymouth. This was closed and mostly dismantled between 1962 and 1965. The station was sited to the south of Bedford Square, just over the bridge and to the right—now a council depot: no trace of the station remains. Tavistock North was the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway
's station, operated by the London and South Western Railway, on the route between Lydford
and Plymouth via Bere Alston
. This opened on 2 June 1890 and closed on 6 May 1968. The main station building survives as railway-themed bed and breakfast accommodation while the extensive goods yard is now known as Kilworthy Park and houses the offices of West Devon Borough Council. The railway for around a mile south of Tavistock North station is open to the public as a footpath and nature reserve and it is possible to walk across the viaducts that overlook the town.
The trackbed of the Tavistock North route is almost intact to Bere Alston where it joins today's Tamar Valley Line
. There has been discussion regarding the re-opening of a rail link for a number of years. Engineering assessment shows the rail-bed, bridges and tunnels to be in sound condition. In 2008 a housing developer offered to rebuild the railway to Bere Alston (from a new station slightly south of the town) if agreement for him to build 800 properties could be concluded. This has also encouraged speculation about restoring the Tavistock-Okehampton
rail link, which could provide an alternative to the Devon coastal main line to link the South West Region with the rest of the country. As of 2010 there is a group investigating the possibility of re-instating the line between Tavistock and Bere Alston
and a suggestion that Tavistock could be included in the Liberal Democrat
rail expansion plans should they win the 2010 General Election.
In 1986, the town's two newspaper
s, the Tavistock Gazette (founded in 1857) and the Tavistock Times (established in 1920) merged to form the current weekly publication, the Tavistock Times Gazette
, with a circulation of around 8,000. The newspaper is owned by Tindle Newspaper Group
. The newspaper celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2007, with a visit from the Prince of Wales
and Duchess of Cornwall.
In July 2006 Tavistock was named the eastern Gateway to the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site
, which runs westward through the Tamar Valley and Great Consols Mine, down the spine of Cornwall to Lands End. This £75 million project is likely to bring more tourists to Tavistock. A £1.1million World Heritage Site Interpretation Centre, planned for 2007, to be built in the area of the Guildhall, and overlooking the River Tavy has not been achieved.
A local community group known as "Tavistock Forward", have been negotiating to take over the Guildhall complex with police force and English Heritage
endorsement, with lease-back of the existing police station to Devon & Cornwall Police, while developing the Guildhall itself.
, comedian Dawn French, musicians Peter Quaife & Seth Lakeman
, and Olympians Kate Allenby
and Heather Fell
all have ties with Tavistock
on the A386, with a population of 11,018. The town is centred on the paved amenity of Bedford Square, around which are found St. Eustachius' Church and the Abbey ruins, to the west, the Grade 2-listed Town Hall, the disused former Guildhall/magistrates' court buildings, and Pannier Market buildings behind the Town Hall. Abbey Bridge crosses the River Tavy to the south, while West Street and Duke Street, on either side of the north end of the square, form the main shopping
areas, with the indoor [Pannier] market running behind Duke Street.
Plymouth Road, the A386 heading west from the centre of the square, is home to much of the town's tourist trade, with many hotel
s and bed and breakfast
establishments, as well as the town's bus
station. Between Plymouth Road and the Tavy is the park
, known locally as the Meadows, along with car parks, the Wharf theatre
, cinema
and culture centre, and a public recreation pool. West of the Meadows are found the substantial playing fields and buildings of Tavistock College, reached by an underpass below the A386. Further south along the Plymouth Road/A386 lie industrial estates, supermarket
s and other large retail outlets. To the north and east of town lies Whitchurch Down, where Dartmoor begins immediately.
(Köppen climate classification
Cfb).
, a state-funded specialist Language College with nearly 2,000 pupils, drawn from a catchment area of about 20 km (12.4 mi) radius. The college has links with Japan
, Uganda
, Spain
and India
where staff exchanges and student visits and projects take place. Since 2006, the college has organised concerts locally under the name of ParkLife; a ParkLife festival was held in 2007 and 2008. It is currently the only secondary school to be under OFSTED's Special Measures, in Devon.
Some children who pass the optional 11 plus exam at a high level travel to one of the three remaining grammar schools in Plymouth. Others who leave school at 16 attend the City College C of F E there. Tavistock has a choice of primary schools: Church of England
St Peter's and also St Rumon's, together with Devon County Council's Tavistock Community Primary and Whitchurch Primary.
