| Tavistock | |
|---|---|
| StannaryTown | |
 Tavistock town centre | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Tavistock Location withinDevon | |
| Population | 12,675 (2021 census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SX480740 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TAVISTOCK |
| Postcode district | PL19 |
| Dialling code | 01822 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°32′42″N4°09′00″W / 50.545°N 4.150°W /50.545; -4.150 | |
Tavistock (/ˈtævɪstɒk/TAV-iss-tok) is an ancientstannary andmarket town andcivil parish in theWest Devon district, in the county ofDevon, England. It is situated on theRiver Tavy, from which its name derives. At the2011 census, the threeelectoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13,028.[2] The town traces itsrecorded history back to at least 961 whenTavistock Abbey, whose ruins lie in the centre of the town, was founded. Its most famous son isSir Francis Drake.[3]
The area around Tavistock (formerly Tavistoke), where theRiver Tavy runs wide and shallow allowing it to be easily crossed, and near the secure high ground ofDartmoor, was inhabited long before historical records. The surrounding area is littered with archaeological remains from theBronze andIron Ages.[4]
The abbey ofSaint Mary andSaint Rumon was founded in 961 byOrdgar, Earl of Devon. After destruction byDanish raiders in 997 it was restored, and at the time of theConquest ranked as the wealthiest house in Devon, including thehundred andmanor of Tavistock among its possessions. Among its famousabbots wasAldred, who crownedHarold II andWilliam I, and diedArchbishop of York.[5]
In 1105 aroyal charter was granted byHenry I to the monks of Tavistock to run a weekly "PannierMarket" (so called after the baskets used to carry goods) on a Friday, which still takes place today. In 1116 a three-dayfair 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 second Wednesday in October.[6]
By 1185 Tavistock had achievedborough status, and in 1295 it became aparliamentary 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 oftin, Tavistock was one of the fourstannary towns appointed by charter ofEdward I, where tin was stamped and weighed and monthly courts were held for the regulation of mining affairs.[7]
TheSt Eustachius' Church (named after the Roman centurion who became a Christian) was dedicated byBishop 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 thetextile industry to the local economy—the trade was protected by a 1467statute. The whole is in thePerpendicular style and consists of a nave and chancel; both with two aisles, tower and outer south aisle.[8]
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 ofWilliam Morris[5] and another ofCharles Eamer Kempe. It also has aroof 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.[9]
The greater part of the abbey was rebuilt in 1457–1458. The town continued to prosper in the charge of the abbots, acquiring one of England's firstprinting presses in 1525. Tavistock remained an important centre of both trade and religion until thedissolution of the monasteries—the abbey was demolished in 1539, leaving the ruins still to be seen around the centre of the town. From that time on, the dominant force in the town became theRussell family, Earls and later Dukes of Bedford, who took over much of the land following the Dissolution. In 1552 two fairs on 23 April and 28 November were granted byEdward VI to theEarl of Bedford, thenlord of the manor.[10]
In the 17th century great quantities of cloth were sold at the Friday market, and four fairs were held at the feasts ofSaint Michael,Epiphany,Saint Mark, and theDecollation of John the Baptist. The charter ofCharles II instituted a Tuesday market, and fairs on the Thursday afterWhitsunday and at the feast ofSaint Swithin.[10]
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 theDuke 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.[11]
It is this Russell family connection through the Bedford Estates which gives the name by ownership toRussell Square andTavistock Square inLondon, famously home to theTavistock Clinic, and thebus-bombing of 7 July 2005.[12]
Around 1540 (some sources state 1542 as the exact year),Sir Francis Drake was born at Crowndale Farm, just to the west of what is nowTavistock College. ABlue 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 inLew Trenchard. He became a prominent figure of his age, a champion ofQueen Elizabeth, the first Englishman tocircumnavigate the world from 1577 to 1580 and one of the English commanders in the victory against theSpanish Armada in 1588.[13]
The famous statue of Drake onPlymouth Hoe is a copy of that on aroundabout on the A386 at the western end of the town,[14] with panels not replicated on the Hoe copy. Drake later made his home atBuckland Abbey, about eight miles (13 km) away towards Plymouth, jointly owned/run byPlymouth City Council and theNational Trust, and now a museum to Drake.[15]
Mines ofcopper,manganese,lead,silver andtin were previously in the neighbourhood and the town played host to a considerable trade ofcattle andcorn, and industries inbrewing and iron-founding.[5]
By the 17th century,tin mining 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 theBlack Death in 1625 (though 52 townspeople died).
