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A Pair of Shoes for a Poor Child - September 15th A Pair of Shoes for a Poor Child When we think about history, it is tempting to think big. Kings and queens. Great buildings. Wars and political upheavals. Famous architects, wealthy landowners and people whose portraits hang on walls. Tavistock certainly has plenty of those stories. But who remembers the child who needed a new pair of shoes? The policeman dealing with the everyday dramas of a changing town? The families who l

Anyone walking along Plymouth Road or past the Bedford Hotel recently can hardly have failed to notice that something is happening at Betsy Grimbal’s Tower. Scaffolding now surrounds one of Tavistock’s most important medieval monuments, specialist stonemasons are at work and, after years of planning, Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey is becoming very visible indeed. But what is actually happening behind all that scaffolding? Conserving a remarkable survivor Betsy Grimbal’s Tower

At first glance, Bannawell Street is easy to overlook. Tucked away between the bustle of Tavistock's town centre and the imposing railway viaduct, it appears to be a quiet residential street with little to hint at its remarkable past. Yet appearances can be deceptive. Few places in Tavistock encapsulate so many centuries of the town's history in such a short distance. This year's Heritage Open Days introduces a fascinating new guided walk that uncovers the hidden stories of "