, just north of the town. Further along the road is Kelly College Preparatory School. Close by on a prominent site beside the Princetown road is Mount House Preparatory School
preparing boarding youngsters from 7 to 13 for Common Entrance
to their public schools
.
population, perhaps drawn by the rural tranquillity and scenery, giving Tavistock an average resident age of 44 (one of the highest average ages in Devon).
The Market continues to operate in the large covered market building, the Pannier Market; the main market is on Fridays, on other days the market hosts specialised events, such as craft
fairs and antiques
fairs. A Farmers' Market takes place in the Square fortnightly and has been voted Best Farmer's Market in the South West.
In 2005 Tavistock was voted 'Best Market Town' in England and in 2006 'Best Food Town', largely on the strength of the many independent food shops and suppliers in the town and nearby, such as a long-established family grocer and delicatessen in Brook St and the cheese shop behind the Pannier market. The town also became Devon's second Fairtrade Town (in 2006). In 2006 the town was in the news for having successfully cold-shouldered to closure the local branch of McDonalds
goose
, allowing plenty of time to fatten the bird before Christmas came; nowadays, along with a multitude of gypsy street vendors selling a vast range of wares, there are all the rides
and games associated with funfair
s, such as fortune tellers.
There is an annual 2-day Food Festival in September and a Carnival with a 2-day Balloon Fiesta each August bank holiday weekend. In May there is an annual music Festival "Tavistock Music & Arts Festival", and full details are available from their website.http://www.tavistockmusic.co.uk
In 2010, the town was chosen to be a stage depart town in the Tour of Britain
cycle race.
Tavistock was the birthplace of the poet William Browne. The town is mentioned in some of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
's Sherlock Holmes
adventures, including The Hound of the Baskervilles
and Silver Blaze
. It is also receives a mention in R. D. Blackmore
's classic Lorna Doone
and Neal Stephenson
's novel, The System of the World
. Anna Eliza Bray
was the author of The Borders of the Tamar and the Tavy (1836), an account of the traditions and superstitions of the neighbourhood of Tavistock in the form of letters to Robert Southey
, of whom she was a great friend. This is probably the most valuable of her writings.
King Charles first immortalised the town by declaring in later years whenever anyone mentioned the weather, if it is raining anywhere in my kingdom it will be raining in Tavistock. http://www.tavistock.gov.uk/index.php?page=about-tavistock
Sport
Tavistock has one senior football team, Tavistock A.F.C. and two junior football teams, Tavistock Town and Tavistock Thistles. Together the three clubs form Tavistock Community Football Club offering coaching and competition to players of all ages from 5 years old to veterans. There is also a rugby team renowned for a very large and active minis and junior section, Tavistock Rugby Football Club whose colts (under 18's) are currently the Devon Plate Champions, a cricket club, tennis club and a very active atletics club. Tavistock has benefited recently from over £1.1m of investment in new sporting facilities, and can now boast a state of the art 3rd generation all weather pitch, a competition standard athletics track and a new football pitch development comprising seven pitches.
Foreign relations
Tavistock has long been a town of much interest to tourists and attracts many visitors from around the globe, for example Japan
, France
and Italy
. The local college has many links with foreign schools and is known for its teaching of languages.
in France, since 1958 and Celle
in Germany.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
within West Devon
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...
on the River 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...
, from which has its name derives, and has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 11,018. It traces its history back at least to AD 961, when Tavistock Abbey
Tavistock Abbey
Tavistock Abbey, also known as the Abbey of Saint Mary and Saint Rumon, is a ruined Benedictine abbey in Tavistock, Devon. Nothing remains of the abbey except the refectory, two gateways and a porch. The abbey church, dedicated to Our Lady and St Rumon, was destroyed by Danish raiders in 997 and...
, whose ruins lie in the centre of the town, was founded. Its most famous son is Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
.
Medieval history
The area around Tavistock (formerly Tavistoke), where the River TavyRiver 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...
runs wide and shallow allowing it to be easily crossed, and near the secure high ground of 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...
, was inhabited long before the historical record. The surrounding area is littered with archaeological remains from the Bronze
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
s and it is believed a hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
existed on the site of the present town long before the town's official history began, with the founding of the Abbey.
The abbey of Saint Mary and Saint Rumon was founded in 961 by Ordgar, Earl of Devon. After destruction by Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
raiders in 997 it was restored, and among its famous abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
s was Aldred
Aldred
Ealdred was Abbot of Tavistock, Bishop of Worcester, and Archbishop of York in Anglo-Saxon England. He was related to a number of other ecclesiastics of the period. After becoming a monk at the monastery at Winchester, he was appointed Abbot of Tavistock Abbey in around 1027. In 1046 he was named...