In theEnglish Civil War starting 1642, the town was at first held by theParliamentarians (Francis Russell, the 4th Earl of Bedford was a leading figure in the parliamentarian movement), before later hostingKing Charles I and his Royalist troops in 1643 after the defeat of the Parliamentary forces at theBattle of Bradock Down.[16] The town was recaptured by the ParliamentarianNew Model Army following the end of theSiege of Plymouth in 1646.[17]
In 1694,William Russell, 5th Earl of Bedford became the firstDuke of Bedford.[18]
By 1800, cloth was heading the same way as tin had done a century earlier, but copper was starting to be copiously mined in the area, to such an extent that by 1817 theTavistock Canal had been dug (most of the labour being performed by Frenchprisoners of war from theNapoleonic Wars)[19] to carry copper toMorwellham Quay on theRiver Tamar, where it could be loaded into sailing ships. In 1822 the old fairs were abolished in favour of six fairs on the second Wednesday in May, July, September, October, November and December.[10]
In the mid-19th century, with nearbyDevon Great Consols mine at Blanchdown one of the biggest copper mining operations in the world, Tavistock was booming again, reputedly earning the7th Duke of Bedford alone over £2,000,000. A statue in copper of the 7th Duke stands in Guildhall Square. The Duke built a 50,000imperial 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, recognisablevernacular "Bedford style" of design, exemplified most strikingly inTavistock 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, which since 2005 is the Hotel Endsleigh run byAlex Polizzi.[20]
Tavistock was deprived of one member of Parliament in 1867 and finally disenfranchised in 1885. Therailway came to the town in 1859, with connections to theGreat Western Railway and theLondon and South Western Railway (LSWR). 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.[21] The population had peaked at around 9,000. By 1901 the population had halved, recorded as 4,728. In 1968, following theBeeching Report, Tavistock Station closed, and in 1999English Heritage listed the building asGrade II.[22]
Kelly College, a co-educationalpublic 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,[5] and is apastiche of the Bedford and HighVictorian styles of building. It later amalgamated with Mount House to form Mount Kelly Foundation.[23]
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 meetdeath duties.[24]
West Devon Borough Council is based in Tavistock, about 500 metres north of Bedford Square at Kilworthy Park. There was a small police station under part of the Bedford building complex on Bedford Square; this has closed and a new one is in Abbey Rise. The adjacent historic Magistrates Court has also closed and the nearest criminal court is now atPlymouth Law Courts.[25]
In 1926 a meeting was held in Tavistock with representatives of the UK government and UK scientific instrument makers. A comparison was made onDartmoor between UKtheodolites and their European competition, especially the SwissWild T2 theodolite. One result of this conference was the 1930 "Tavistock" theodolite byCooke, Troughton & Simms.[26]
In 1933 the long-disused canal was put to use providinghydroelectric power for the area.[27]
Awar memorial in Bedford Square commemorates the townsfolk killed in theFirst andSecond World Wars.[28] Many families across Britain exercised their right not to have their family members named on these public memorials. In 2006 it was planned to move the monument to a site in the graveyard of the Parish Church, but due to local opposition this did not happen.[29]
In May 1943, parts of theAmerican 29th Infantry division were stationed in Tavistock, as well as other areas of the South West. From 1944 there were a number of high ranking visits to the division, including that ofDwight D. Eisenhower, in February of that year, and Army LieutenantGeneral Omar Bradley.[30]
The stationed division then left the town in May 1944 to be involved in theOmaha Beach landings part ofOperation Overlord.[30]
Tavistock had two railway stations, both now closed.Tavistock South was theGreat Western Railway's station, on the route betweenLaunceston 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 thePlymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway's station, operated by the London and South Western Railway, on the route betweenLydford and Plymouth viaBere 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 one can walk across theviaducts that overlook the town.[31]
