North Tawton: Difference between revisions
m robot Adding: nl:North Tawton |
|||
| Line 60: | Line 60: | ||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
* [http://www.northtawton.org North Tawton Community Website] |
|||
* [http://www.devon.gov.uk/etched?url=etched/ixbin/hixclient.exe&_IXP_=1&_IXR=110328 North Tawton page on Devon County Council website] |
* [http://www.devon.gov.uk/etched?url=etched/ixbin/hixclient.exe&_IXP_=1&_IXR=110328 North Tawton page on Devon County Council website] |
||
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/image_galleries/north_tawton_gallery.shtml Photo gallery on BBC website] |
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/image_galleries/north_tawton_gallery.shtml Photo gallery on BBC website] |
||
Revision as of 20:37, 6 September 2010
| North Tawton | |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,752 (FHSA 2005) |
| OS grid reference | SX664017 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NORTH TAWTON |
| Postcode district | EX20 |
| Dialling code | 01837 82 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
North Tawton is a small town in Devon, England, situated on the river Taw.
History
The Romans crossed the River Taw at what is now Newland Mill, a little outside the present town, and established a succession of military camps there over the years. The Roman fort is believed to have had the name Nemetostatio, meaning "The road-station of the sacred groves", and may have been located on the site of an ancient druidic sanctuary. It covered an area of roughly 600 ft (185m) east-west by 390 ft (120m), and was located adjoining the Roman road between Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) and Okehampton. In addition, the site of a temporary marching camp has been identified half a mile to the north.[1]
By the time of the Domesday survey (1086), there were six farm / manor holdings in what is now North Tawton Parish, including that of Tawton which was the forerunner of the town we know today.
St Peter's Church is first recorded in 1257. Only the tower of the present building dates from that time, with the rest being mostly 14th and 15th century. The tower is on the west and is topped by an oak-shingled spire. There are two aisles with granite arcades and a number of old benchends.[2]
North Tawton was already a market town by the end of the 12th century. Agriculture and the woollen industry provided the chief sources of employment for many centuries, but the former has much declined as a source of employment and the latter has gone altogether, the last town woollen mill closing in 1930.
The railway came to North Tawton in 1865. North Tawton railway station (now closed) lies a mile or two outside the town on the line from Exeter to Okehampton which continued on to Plymouth and Cornwall. It closed to through passenger traffic in 1968, although a shuttle service between Okehampton and Exeter continued until 1972.
Other notable buildings
The former town hall (1849) later became a cinema. Broad Hall is a house dated 1680 but it incorporates the remains of a house of the 15th century. Burton Hall is a mid-Victorian villa which was brought here from Norway. Cottles Barton is an Elizabethan manor house one mile south of the town.[3]
Modern day North Tawton
The town has become something of a centre for light industry. There are three significant employers in the town: the haulier Gregory Distribution, which grew from a local concern founded in the 1920s and now employs 300 locally, the Taw Valley Creamery--a cheese factory originally built by Express Dairies in 1974, employing over 100, and the petfood wholesaler Vital Pet Products, also employing over 100.
The population currently stands at around 1,750. This is small for a "town", but as a former market town North Tawton has retained this title, and is designated a Post Town by the Royal Mail.
There are a number of bus services:
- 315 - Barnstaple to Exeter
- 51/51A - Hatherleigh to Exeter
- 318 - Okehampton
Famous connections
William Budd
The doctor William Budd (1811-1880) was born in the town, son of Samuel Budd, the local surgeon. His researches into the incidence of typhoid during an epidemic in the town led to him establishing that typhoid fever was spread contagiously, and in particular that the infection was excreted and could be contracted by drinking contaminated water. This discovery contributed to national improvements in public health through improved sanitation.
Ted Hughes / Sylvia Plath
The poet Ted Hughes (1930-1998) bought a house in North Tawton in 1961 with his then-wife Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), who lived there briefly with him until their separation in 1962. In due course Hughes made North Tawton his permanent home. He died there in 1998.
"Jam & Jerusalem" / Clatterford
In 2005, North Tawton was chosen as the location for the filming of Jennifer Saunders' BBC television series Jam & Jerusalem. The town represents the fictional Clatterford St Mary. The Church and Town Hall feature prominently in the series, and some of the acting 'extras' for the series were recruited locally.
References
- ^ Nemetostatio at Roman-Britain.org
- ^ Pevsner, N. (1952) North Devon. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books; p. 131
- ^ Pevsner, N. (1952) North Devon. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books; p. 78, 131
Alison Baker, David Hoare & Jean Shields, The Book of North Tawton: Celebrating An Ancient Market Town (Halsgrove, 2002, ISBN 1-84114-156-9)