Welcome to Tavistock

The ancient stannary town of Tavistock sits on the western shoulder of Dartmoor and is both an outdoor haven as gateway to the pursuits of the National Park and the Tamar Valley as well as a bustling market town with a wealth of history to discover.

History
Tavistock was the site of a Benedictine abbey, founded in 974, around which a market town grew.  Tavistock’s most famous son Sir Francis Drake was born here in around 1540, and today a bronze statue of Sir Francis stands at the end of Plymouth Road. 

In the 19th century, the fortunes of Tavistock were transformed when metal mining expanded around the town and in the neighbouring Tamar Valley.  A succession of Dukes of Bedford, who had owned most of the town since the mid-1500s, used revenues from the mining industry to redevelop the town centre, constructing many fine buildings including the Town Hall, Guildhall and Pannier Market.  The Dukes of Bedford also had a significant impact on housing standards for the mining workers via the building of the still desirable ‘Duke of Bedford Cottages’ in a number of locations around town.

What’s on the High Street
Tavistock offers a fantastic range of independent and artisan shops and restaurants in the town centre and is proud to be free of the national fast-food chains.  The royal chartered Pannier Market houses a wide variety of regular traders – great for discovering unique or hand-crafted finds, and the adjacent Bedford Square and Butcher’s Hall house a regular farmers market and fantastic arts market on Saturdays.  Two large supermarkets are located a short distance from the town centre along the Plymouth Road.

Locals Schools/Universities
Primary schooling is available at St. Rumon’s CoE Infant School (Yrs R–2), St. Peter’s Junior School (Yrs 3-6) and Tavistock Primary and Nursery School (ages 2-11).

Secondary schooling is available at the Mount Kelly boarding and day school (ages 4-18) on the outskirts of town as well as Tavistock College which serves ages 11-19.

Universities are located in the nearby maritime city of Plymouth as well as slightly further afield in Exeter, and a number of further education colleges are available across Devon and Cornwall.

Travel Connections
Road: The nearby A38 and A30 trunk roads allow easy connection west into Cornwall or east to the M5 and rest of UK.

Rail: Tavistock is 15 miles north of Plymouth from where you can take the train to London and the rest of the UK via the Penzance to Paddington line. 

Bus:  Tavistock is well served with bus routes to other nearby towns as well as connecting to the surrounding villages.

Things to do
Outdoor pursuits: Tavistock offers so many options to get outdoors, with both Dartmoor National Park and the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the doorstep, as well as numerous cycling and walking trails in and around town. 

Sport & recreation: Tavistock is home to many sports clubs including football, rugby, tennis, cycling, running, bowls and golf, as well as the recently refurbished Meadowlands Leisure Centre which houses a fantastic leisure pool and gym / fitness classes.

Attractions: Many an hour can be whiled away pottering around the fantastic independent shops in Tavistock, as described in the ‘High Street’ section above.  Theatre and live music can be found at The Wharf, and the town also hosts various festivals throughout the year – Tavifest, Dickensian Evening, Street Food Festivals and the historic Goose Fair amongst others. 

Nearby places to visit include the lovely Buckland Abbey and Tudor house and gardens of Cotehele, as well as Morwellham Quay, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, which showcases the area’s mining history.