, who crowned Harold II
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
and William I
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
, and died Archbishop of York
Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
.
In 1105 a Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
was granted by Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
to the monks of Tavistock to run a weekly "Pannier Market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
" (so called after the baskets used to carry goods) on a Friday, which still takes place today. In 1116 a three-day fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
was also granted to mark the feast of Saint Rumon, another tradition that is still maintained in the shape of the annual "Goosey" fair on the 2nd Wednesday in October.
By 1185 Tavistock had achieved borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
status and in 1295 became a parliamentary borough
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...
, sending two members to parliament. The abbey church was rebuilt in 1285. In 1305, with the growing importance of the area as one of Europe's richest sources of 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...
, Tavistock was one of the four stannary towns appointed by charter of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, where tin was stamped and weighed and monthly courts were held for the regulation of mining affairs.
Parish church
The church of Saint Eustachius (Eustace) (named after the Roman centurion who became a Christian) was dedicated by Bishop Stapledon
Walter de Stapledon
Walter de Stapledon , English bishop, was born at Annery in North Devon.On 13 March 1307 Stapledon was chosen Bishop of Exeter, and was consecrated on 13 October 1308. He went on errands to France for both Edward I and Edward II, and attended the councils and parliaments of his time...
in 1318 though there are very few remains of that building today. It was rebuilt and enlarged into its current form between 1350 and 1450, at which time the Clothworkers' Aisle (an outer south aisle) was included, an indication of the growing importance of the textile industry
Textile manufacturing
Textile manufacturing is a major industry. It is based in the conversion of three types of fibre into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. These are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. Cotton remains the most important natural fibre, so is treated in depth...
to the local economy—the trade was protected by a 1467 statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
. The whole is in the Perpendicular style and consists of a nave and chancel, both with two aisles, tower and outer south aisle.
It possesses a lofty tower supported on four open arches, one of which was reputedly added to accommodate the 19th century "tinners" or tin miners. Within are monuments to the Glanville and Bourchier families, besides some fine stained glass, one window being the work of William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
and another of Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
. It also has a roof boss featuring one of the so-called 'Tinners' Hares
Three hares
The three hares is a circular motif appearing in sacred sites from the Middle and Far East to the churches of southwest England , and historical synagogues in Europe....
', a trio of rabbits/hares joined at and sharing three ears between them. The font is octagonal and dates from the 15th century.
Early modern history
The greater part of the abbey was rebuilt in 1457-58. In 1552 two fairs on 23 April and 28 November were granted by Edward VIEdward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
to the Earl of Bedford
Duke of Bedford
thumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...
, then lord
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
.
In the 17th century great quantities of cloth were sold at the Friday market and four fairs were held at the feasts of Saint Michael
Michael (archangel)
Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...
, Epiphany
Epiphany (Christian)
Epiphany, or Theophany, meaning "vision of God",...
, Saint Mark
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
, and the Decollation of John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
. The charter of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
instituted a Tuesday market, fairs on the Thursday after Whitsunday
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
and at the feast of Saint Swithin.The town continued to prosper in the charge of the abbots, acquiring one of England's first printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...
es in 1525. Tavistock remained an important centre of both trade and religion until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
--the abbey was demolished in 1539, leaving the ruins still to be seen around the centre of the town. From this time on, the dominant force in the town became the Russell
Russell (surname)
Russell also Rossell is a Scottish, English or Irish name derived from the Anglo-Norman French nickname Rousel. The nickname was a diminutive of the Old French Rous, meaning 'red.' The nickname, with the -el added, likely originated to denote "the little red-haired one."The name may also refer to...
family, Earls and later Dukes of Bedford, who took over much of the land following the Dissolution.
Tavistock is tied from late medieval times with the Russells, the family name of the Earls of Bedford and since 1694, the Dukes of Bedford. This is clearly seen from the history of the town. The second title of the Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford
thumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...
is the Marquess of Tavistock, taken as the courtesy title of the eldest son and heir to the dukedom, and illustrates the importance of this Devon town, its hinterland and the minerals beneath it to the family's fortunes. It is believed that the Russell family retains considerable interests in the locality. Most recently, Robin
Robin Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford
Henry Robin Ian Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford, DL was a British peer. He became better known to the public than most of his ancestors by appearing in three series of the reality television programme Country House, made by Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Two, which in turn inspired Monarch of the...
