Bovey Tracey is a small town in Devon on the edge of Dartmoor. The locals just call it 'Bovey.' Devon is a county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. ... Dartmoor is a National Park in the centre of the English county of Devon. ...

It is twinned with Le Molay-Littry in Normandy. This article is about partnerships between towns distant from each other; see Twin cities for the unrelated concept of physically neighbouring cities. ... Le Molay-Littry is a commune of the département of Calvados, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... Normandy is a geographical region in northern France. ...

The Cromwell's Arms, pub Bovey Tracey, is famous for being the lodging of some of Oliver Cromwell's army. An amusingly named pub (the Old New Inn) at Bourton-on-the-Water, in the Cotswold Hills of south west England A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries influenced by British... Unfinished portrait miniature of Oliver Cromwell by Samuel Cooper, 1657. ...

• Map sources for Bovey Tracey

Near to the top of town, you'll find the original site of the village green, where the town hall now stands. The town hall was opened in 1866 at a cost of £800!

Church of St. Peter, St.Paul and St. Thomas of Canterbury Walk on past St Mary's Well and visit the parish church of St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Thomas of Canterbury. The first church was built here around 400 - 500 A.D. and was constructed of mud and wattle. Every church since has been built on the same site.

"Church Steps", alongside, is a thatched building dating from 1490 for the secular use of the church, such as meetings, meals.... and the brewing of ale.

Times gone by - the old railway station at Bovey. Back at the very bottom of the town are the Railway Station buildings opened in 1866. The railway closed in 1959 and a much needed bypass opened on the rail route in 1988.

However all is not lost as the Heritage Trust has now completed the restoration of the old railway station buildings.

The Heritage Centre is now homed in this beautiful and nostalgic building.

You can now spend time in this much more spacious area, and enjoy the fascinating artifacts and information about the history of the town and surrounding area.

Entrance and parking are free. It is well sign posted and a short walk from the town centre.

Farmers' Market Bovey Tracey's Farmers' Market is held fortnightly in Union Square, "The Triangle". it provides a delicious variety of local produce, includung fresh lamb, beef, pork, and fish. Along with bread, cheeses, eggs, and garden plants, homemade cakes and refreshments.

It's a relaxing morning, accompanied by live jazz. Come along and join us sometime - there's even a craft market too from time to time.

A visit to Bovey Tracey is a delightful experience. Wherever you walk in the town, you'll always be able to see fields and trees. Living here is peaceful, yet lively. The whole place is friendly, from the people to the wider environment.

BOVEY TRACEY

"BOVEY TRACEY, or South Bovey, is a small ancient town, picturesquely seated in the valley of the West Teign or Bovey river, 6 miles S.E. by S. of Moreton-Hampstead, 5 miles N.N.E. of Newton-Abbot, and 4 miles W. by S. of Chudleigh. Its parish has 1823 souls in 1841, but has now more than 2000; and contains 7962a. 2R. 14P. of land, including parts of the heath and rocky moorland hills on the eastern side of the Dartmoor Forest . . . . The parish includes many scattered houses; the small hamlets of Little Bovey and Lower Brimley, and upwards of 500A. of low, flat, peaty lands, called Bovey Heathfield, under which it got the Bovey Coal . . . This coal is used by the poor, and also at the extensive Pottery, which was established here in 1772, and is now carried on here by a Company, who manufacture coarse as well as the finer sorts of earthenware, equal in quality and design to the best Staffordshire wares. . . . The Earl of Devon owns a great part of the parish, and is lord of the manor and borough of Bovey Tracey, formerly held by the Tracey family . . . The Parish Church (St. Thomas-a-Becket,) is a large ancient structure, in the perpendicular style, with a tower and six bells. . . ." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)] A parish in Teignbridge Hundred, the Archdeaconry of Totnes and the Diocese of Exeter. According to Peskett, inhabitants of Wreyland in this parish were often registered at Lustleigh.

