Dunsford

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Dunsford
Teign at Dunsford.png
The river Teign, as it passes through Dunsford Nature Reserve
Devon UK location map.svg
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Dunsford
Location within Devon
Population688 
OS grid reference SX813892
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town EXETER
Postcode district EX6
Police Devon and Cornwall
Fire Devon and Somerset
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Devon
50°41′24″N3°40′55″W / 50.690°N 3.682°W / 50.690; -3.682

Dunsford is a village in Devon, England; it is located just inside the Dartmoor National Park. The hamlet of Butts is sited about one mile to the west; it generally considered to be part of the village, as is Reedy, which is a similar distance to the east.

Contents

History

The place name is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Dunesforda, meaning 'Dunn's ford'. [1]

The village has a number of traditional thatched cottages; a primary school which has a swimming pool, climbing wall and sports field; one village shop and post office; a tea room and a public house. St Mary's Church, built between 1420 and 1455, [2] is located in the village centre.

Dunsford Halt was a station on the Teign Valley Line from Exeter St Thomas to Heathfield station that served the village from 1928 to 1958. [3]

Great Fulford House lies to the west of Dunsford; a Domesday manor which has been the home of the Fulford family since at least 1190. The present house was mainly built in the early 16th century and is a semi-fortified mansion house built round a central courtyard. [4] It was the backdrop to the 2014 reality-television programme, Life Is Toff.

Geography

Dunsford Woods nature reserve is nearby, which is managed by Devon Wildlife Trust; it consists of 57 hectares of river valley woodland, heath-covered rocky slopes and fertile flood-plain scrub and grassland. It is known especially for its wild daffodils and six species of fritillary butterfly.

Events

Dunsford holds a village show at the beginning of July every year. Dunsford Amateur Dramatic Society (DADS) produces a pantomime in the village hall in early January. The villagers also hold an annual fancy dress pancake race in the streets.[ citation needed ]

Twin towns – sister cities

Dunsford along with Doddiscombsleigh is twinned with: [5]

References

  1. ↑ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p.154.
  2. ↑ St Mary's Church guidebook, April 1992
  3. ↑ Holman, Dave (17 May 2017). "Station name: Dunsford Halt". Disused-stations.org. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  4. ↑ Great Fulford House. Retrieved : 13 May 2010 Archived 24 December 2012 at archive.today
  5. ↑ "Boulon. Jean-Pierre Béchade quitte la présidence du comité de jumelage entre forêts". Ouest-France. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
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