, the short-lived 14th Duke, as Marquess of Tavistock, was a frequent visitor to the town along with his wife, Henrietta. Andrew Russell
Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford
Andrew Ian Henry Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford , is the son of Henry Robin Ian Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford and his wife, Henrietta Joan Tiarks.-Biography:...
is the 15th Duke of Bedford and Marquess of Tavistock.
It is this Russell family connection through the Bedford Estates which gives the name by ownership to Russell Square
Russell Square
Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. To the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row...
and Tavistock Square
Tavistock Square
Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden with a fine garden.-Public art:The centre-piece of the gardens is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, which was installed in 1968....
in 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...
, famously home to the Tavistock Clinic
Tavistock Clinic
The in London was founded in 1920 by Dr. Hugh Crichton-Miller, a psychiatrist who developed psychological treatments for shell-shocked soldiers during and after the First World War. The clinic's first patient was, however, a child. Its clinical services were always, therefore, for both children...
, and the bus-bombing of 7 July 2005
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
.
Francis Drake
Around 1540 (some sources state 1542 as the exact year), Sir Francis DrakeFrancis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
was born at Crowndale Farm, just to the west of what is now Tavistock College
Tavistock College
Tavistock College is a mixed gender school in Tavistock, Devon, United Kingdom, with students aged 11–18. There are approximately 1750 students attending, drawn from a catchment area of about radius. The college has links with Japan, Uganda, Spain and India where staff exchanges and student...
. A Blue Plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
is mounted on the current farmhouse, behind which Drake is believed to have been born, the original farmhouse having been dismantled and the stone transported for use in Lew Trenchard
Lew Trenchard
Lew Trenchard is a parish and village in west Devon, England. Most of the larger village of Lewdown is in the parish. In Domesday Book a manor of Lew is recorded in this area and two rivers have the same name: see River Lew. Trenchard comes from the lords of the manor in the 13th century...
. He became a prominent figure of his age, a champion of Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world and one of the English commanders in the famously decisive victory against the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
in 1588. Drake is more important to Plymothians for his part in constructing Drake's Leat
Drake's Leat
Drake's Leat, also known as Plymouth Leat, was a watercourse constructed in the late 16th century to tap the River Meavy on Dartmoor, England in order to supply Plymouth with water. It was one of the first municipal water supplies in the country.-Plans:...
a long open granite watercourse bringing clean fresh water from the high moor into the town 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...
.
The famous statue of Drake on Plymouth Hoe
Plymouth Hoe
Plymouth Hoe, referred to locally as the Hoe, is a large south facing open public space in the English coastal city of Plymouth. The Hoe is adjacent to and above the low limestone cliffs that form the seafront and it commands views of Plymouth Sound, Drake's Island, and across the Hamoaze to Mount...
is a copy of that on a roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
on the A386 at the western end of the town, with panels not replicated on the Hoe copy. Drake later made his home at Buckland Abbey
Buckland Abbey
Buckland Abbey is a 700-year-old house in Buckland Monachorum, near Yelverton, Devon, England, noted for its connection with Sir Francis Drake and presently in the ownership of the National Trust.-History:...
, about 8 miles (12.9 km) away towards Plymouth, jointly owned/run by Plymouth City Council and the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, and now a museum to Drake.
Industry
Mines of copperCopper
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...
, manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
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...
were previously in the neighbourhood and the town played host to a considerable trade of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and corn
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, and industries in brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
and iron-founding.
By the 17th century, tin was on the wane and the town relied more heavily on the cloth trade. Under the stewardship of the Russells the town remained prosperous, surviving the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
in 1625 (though 52 townspeople died). In the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
starting 1642, the town was at first held by the Parliamentarians
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
(Francis Russell, the 4th Earl of Bedford was a leading figure in the parliamentarian movement), before later hosting King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and his Royalist troops in 1643 after the defeat of the Parliamentary forces at Braddock Down
Braddock, Cornwall
Braddock is a village and a civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated about seven miles west of Liskeard, and five miles south-east of Bodmin....
.
The woollen industry decayed at Tavistock and was attributed by the inhabitants in 1641 to the dread of the Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
at sea and of Popish Plot
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
s at home.
In 1694, William Russell, 5th Earl of Bedford became the first Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford
thumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...
.