Bovey Tracey - A Snapshot into its History

Bovey Tracey has a long and colourful history dating from the Saxon settlement times and was known as Boffa in about 500AD

The de Tracey’s were the old lords of the manor, and one of them, Sir William, who had a share in the murder of Thomas a Becket at Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, is said to have built the Parish church of St Peter, St Paul & St Thomas of Canterbury (which was dedicated to St Thomas) as a penance for his crime. The unbroken list of vicars dates from 1258.

de Tracey later added his name to the town and is said to have lived in the Manor House in East Street that was built about 1200. In 1260 Henry III granted the town a fair and Market Charter.

A gateway standing a little off the main street, known as Cromwell’s Arch, is a reminder of Bovey Tracey’s historical connection with the English Civil War. During the wars between Charles I and his Parliament, in January 1646, the town was the headquarters of Lord Wentworth. Cromwellian troops reputedly surprised Royalist officers’ playing cards in a house in East Street, thought to be Front House Lodge. The Royalists evaded capture by throwing coins out of the windows for the poorly paid Cromwellian troops to fight over, whilst they escaped by the back door and fled the town to Heathfield. The Battle of Bovey Heath was fought the following day with Cromwell’s army winning 400 horses and capturing seven regimental colours.

Following its part in the battle, a section of Bovey Heath is now a site of a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a number of important artifacts from the battle have been found over the years.

As the area is at the edge of the Bovey Basin, famous for its production of valuable clays, the town’s pottery industry was established in the 1750’s. Josiah Wedgwood visited the Indio Pottery on 31st May 1775 to see the competition for himself and noted:

“I went to Bovey Tracey to see a potwork….It is a poor trifling concern, and conducted in a wretched slovenly manner….We can carry their clay and flints from Devonshire to Staffordshire, there manufacture them into ware, and send it back to their own doors better and cheaper than they can make it!”

Nonetheless, recent research by Adams & Thomas in their book ‘A Potwork in Devonshire’, published in 1996 by Sayce Publishing, suggests that far from being a ‘poor trifling concern’, these potteries played a significant role in the foundation and development of English industrial pottery.

In spite of Josiah Wedgwood’s comments, with the easily available ball clay and lignite, a basic coal, the industry expanded in the town with the Bovey Tracey Potteries providing employment at its height for about 250 people. By the middle of the 20th century, the pottery was in decline. All that remains today are the bottle kilns and local pottery museum located at the House of Marbles. There were many other potteries producing many different types of products within the Parish including Candy Art Pottery at Heathfield, Wemyss Ware and Plichta. Wemyss ware continues to be manufactured locally. Fuller information on these potteries can be found in Ian Turner’s publication 'Candy Art Pottery' published by Hillian Press and Brian Adams's new book 'Bovey Tracey Potteries - Guide and Marks' published by the House of Marbles.

In 1820 George Templar, to connect the granite quarries at Haytor and the Stover Canal at Teigngrace, built an 8-mile granite tramway. This was to transport granite down to the River Teign, and the coast. The present day Templar Way Trail follows much of the original route, from moor to sea.

The old market cross stands close to the Town Hall and has been carefully restored as a War Memorial. The railway from Newton Abbot to Bovey Tracey was built in 1866 and the last train ran through the station on 2nd March 1959. The now Grade II listed station building is home to the Town’s Heritage Trust.

Bovey Tracey - Today

Although an historic town, with a colourful past, Bovey Tracey does not rest on its history. The Parish of Bovey Tracey and Heathfield is an active and thriving Parish, proactive in its approach to new opportunities for residents, visitors and businesses alike. The Town Council is currently, and has been over many years, active in supporting and promoting a wide range of community projects, charities and organisations within the Parish.

Parish Plan

In November 2003, the Town Council produced a Parish Plan, which is a definitive Plan for the future development of Bovey Tracey and Heathfield over the next three to five years. The Parish Plan is a summary of the main issues people of all ages are concerned about in the parish, all identified by the people of the parish. Some of the main issues identified included housing needs, facilities for young people, the local environment, public transport, policing, social problems and community facilities.

Over the past 18 months the Town Council has been actively implementing initiatives to start to address these concerns. Details of three of the major projects the Town Council has been involved with over the past 12 months are:

• Providing a Safer Environment

In an attempt to address residents’ concerns regarding anti social behaviour and vandalism by a minority of individuals, in what is still considered a very safe area to live, the Town Council has now installed a CCTV system covering the main areas of Bovey Tracey. To increase the effectiveness of the CCTV system, all cameras will be linked into the Newton Abbot CCTV Centre. The CCTV system has successfully assisted police on numerous occasions over the past 12 months.

