What's On
Check this page regularly, as events & activities are being added all the time. If you're running an event which you'd like to see listed here, please contact us.
Upcoming Events
Decoding History's Art – From Artemisia Gentileschi to Rembrandt
October - November 2019
Join art historian Dr Geri Parlby on a fascinating artistic journey across Europe Europe from Mannerism to Baroque. Every piece of art can tell a story if you know how to read the clues!
The course will be lavishly illustrated throughout, and no prior knowledge will be assumed. All-comers welcome.
Geri Parlby lectures regularly for The Arts Society (NADFAS) across the UK and internationally and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Roehampton.
Booking Information
This is a 6-week course to be held at the Tavistock Parish Rooms (next to the Bedford Hotel, Plymouth Road) from 14.30 - 16.30 each Thursday following the schedule below. Each lecture cost £10 per person and includes light refreshments. There is no need to book in advance - just come along on the day.
Course Schedule
October 3
The amazing life and art of Artemisia Gentileschi: Italy in the first half of the 17th century.
October 10
The art of the Stuart courts: from William Larkin to Peter Lely
October 17
No Class
October 24
The Flemish Masters: Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony Van Dyck,
October 31
From Crete to Spain – Icons to Mannerism: the art of El Greco
November 7
The art of the Spanish court: Velasquez to Murillo
November 14
The Dutch Golden Age: Rembrandt to Vermeer
Guided Heritage Walk - Tavistock Wharves
Meet outside Tavistock Visitor Information Centre, 2pm
02 Nov 2019
Work on the Tavistock Canal began in 1803 and within 2 years there was an active transport watercourse from Tavistock through Crowndale to Mill Hill; completion to Morwellham was to take a further 12 years. During the canal’s working life the various wharves at the head of the canal in Tavistock were major sites of activity. There were five different wharves used by various enterprises for various purposes. These were the wharves named Abbey, Canal Company, Wheal Friendship, Gill & Company and the Public Wharf.
This walk visits all five sites and is based on archaeological and historical study and interpretation by archaeologist Robert Waterhouse and published in his recent book The Tavistock Canal; Its History and Archaeology (2017). The walk is led by local historian Stephen Docksey who is also a member of the Morwellham Archaeological Group.
The walk is approximately 90 minutes duration, all on flat ground, covering less than one mile.
Tickets cost £5 per person (accompanied under-16s free) and can be bought on the day or in advance at the Tavistock Visitor Information Centre. They can also be booked online through PayPal using the link below.
Guided Heritage Walk - Discover Tavistock
Meet outside Tavistock Visitor Information Centre, 2pm
09 Nov 2019
Growing around the site of the abbey, Tavistock (despite a very unfriendly marauding visit by Vikings in 998!) gradually became an important country town based on farming and woollen manufacture. Gross interference by Henry VIII resulted in the break-up of Devon’s wealthiest abbey, with its lands becoming the property of the Bedford family who were to ‘rule’ the town for the next 400 years. The nineteenth century saw a huge expansion as a result of the discovery of copper ore at Devon Great Consols, but this boom was short-lived, lasting only until the beginning of the twentieth century. Today the town retains much of its built heritage and prides itself on being England’s premier market town. Join us on a walk to discover evidence of the town’s colourful heritage.
The walk will be approximately 90 minutes and about 1 mile.
Tickets cost £5 per person (accompanied under-16s free) and can be bought on the day or in advance at the Tavistock Visitor Information Centre. They can also be booked online through PayPal using the link below.
Guided Heritage Walk - Tavistock's Historic Pubs and Breweries
Meet outside Tavistock Visitor Information Centre, 2pm
23 Nov 2019
Sponsored by Dartmoor Brewery
In 1752 Tavistock parish offered some 14 licensed public houses. By 1860 the number had risen to 29. Increasing magisterial control of public houses then resulted in numbers falling steadily to 14 houses in 1920 and a gradual decline to nine in 2010, six of which are still serving customers in the town centre today.
In the late eighteenth century Tavistock’s first common brewer opened in Market St followed by one in Brook Street in 1853. By 1930 both had closed.
This walk will identify past pubs and breweries and discuss their place in Tavistock’s history. Whilst the temptation to sample the offerings of all today’s pubs will have to be resisted, the tour will end at one of the town’s nineteenth century establishments - which will be open for the thirsty and curious.
The walk will be approximately 90 minutes over about 1 mile.
Tickets cost £5 per person (accompanied under-16s free) and can be bought on the day or in advance at the Tavistock Visitor Information Centre. They can also be booked online through PayPal using the link below.