Later modern history
By 1800, cloth was heading the same way as tin had done a century earlier, but copper was starting to be seriously mined in the area, to such an extent that by 1817 the Tavistock CanalTavistock Canal
The Tavistock Canal is a canal in the county of Devon in England. It was constructed early in the 19th century to link the town of Tavistock to Morwellham Quay on the River Tamar, where cargo could be loaded into ships...
had been dug (most of the labour being done by French prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
from the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, to carry copper to Morwellham Quay
Morwellham Quay
Morwellham Quay is a historic river port in Devon, England that developed to support the local mines. The port had its peak in the Victorian era and is now run as a tourist attraction and museum...
on the River Tamar
River 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...
, where it could be loaded into sailing ships weighing up to 200 tonnes. In 1822 the old fairs were abolished in favour of six fairs on the second Wednesday in May, July, September, October, November and December.
In the mid-nineteenth century, with nearby Devon Great Consols mine at Blanchdown one of the biggest copper mining operations in the world, Tavistock was booming again, reputedly earning the 7th Duke of Bedford alone over £2,000,000. A statue in copper of the 7th Duke stands in Guildhall Square. The Duke built a 50,000 imperial gallon (230 m³) reservoir to supply the town in 1845, as well as a hundred miners' houses at the southern end of town, between 1845 and 1855. There is a strong, recognisable vernacular
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
"Bedford style" of design, exemplified most strikingly in Tavistock's Town Hall and "Bedford Cottages" ubiquitous across Tavistock and much of the local area to the north and west, where the Bedfords had their estate and summer "cottage" at Endsleigh House and Gardens (since 2005, Alex Polizzi's
Alex Polizzi
Alessandra Maria-Luigia O Polizzi Di Sorrentino is a British hotelier, and the presenter of the British TV series The Hotel Inspector on Channel 5, taking over from Ruth Watson....
Hotel Endsleigh).
Tavistock was deprived of one member of Parliament in 1867 and finally disenfranchised in 1885.
The railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
came to the town in 1859, with the town being connected to the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
and the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
. At around this time the centre of town was substantially and ruthlessly remodelled by the 7th Duke of Bedford, including the construction of the current Town Hall and Pannier Market buildings, and the widening of the Abbey Bridge, first built in 1764, and a new Drake Road ramped up northwards from Bedford Square to the LSWR station. Tavistock (North) Railway Station opened to much acclaim and fanfare in 1890. The population had peaked at around 9,000. By 1901 the population had halved, recorded as 4,728. In 1968, following the Beeching Report Tavistock Station closed its doors, and in 1999 English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
listed the building as Grade II.
Kelly College
Kelly College
Kelly College is a coeducational independent school situated in the outskirts of Tavistock, Devon, with around 350 students ranging from ages 11 to 18; there is an associated preparatory school for primary school children, Kelly College Preparatory School, nearby.The college has eight hectares of...
, a co-educational public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
, to the north-east of the town, was founded by Admiral Benedictus Marwood Kelly, and opened in 1877 for the education of his descendants and the orphan sons of naval officers, and is a pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
of the Bedford and High Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
styles of building.
20th and 21st centuries
Inheritance Tax (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, Inheritance Tax is a transfer tax. It was introduced with effect from 18 March 1986 replacing Capital Transfer Tax.-History:...
. The Bedford name can still be seen in many place names around the town. The Town Council is the owner of much former Bedford property from around this time, making it one of the richest parish councils in England. The council cannot raise capital or income from the landholding and most of its budget on managing the properties.
West Devon Borough Council is based in Tavistock, about 500 metres north of Bedford Square at Kilworthy Park. There is a small police station under part of the Bedford building complex on Bedford Square but the adjacent historic Magistrates Court has been closed and the nearest criminal court is now at Plymouth.
In 1933 the long-disused canal was put to use providing hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
for the area.
A war memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
in Bedford Square commemorates many, but not all, of the townsfolk killed in the First
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Second
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
World Wars. Many families across Britain exercised their right not to have their family members named on these public memorials. In 2006, this memorial is in process of being moved, to a site in the graveyard of the Parish Church.
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
's station, on the route between Launceston and Plymouth. This was closed and mostly dismantled between 1962 and 1965. The station was sited to the south of Bedford Square, just over the bridge and to the right—now a council depot: no trace of the station remains. Tavistock North was the Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway
Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway
The Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway in England was built by an independent company but operated by the London and South Western Railway as part of its main line to give it independent access to Plymouth. It ran from to Devonport Junction, just west of Plymouth North Road...