The trackbed of the Tavistock North route is almost intact to Bere Alston, where it joins today'sTamar Valley Line. The possible re-opening of a rail link has been discussed 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 anew station slightly south of the town) if they were allowed to build 800 properties.[32] 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.[32] In December 2010 the developer published an update on the possibility of reinstating the line between Tavistock andBere Alston and hence providing a train service between Tavistock and Plymouth.[33] In April 2010 theLiberal Democrats had suggested that a Tavistock-Plymouth service could be included in the rail expansion plans should they win the2010 General Election.[34]
In 1986, the town's two newspapers, the Tavistock Gazette (founded in 1857) and the Tavistock Times (established in 1920) merged to form the current weekly publication, theTavistock Times Gazette, with a circulation of around 8,000.[35] The newspaper is owned byTindle Newspaper Group. The newspaper celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2007, with a visit from thePrince of Wales andDuchess of Cornwall.[36]
In July 2006 Tavistock was named the eastern Gateway to the Cornish MiningWorld Heritage Site, which runs westward through the Tamar Valley and Great Consols Mine, down the spine of Cornwall to Lands End.[37] This £75 million project is likely to bring more tourists to Tavistock. There has been no progress with proposals for a £1.1 million World Heritage Site Interpretation Centre, planned for 2007, to be built in the area of the Guildhall, and overlooking the River Tavy.[29]
A local community group known as "Tavistock Forward" have been negotiating to take over the Guildhall complex with police andEnglish Heritage endorsement, with leaseback of the existing police station to Devon & Cornwall Police, while developing the Guildhall itself.[38]
Tavistock lies on the edge ofDartmoor, around 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) north ofPlymouth on theA386, with a population of 11,018.[39] 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 mainshopping areas, with the indoor [Pannier] market running behind Duke Street.[40]
Plymouth Road, the A386 heading west from the centre of the square, is home to much of the town'stourist trade, with manyhotels andbed and breakfast establishments, as well as the town'sbus station. Between Plymouth Road and the Tavy is thepark, known locally as the Meadows, along with car parks, the Wharftheatre,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 lieindustrial estates,supermarkets and other large retail outlets. To the north and east of town lies Whitchurch Down, where Dartmoor begins immediately.[41]
Tavistock has anoceanic climate (Köppen climate classificationCfb).
| Climate data for Tavistock | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8 (46) | 8 (46) | 9 (48) | 12 (54) | 14 (57) | 17 (63) | 19 (66) | 19 (66) | 17 (63) | 14 (57) | 11 (52) | 9 (48) | 13 (55) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3 (37) | 3 (37) | 4 (39) | 5 (41) | 8 (46) | 11 (52) | 13 (55) | 13 (55) | 11 (52) | 9 (48) | 6 (43) | 4 (39) | 8 (46) |
| Source: Weather Channel[42] | |||||||||||||
Most secondary education is provided byTavistock College, astate-funded specialist Language College with approximately 2,000 pupils,[44] drawn from a catchment area of about 20 km (12 mi) radius. The college has links with Japan,Uganda, Spain and India where staff exchanges and student visits and projects take place.[44]
Some children who pass the optionalEleven-Plus exam at a high level travel to one of the three remaininggrammar 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.[45]
Mount Kelly School is the independent school in Tavistock. It has two main sites, the college which is situated on Parkwood Road and thePreparatory School which is situated on Mount Tavy Road. The school has 570 pupils between the ages of 3 and 18. Mount Kelly was formed in 2014 after two independent schools,Kelly College andMount House School merged.[46]
Tavistock remains a small market town, providing shopping and entertainment for its residents, many small outlying villages and the local farming community. The town is now 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 sizeableretired population, perhaps drawn by the rural tranquillity and scenery, giving Tavistock an average resident age of 43.[47]