• Outdoor Recreational Facilities for Heathfield

In attempting to provide additional facilities for the young people of the parish, the Town Council has successfully negotiated, the provision of a large open space in Heathfield, from the developer's Midas Homes, to provide additional space for recreational activities.

• Improved Play Area at Mill Marsh Park

The Town Council is currently completing a £70,000 major refurbishment of the play facilities in Mill Marsh Park. The Town Council has been awarded over £40,000 in grant aid towards the costs of this project.

There is still a great deal more to be achieved over the next 2 - 3 years. Further details of The Parish Plan and Action Plan can be found by clicking on upcoming events.

Quality Status

The Town Council gained Quality Status in October 2004. This award will present exciting opportunities for Bovey Tracey in the future. There was an immediate benefit to the Parish as, when the presentation of the award was made in January 2005, it was announced that Bovey Tracey Town Council had been awarded £9640 from the Quality Council Investment Fund. Bovey Tracey was one of only 22 Quality Councils nationally, out of 118, to receive the full amount of funding applied for.

Partnerships with Local Organisations

Outside the Town Council, there are a number of important projects happening, in which the Town Council has been involved either directly or in a supporting role. The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, at the Riverside Mill, now in their 50th year, have completed their £1 million redevelopment which has created a fully accessible building with a new gallery and extended Craft Shop. The Riverside Mill now houses probably the largest collection of contemporary crafts in the West Country. The Guild also continues its links with local schools reaching over 3,000 children with its 'Big Hand - Little Hand' scheme.

Now in its second year, The Contemporary Craft Fair held in Mill Marsh Park over three days in June is the finest contemporary craft fair in the South West. In 2004, there were over 6000 visitors to the event with over 150 exhibitors. For further information on this year's event click on links and the contact link for Crafts at Bovey Tracey.

The building of the Community Centre and new Information Centre continue to be progressed. The Bovey Tracey Town Guide, now in its third year and published by the Information Centre, has been a welcome addition to advertising the Town and surrounding areas. Plans for the long awaited footbridge over the River Bovey from Station Road car park to the Riverside Mill have moved forward and it is hoped that the bridge can soon be finally completed.

Devon Wildlife Trust, having taken over the conservation of Bovey Heathfield in 2002, continues working to enhance the environmental qualities of this special haven for a large variety of wildlife. Bovey Heathfield has been the setting for a Civil War Battle and is currently a site of a Scheduled Monument and is an important protected wildlife habitat. The rare plants and wildlife that has clung so precariously to life over the past years will now have all the support and encouragement to once again thrive, making Bovey Heathfield Nature Reserve a wonderful place to visit and enjoy. To find out more about Bovey Heathfield, click on links and the contact link for Devon Wildlife Trust

The building of the new Community Centre and Primary School at Heathfield have commenced and upon completion later this year will provide excellent and much needed improved community facilities for all resident in this area of the Parish. The Grade II listed Old Station Building in St John's Lane Bovey Tracey, acquired by the Town Council from the developers of Station Court, is now home to the Bovey Tracey Heritage Trust on a long-term lease. Successful fundraising by the Heritage Trust provided sufficient funds to restore the Old Station to its former GWR glory and is now used to display important artifacts and documents’ relating to the Town’s colourful past. Open daily from April to October (closed on Sundays). For further information telephone 01626 834331

A new addition to Bovey Tracey has been the erection of the sculpture at the roundabout by the Fire Station. The sculpture of ‘22 Granite Artforms’. This sculpture was given to Bovey Tracey by the late, world renowned artist Justin Knowles who was a resident in Bovey Tracey for many years. The sculpture was erected to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.

A continuing success story has been the Youth Café on Fore Street, Bovey Tracey, now in its third year. A lot of hard work has gone into creating and funding this facility for the younger residents of Bovey Tracey. With the full time Manager, Debbie, the Café is very popular offering food and a wide range of activities. Visitors are always welcome.