's station, operated by the London and South Western Railway, on the route between Lydford
Lydford
Lydford, sometimes spelled Lidford, is a village, once an important town, in Devon situated north of Tavistock on the western fringe of Dartmoor in the West Devon district.-Description:The village has a population of 458....
and Plymouth via Bere Alston
Bere Alston
Bere Alston is a small village in West Devon in the county of Devon in England. It forms part of the civil parish of Bere Ferrers.-History and geography:...
. This opened on 2 June 1890 and closed on 6 May 1968. The main station building survives as railway-themed bed and breakfast accommodation while the extensive goods yard is now known as Kilworthy Park and houses the offices of West Devon Borough Council. The railway for around a mile south of Tavistock North station is open to the public as a footpath and nature reserve and it is possible to walk across the viaducts that overlook the town.
The trackbed of the Tavistock North route is almost intact to Bere Alston where it joins today's 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:...
. There has been discussion regarding the re-opening of a rail link for a number of years. Engineering assessment shows the rail-bed, bridges and tunnels to be in sound condition. In 2008 a housing developer offered to rebuild the railway to Bere Alston (from a new station slightly south of the town) if agreement for him to build 800 properties could be concluded. This has also encouraged speculation about restoring the Tavistock-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:...
rail link, which could provide an alternative to the Devon coastal main line to link the South West Region with the rest of the country. As of 2010 there is a group investigating the possibility of re-instating the line between Tavistock and Bere Alston
Bere Alston
Bere Alston is a small village in West Devon in the county of Devon in England. It forms part of the civil parish of Bere Ferrers.-History and geography:...
and a suggestion that Tavistock could be included in the Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
rail expansion plans should they win the 2010 General Election.
In 1986, the town's two newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s, the Tavistock Gazette (founded in 1857) and the Tavistock Times (established in 1920) merged to form the current weekly publication, the Tavistock Times Gazette
Tavistock Times Gazette
Tavistock Times Gazette is a weekly newspaper which serves the Tavistock area in West Devon, England. It is published in tabloid format every Thursday.The paper exists as the result of the merging of two rival papers in 1986...
, with a circulation of around 8,000. The newspaper is owned by Tindle Newspaper Group
Tindle Newspaper Group
Tindle Newspapers Group publish over 200 local newspapers in the UK. Some of these titles are over 100 years old. They are based in Farnham, Surrey, and the Chief Executive, as at 2007, was Mr Brian Doel. The owner and managing director is Sir Ray Tindle...
. The newspaper celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2007, with a visit from the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
and Duchess of Cornwall.
In July 2006 Tavistock was named the eastern Gateway to the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, which runs westward through the Tamar Valley and Great Consols Mine, down the spine of Cornwall to Lands End. This £75 million project is likely to bring more tourists to Tavistock. A £1.1million World Heritage Site Interpretation Centre, planned for 2007, to be built in the area of the Guildhall, and overlooking the River Tavy has not been achieved.
A local community group known as "Tavistock Forward", have been negotiating to take over the Guildhall complex with police force and English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
endorsement, with lease-back of the existing police station to Devon & Cornwall Police, while developing the Guildhall itself.
Notable residents
Sir Francis Drake, model Rosie Huntington-Whitely, photographer David BaileyDavid Bailey
David Royston Bailey CBE is an English photographer.-Early life:He was born in Leytonstone, but his family were forced to move to Heigham Road, East Ham when a World War II bomb destroyed their home. Bailey was three years old, and this is where he and Thelma, his younger sister, were raised by...
, comedian Dawn French, musicians Peter Quaife & 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...
, and Olympians Kate Allenby
Kate Allenby
Kate Allenby is a British modern pentathlete who competed in two Summer Olympics .She was born in London.Allenby won a bronze medal in 2000 at Sydney...
and Heather Fell
Heather Fell
Heather Fell is a British modern pentathlete. She competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning the silver medal in the women's modern pentathlon event.-Early life:...
all have ties with Tavistock
Geography
Tavistock lies on the edge of Dartmoor, around 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) north of PlymouthPlymouth
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...
on the A386, with a population of 11,018. The town is centred on the paved amenity of Bedford Square, around which are found St. Eustachius' Church and the Abbey ruins, to the west, the Grade 2-listed Town Hall, the disused former Guildhall/magistrates' court buildings, and Pannier Market buildings behind the Town Hall. Abbey Bridge crosses the River Tavy to the south, while West Street and Duke Street, on either side of the north end of the square, form the main shopping
Shopping
Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one....
areas, with the indoor [Pannier] market running behind Duke Street.
