Great Torrington | |
---|---|
Great Torrington Town Hall in the centre of the town | |
Coat of arms | |
Location within Devon | |
Population | 5,953 (2021 Census) [1] |
OS grid reference | SS4919 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | TORRINGTON |
Postcode district | EX38 |
Dialling code | 01805 |
Police | Devon and Cornwall |
Fire | Devon and Somerset |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Great Torrington (often abbreviated to Torrington, though the villages of Little Torrington and Black Torrington are situated in the same region) is a market town in Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to the River Torridge below, with the lower-lying parts of the town prone to occasional flooding. Torrington is in the centre of Tarka Country, a landscape captured by Henry Williamson in his novel Tarka the Otter in 1927. Great Torrington has one of the most active volunteering communities in the United Kingdom. [2]
In July 2019, Great Torrington was reported to be the healthiest place to live in Britain. Researchers from the University of Liverpool found that the area had low levels of pollution, good access to green space and health services, along with few retail outlets. [3]
There were Iron Age and medieval castles and forts in Torrington, located on the Castle Hill. [4]
Great Torrington had strategic significance in the English Civil War. In the Battle of Torrington (1646), the Parliamentarians, led by Sir Thomas Fairfax, swept into the town and defeated Lord Hopton's forces. This marked the end of Royalist resistance in the West Country. Today the town is recognised as an important heritage centre for the history of the 17th century, and its people can often be seen dressed in costume for historical re-enactments, festivals and celebrations. An interactive Civil War Experience, "Torrington 1646", marks the town's historically important role. The Torrington jail was not big enough for more than one man so the Royalists kept all the Parliamentarian prisoners in the church. Then 70 barrels of gunpowder exploded and killed everyone held captive and many of their captors. [5] Great Torrington Town Hall, a neoclassical style building, was completed in 1861. [6]
The branch line from Barnstaple to Bideford was extended to Great Torrington in July 1872 by the London and South Western Railway, which built a railway station and locomotive depot in the town. The station was always named 'Torrington', not 'Great Torrington'.
The locomotive depot was closed in 1959 and the line was closed to passenger traffic as part of the Beeching Axe. It was closed to goods traffic in 1984. At the site of the old station there is still in 2015 a pub named The Puffing Billy. [7] A few small sections of track remain, but most has been removed and replaced with a combined foot and cycle path as part of the Tarka Trail. The Tarka Trail continues to Bideford, Barnstaple and on to Braunton in one direction, and to Meeth in the other, making 32 miles (51 km) of traffic free trail.
The manor of Great Torrington was granted by Queen Mary to James Basset (1526–1558), [8] MP, a younger son of Sir John Bassett (1462 – 31 Jan 1529) of Umberleigh. James's son Philip Bassett sold it to Sir John Fortescue (c. 1531–1607) of Ponsbourne, [8] near Hatfield, Hertfordshire, the eldest son of Sir Adrian Fortescue (1476–1539), descended from Richard Fortescue, younger brother of Henry Fortescue (fl. 1426), Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in Ireland and of Sir John Fortescue (ca. 1394–1480), Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. [9] Denys Rolle (1614–1638) of nearby Stevenstone in the parish of St Giles in the Wood, acquired the lordship of the manor of Great Torrington from his descendant Sir William Fortescue. [8] Denys Rolle (1614–1638) founded the Bluecoat School in Torrington [10] The fountain and clock in the square were given in 1870 by Mark Rolle (1835–1907) [8] A number of family portraits were given to the town by the heirs of Mark Rolle, some of which remain on display in the Great Torrington Town Hall, some of the more valuable ones having been sold, including a portrait of John Rolle Walter (c.1714–1779) by Pompeo Batoni. [11]
Torrington Common is an area of common land which surrounds the town on all but the eastern side. The common is administered by a body called "The Commons Conservators". The Common covers 365 acres (148 ha) and has over 20 miles (32 kilometres) of public rights of way. The landscape features a variety of habitats, flora and fauna.
An "area of waste called the Common" was donated to the town in 1194 by the feudal baron of Great Torrington. In 1889, the rights to this land were transferred by an act of parliament to an elected "Committee of Conservators". The bill was subject of a local poll, as the document now at Devon Record Office evidences: [12]
Poll of inhabitants on "A Bill for Vesting the Management of Great Torrington Common, Castle Hill Common and other lands in the Borough of Great Torrington in the County of Devon in a Body of Conservators and to settle questions between the Commoners of Great Torrington and the Owners of the Rolle Estate and for other purposes".