Markets were originally held in Bank Square. A specialistCorn Market was erected on the corner of West Street and King Street in 1835.[48] The main market continues to operate in the large covered market building, thePannier Market, completed in 1860;[49] the main market is on Fridays, on other days the market hosts specialised events, such ascraft fairs andantiques fairs.[50] A Farmers' Market takes place in the Square fortnightly and has been voted Best Farmer's Market in the South West.[51]
In 2005 Tavistock was voted 'Best Market Town' in England and in 2006 'Best Food Town',[52] 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 secondFairtrade Town (in 2006).[53] In 2006 the town was in the news for having successfully cold-shouldered to closure the local branch of McDonald's.[54]
The biggest event in the town's calendar is the annual Tavistock Goose Fair (known locally as the "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 to buy a Christmas goose, with plenty of time to fatten the bird before Christmas; nowadays, along with a multitude of gypsy street vendors selling a vast range of wares, there are all therides and games associated withfunfairs, such as fortune tellers.[55]
There is an annual two-day garden festival held on the Spring Bank Holiday weekend and a carnival with a two-day Balloon Fiesta each August bank holiday weekend. In May there is an annual Tavistock Music & Arts Festival.[56]
In 2010, the town was chosen to be a stage depart town in theTour of Britain cycle race.[57]
On the first Sunday in October, the annual Abbots Way Walk finishes in Tavistock. Started in 1962, this challenge walk starts at Buckfast Abbey and participants walk 24 miles (39 km) across Southern Dartmoor to finish at Tavistock.[58]
The main bus operator in Tavistock isStagecoach South West, which runs the following key routes:[59]
Plymouth Citybus run rural services onto Dartmoor. Dartline operates route 118 to Okehampton.
The nearestNational Rail stations are at:[60][61]
The town was once served by two railway stations:Tavistock North andTavistock South; both closed in the 1960s.
There are plans to open a new station in the town; if successful, this would reinstate a rail connection betweenTavistock railway station and Plymouth, about 13 miles (21 km) to the south.[62]
The A386 connects Tavistock to the A30 in the north and to the A380 in the south.
Tavistock's coat of arms is blazoned "Per pale, gules and azure, a fleece banded; a chief, dexter a lion passant gardant, sinister a fleur-de-lys, all or". The earliest record of these arms is in 1684. The fleece refers to the wool trade and the fleur-de-lys probably to Our Lady, joint patron of Tavistock Abbey. The town's motto is "Crescit sub pondere virtus", meaning "virtue flourishes under a burden".[63]
Bigbury Mint Ltd, medal makers based near Plymouth in Devon, produce a semi-reproduction of the Tavistock Penny Token[64] which is distinguished from the original by the Bigbury Mint mark stamped on both sides of the coin. There is an example of the original coin held in the Science Museum Collection.[65] The Bigbury Mint reproduction coin is struck in copper as a celebration of the proud mining history of the town, the obverse of the coin features the Tavistock fleur-de-lys and the reverse of the coin has a carving of the mine, along with the words "Devon Mines, 1811".[66]
Tavistock was the birthplace of the poetWilliam Browne.[67] The town is mentioned in some of SirArthur Conan Doyle'sSherlock Holmes adventures, includingThe Hound of the Baskervilles and "The Adventure of Silver Blaze". It is also receives a mention inR. D. Blackmore's classicLorna Doone andNeal Stephenson's novel,The System of the World.Anna Eliza Bray was the author ofThe 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 toRobert Southey.[68]
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 with a large and active minis and junior section, Tavistock Rugby Football Club.[69]
Local TV coverage is provided byBBC South West andITV West Country. Television signals are received from theCaradon Hill and the local relay TV transmitters.[70][71]
Tavistock's local radio stations areBBC Radio Devon on 103.4 FM,Heart West on 96.6 FM, andGreatest Hits Radio South West (formerlyThe Breeze) on 105.5 FM.
TheTavistock Times Gazette, published on Thursdays, is the town's local newspaper.[72]
The town has hadtwinning links withPontivy in France since 1958 andCelle in Germany.[73][74]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Tavistock".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 457–458.
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