Plymouth Road, the A386 heading west from the centre of the square, is home to much of the town's tourist trade, with many hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s and bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
establishments, as well as the town's bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
station. Between Plymouth Road and the Tavy is the park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
, known locally as the Meadows, along with car parks, the Wharf theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
and culture centre, and a public recreation pool. West of the Meadows are found the substantial playing fields and buildings of Tavistock College, reached by an underpass below the A386. Further south along the Plymouth Road/A386 lie industrial estates, supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s and other large retail outlets. To the north and east of town lies Whitchurch Down, where Dartmoor begins immediately.
Climate
Tavistock has an oceanic climateOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
(Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfb).
Religious sites
- See also Tavistock AbbeyTavistock AbbeyTavistock Abbey, also known as the Abbey of Saint Mary and Saint Rumon, is a ruined Benedictine abbey in Tavistock, Devon. Nothing remains of the abbey except the refectory, two gateways and a porch. The abbey church, dedicated to Our Lady and St Rumon, was destroyed by Danish raiders in 997 and...
- For the Parish Church of St Eustachius, see above, History
- The Roman Catholic Church of St Mary Magdalene, Fitzford, was built at the expense of the Duke of Bedford in 1867. It is an ambitious building in the neo-Transitional style and the tall spire is conspicuous from the high ground surrounding the town. This church was intended as a place of worship for miners. It fell into disuse and was bought after the Second World War for use as a Roman Catholic Church.
Education
State
Most secondary education is provided by Tavistock CollegeTavistock College
Tavistock College is a mixed gender school in Tavistock, Devon, United Kingdom, with students aged 11–18. There are approximately 1750 students attending, drawn from a catchment area of about radius. The college has links with Japan, Uganda, Spain and India where staff exchanges and student...
, a state-funded specialist Language College with nearly 2,000 pupils, drawn from a catchment area of about 20 km (12.4 mi) radius. The college has links with Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
where staff exchanges and student visits and projects take place. Since 2006, the college has organised concerts locally under the name of ParkLife; a ParkLife festival was held in 2007 and 2008. It is currently the only secondary school to be under OFSTED's Special Measures, in Devon.
Some children who pass the optional 11 plus exam at a high level travel to one of the three remaining grammar schools in Plymouth. Others who leave school at 16 attend the City College C of F E there. Tavistock has a choice of primary schools: Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
St Peter's and also St Rumon's, together with Devon County Council's Tavistock Community Primary and Whitchurch Primary.
Independent
There is an independent school of around 350 pupils, Kelly CollegeKelly College
Kelly College is a coeducational independent school situated in the outskirts of Tavistock, Devon, with around 350 students ranging from ages 11 to 18; there is an associated preparatory school for primary school children, Kelly College Preparatory School, nearby.The college has eight hectares of...
, just north of the town. Further along the road is Kelly College Preparatory School. Close by on a prominent site beside the Princetown road is Mount House Preparatory School
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
preparing boarding youngsters from 7 to 13 for Common Entrance
Common Entrance
Common Entrance Examinations are taken by some children in the UK as part of the admissions process for academically selective secondary schools at age 13 or 11. Most of the secondary schools that use Common Entrance for admission are public schools; most of the schools that routinely prepare...
to their public schools
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
.
Market town and shopping centre
Tavistock is a small market town, providing shopping and entertainment for its residents, many small outlying villages and the local farming community. It is a centre for the West Devon and Dartmoor tourist trade. It is a fast growing dormitory area for commuters working in Plymouth and has a sizeable and rapidly growing retiredRetirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
population, perhaps drawn by the rural tranquillity and scenery, giving Tavistock an average resident age of 44 (one of the highest average ages in Devon).
The Market continues to operate in the large covered market building, the Pannier Market; the main market is on Fridays, on other days the market hosts specialised events, such as craft
Arts and crafts
Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
fairs and antiques
Antiques
An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age , beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features...
fairs. A Farmers' Market takes place in the Square fortnightly and has been voted Best Farmer's Market in the South West.