The Rolle Estate was the largest landowner in Devon, [13] having been built up by the Rolle family of Stevenstone. Since 2 October 1889 the Conservators have met regularly to fulfil their remit to manage the land. Early activity was mainly concerned with control over the grazing and quarrying of the common, but since 1980 grazing has stopped and instead various techniques have taken its place to prevent the common from reverting to scrub and woodland. [14] There has been building development on the commons which some locals oppose.
Attractions in Great Torrington include:
Torrington has long been a factory town. In the nineteenth century it was a centre of the glove making industry. The major employer today is Dartington Crystal, but the shops in the town centre also provide a source of employment. Most of the shops are locally owned; however, there are branches of The Co-operative Food, Lidl, Spar and Lloyds Pharmacy. Large factories have deserted the town in recent years including the meat factory after a fire, and the milk factory which also caught fire has moved its production elsewhere. Various converted and purpose-built care homes in the town also provide a significant source of employment.
In 2006, Tesco sought to open a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) store in the town; however, this was opposed by many locals and the planning application was rejected. [17]
Local radio is provided by The Voice, a station based in nearby Barnstaple that broadcasts across North Devon on FM and DAB. Most of the content on the station is locally produced. [18]
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC South West and ITV West Country. Television signals are received from the nearby Huntshaw Cross TV transmitter situated north east of the town. [19]
BBC Local Radio station that broadcast to the town is BBC Radio Devon on 94.8 FM.
The regional radio station Heart West can be received in the town on FM and DAB. The station is a part of the Heart network and broadcasts across the South West of England. Most of the shows broadcast are national shows from the Heart London studios, rather than region-specific ones. [20] Region-specific content includes the weekday Drivetime show produced in Bristol, and local advertising.
The local newspaper is the North Devon Journal also based in Barnstaple. The Western Morning News is a regional paper widely available. Most households receive a copy of the North Devon Gazette every week. The Crier is the community newsletter and diary delivered free to most households in the town and surrounding area for ten months of the year.
Torrington's football teams are Torrington F.C. and Torridgeside A.F.C. There are also rugby, netball, tennis and swimming teams. Torrington nine-hole Golf Course is 1.2 miles (2 km) northwest of the town centre. Great Torrington Bowling Club, established in 1645, is the third oldest bowling club in England. [21]
Great Torrington is twinned with the French port town of Roscoff, [22] situated in northern Brittany. Roscoff is served by the Brittany Ferries service from Plymouth and is a popular destination for school trips from the area.
Torrington is served by 43 local bus services mostly operated by Stagecoach South West. Some only operate one way and a number are weekly only service.
Belle Vue Airfield is a single runway airfield about 2.5 miles northeast of Great Torrington in North Devon, England. It is for private aviation only, operating restricted flying hours and is frequented by Microlight and hang-gliding clubs. The 580-metre (1,902-foot) runway is grass. [23]
Exeter Airport 35 miles (56 km) away operates scheduled flights from Shannon Airport, Eire and the Channel Islands. [24]
The nearest ferry port is Plymouth 40 miles (64 km) away, at which Brittany Ferries offer a regular service from Roscoff in Brittany. There is a summertime-only ferry service based at Bideford Harbour (7 miles away) to and from Lundy Island.
Torrington has no direct train services; Umberleigh (8 miles away) is served by the Tarka Line from Exeter St David's. Bus connections are available to and from Barnstaple station (11 miles away).
Bideford is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, South West England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district.
Barnstaple is a river-port town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from which it earned great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, but its harbour silted up and other trades developed such as shipbuilding, foundries and sawmills. A Victorian market building survives, with a high glass and timber roof on iron columns.
Northam is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in Devon, England, lying north of Bideford. The civil parish also includes the villages of Westward Ho!, Appledore, West Appledore, Diddywell, Buckleigh and Silford, and the residential areas of Orchard Hill and Raleigh Estate.
Instow is a village in north Devon, England. It is on the estuary where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet, between the villages of Westleigh and Yelland and on the opposite bank to Appledore. There is an electoral ward with the same name. The ward's total population at the 2011 census was 1,501.
Langtree is a village and parish in north Devon, England, situated about 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Great Torrington and 8 miles (13 km) south of Bideford. Its name means "tall tree". Torridge District Council and Devon County Council are responsible for local government, while for religious administrative purposes it is part of the Archdeaconry of Barnstaple and the Diocese of Exeter. In 2021 the parish had a population of 837.
The Tarka Line, also known as the North Devon Line, is a local railway line in Devon, England, linking the city of Exeter with the town of Barnstaple via a number of local villages, operated by Great Western Railway (GWR). The line opened in 1851 from Exeter to Crediton and in 1854 the line was completed through to Barnstaple. The line was taken over by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1865 and later became part of the Southern Railway and then British Rail. In 2001, following privatisation, Wessex Trains introduced the name Tarka Line after the eponymous character in Henry Williamson's book Tarka the Otter. The line was transferred to First Great Western in 2006.
