England – Devon – Tavistock (En)

Tavistock is the only town in Devon to hold World Heritage status. It is a thriving ancient market town with numerous examples of neo-Gothic architecture. Tavistock’s uniqueness is undeniable, as it has a variety of beautiful local independent shops, the famous pannier market, and the award-winning farmers’ market.

What to see

Tavistock is a World Heritage Site. Its name is derived from the River Tavy, which flows through the town, and from “stoc”, an old English word meaning settlement. For over 900 years, Tavistock was dominated by two wealthy and powerful institutions: the medieval Benedictine Abbey and the Dukes of Bedford. Under the patronage of the abbey, founded in 974, Tavistock grew to become a market town, a major producer of woollen cloth, a parliamentary borough and one of Devon’s three original tobacco towns.

The first thing you see is the old abbey, where the town hall now stands in its former mill. The court gate, which was the main entrance to the Abbey, dates back to the 12th century. It was extended in the 15th century and restored by John Foulston in 1824.

Located in the heart of the historic town of Tavistock is the ancient Pannier Market, one of Tavistock’s hidden gems. The market received its Royal Charter in 1105 and has survived uninterrupted for over 900 years. We toured it and I bought two dungarees for the summer!

Then we went to see the Church of St Eustachius from 1318, which we could see inside.

What to eat

With Tavistock’s long history as a thriving market centre, it’s only natural that it’s home to a wealth of restaurants, cafes and delicatessens selling excellent local produce. As well as the famous Devonshire cream tea, it has one of the oldest shops making original Cornish pasties, and we decided to share the largest pasty between the two of us. It’s filled with meat, potatoes, onions, leeks and pepper, the main ingredient! I have to say it was delicious!

Our next trip takes us to Wales, which you can see in the following blogs!