In 2005 Tavistock was voted 'Best Market Town' in England and in 2006 'Best Food Town', largely on the strength of the many independent food shops and suppliers in the town and nearby, such as a long-established family grocer and delicatessen in Brook St and the cheese shop behind the Pannier market. The town also became Devon's second Fairtrade Town (in 2006). In 2006 the town was in the news for having successfully cold-shouldered to closure the local branch of McDonalds
Events
The biggest event in the town's calendar is the annual Tavistock Goose Fair (known locally as "Goosey Fair") which has existed since 1116. It occurs on the second Wednesday of October, and takes over much of the town for several days either side, drawing crowds which far outnumber the resident population. Traditionally, the Fair was an opportunity for locals to purchase their ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
goose
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
, allowing plenty of time to fatten the bird before Christmas came; nowadays, along with a multitude of gypsy street vendors selling a vast range of wares, there are all the rides
Amusement ride
Amusement rides are large mechanical devices that move people to create enjoyment. They are frequently found at amusement parks, traveling carnivals, and funfairs.-Notable types:*Afterburner*Ali Baba*Balloon Race*Booster...
and games associated with funfair
Funfair
A funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...
s, such as fortune tellers.
There is an annual 2-day Food Festival in September and a Carnival with a 2-day Balloon Fiesta each August bank holiday weekend. In May there is an annual music Festival "Tavistock Music & Arts Festival", and full details are available from their website.http://www.tavistockmusic.co.uk
In 2010, the town was chosen to be a stage depart town in the Tour of Britain
2010 Tour of Britain
The 2010 Tour of Britain was a UCI 2.1 category race of eight stages that was held from 11–18 September 2010. The race was the seventh edition of the latest version of the Tour of Britain and the 71st British tour in total. It formed part of the 2009–2010 UCI Europe Tour. The race began in Rochdale...
cycle race.
Culture and sport
LiteratureTavistock was the birthplace of the poet William Browne. The town is mentioned in some of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
adventures, including The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four crime novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an...
and Silver Blaze
Silver Blaze
"Silver Blaze", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 in the cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. It was adapted in 1937 to a film starring Arthur Wontner, and an ITV drama starring Christopher Plummer which was...
. It is also receives a mention in R. D. Blackmore
R. D. Blackmore
Richard Doddridge Blackmore , referred to most commonly as R. D. Blackmore, was one of the most famous English novelists of the second half of the nineteenth century. Over the course of his career, Blackmore achieved a close following around the world...
's classic Lorna Doone
Lorna Doone
Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor is a novel by Richard Doddridge Blackmore. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly around the East Lyn Valley area of Exmoor....
and Neal Stephenson
Neal Stephenson
Neal Town Stephenson is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction.Difficult to categorize, his novels have been variously referred to as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and postcyberpunk...
's novel, The System of the World
The System of the World (novel)
The System of the World, a novel by Neal Stephenson, is the third and final volume in The Baroque Cycle.The title alludes to the third volume of Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which bears the same name....
. Anna Eliza Bray
Anna Eliza Bray
Anna Eliza Bray was a British novelist.Anna Eliza Kempe was born in the parish of Newington, Surrey, on 25 Dec. 1790, to John Kempe, bullion porter in the Mint, and Ann, daughter of James Arrow of Westminster. Kempe planned to be an actress, and her public appearance at the Bath Theatre was duly...
was the author of The Borders of the Tamar and the Tavy (1836), an account of the traditions and superstitions of the neighbourhood of Tavistock in the form of letters to Robert Southey
Robert Southey
Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic school, one of the so-called "Lake Poets", and Poet Laureate for 30 years from 1813 to his death in 1843...
, of whom she was a great friend. This is probably the most valuable of her writings.
King Charles first immortalised the town by declaring in later years whenever anyone mentioned the weather, if it is raining anywhere in my kingdom it will be raining in Tavistock. http://www.tavistock.gov.uk/index.php?page=about-tavistock
Sport
Tavistock has one senior football team, Tavistock A.F.C. and two junior football teams, Tavistock Town and Tavistock Thistles. Together the three clubs form Tavistock Community Football Club offering coaching and competition to players of all ages from 5 years old to veterans. There is also a rugby team renowned for a very large and active minis and junior section, Tavistock Rugby Football Club whose colts (under 18's) are currently the Devon Plate Champions, a cricket club, tennis club and a very active atletics club. Tavistock has benefited recently from over £1.1m of investment in new sporting facilities, and can now boast a state of the art 3rd generation all weather pitch, a competition standard athletics track and a new football pitch development comprising seven pitches.
Foreign relations
Tavistock has long been a town of much interest to tourists and attracts many visitors from around the globe, for example Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The local college has many links with foreign schools and is known for its teaching of languages.
Twin towns
The town maintains twinning links with PontivyPontivy
Pontivy is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the confluence of the river Blavet and the Canal de Nantes à Brest.-History:...
in France, since 1958 and Celle
Celle
Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...
in Germany.