The Rolle Canal in north Devon, England, extends from its mouth into the River Torridge at Landcross 6 miles southwards to the industrial mills and corn-mills at Town Mills, Rosemoor, Great Torrington and beyond to Healand Docks and weir on the Torridge, where survive the ruins of Lord Rolle's limekilns, upstream of today's Rosemoor Garden. Town Mills were built by Lord Rolle and were powered by a stream which flowed past his seat of Stevenstone to the east of Great Torrington and also supplied water to the canal. Rosemoor and North and South Healand farms were part of Lord Rolle's Stevenstone estate on the east bank of the Torridge.
The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by the fictional Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It covers a total of 180 miles (290 km) in a figure-of-eight route, centred on Barnstaple.
The River Torridge is a river in Devon in England; it rises near Meddon. The river describes a long loop through Devon farming country where its tributaries the Lew and Okement join before meeting the Taw at Appledore and flowing into the Bristol Channel. The river is spate dependent and often flows between wooded banks which can be steep. The Torridge local government district is named after the river.
Barnstaple railway station is the northern terminus of the Tarka Line and serves the town of Barnstaple, Devon. It is 39 miles 75 chains (64.3 km) from Exeter Central and 211.25 miles (339.97 km) from London Waterloo. It is managed by Great Western Railway, which also operates the passenger service.
Torrington railway station was a railway station located in Great Torrington, Devon. It was closed by British Railways in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts.
Meeth is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district, in the county of Devon, England roughly 13.5 km (8.4 mi) north-northwest of Okehampton and 40.7 km (25.3 mi) west-northwest of Exeter. It lies to the west of the River Torridge. In the past, ball clay mines were a major source of employment in the village, lying just to the west, however these closed in 2004. Their site is now a nature reserve owned by the Devon Wildlife Trust, called Meeth Quarry. The Trust's Ash Moor reserve is also located close to the village. In 2021 the parish had a population of 161.
Huntshaw is a village and civil parish located 2.5 north north east of Great Torrington, in the Torridge district, in the county of Devon, England.
Landcross is a hamlet and civil parish in the local government district of Torridge, Devon, England. The parish, which is the smallest in Devon, lies just south of the town of Bideford. It is bordered clockwise from the north by the parishes of Bideford, Weare Giffard, Monkleigh, and Littleham, its eastern border being formed by a meander of the River Torridge and the western by the River Yeo. In 2001 its population was 70, compared to 58 in 1901.
Beam is an historic estate in the parish of Great Torrington, Devon, England. Beam House is situated about 1 1/2 miles north-west and downstream of that town, on the right-bank of the River Torridge. Both the Rolle Canal and the railway crossed the river nearby. It occupies a particularly beautiful setting, described by Lauder (1986) thus: "For lovers of rivers and woodland there can be few lovlier settings for a house than this. Steeply wooded banks shelter the valley and the house is situated on slightly higher ground above lush water meadows, almost completely surrounded by the Torridge" The estate was a subsidiary seat of the Rolle family, lords of the manor of Great Torrington, whose main seat was Stevenstone on the other (south) side of that town and therefore upstream from Beam. It was an outpost of the Royalists during the Civil War. Much of the estate is today owned by Baron Clinton, as heir to the Rolles, but it has had many occupants, including use by the army in both world wars and as a borstal. Tarka the Otter was born at Beam, by what the author Henry Williamson called the "Canal Bridge" and particularly favoured the River Torridge at Beam Weir. Thus the cycleway which crosses the river at Beam, formerly the railway line, was named the "Tarka Trail", due to its association with these and other haunts of the fictional animal. Today Beam is used as an adventure centre for young people.
Monkleigh is a village, parish and former manor in north Devon, England. It is situated 2.5 miles (4.0 km) miles north-west of Great Torrington and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-east of Bideford. It forms part of the Monkleigh and Littleham electoral ward. The population at the 2011 census was 1,488.
Instow railway station was a railway station in the village of Instow, North Devon, England, on the Bideford Extension of the North Devon Railway. Opened in November 1855, the station closed to passengers in 1965, but the line remained open for freight until 1982. The signal box has been preserved as a working attraction. The Atlantic Coast Express used to go through the station on its way to Torrington, but it did not call at Instow.
The Tarka Valley Railway in Devon, England, is a heritage railway that plans to rebuild the Torrington to Bideford section of the Barnstaple to Halwill Junction railway line. So far a short demonstration line of 300 yd of track in the direction of Bideford plus a siding alongside the old coal dock have been re-laid. The railway has been fenced off from the Tarka Trail ensuring the safety of all involved. Restoration of various items of rolling stock is currently under way.