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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

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 "

This year’s Heritage Open Days already offers a special opportunity to discover more about the Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey project with the guided walk on September 17th Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey: From Abbey to Guildhall but after negotiations with both Le Page architects and and the conservation team at DBR we can now confirm an exciting addition which makes this one of the most unusual events in the programme. Participants will have the opportunity to go onto the sca

\ When people think of Tavistock's history, they often picture the Abbey ruins, the Dukes of Bedford, the canal or the great mining era. Yet the story of Tavistock begins much earlier. This year's Heritage Open Days opens with two remarkable talks that transport audiences back more than a thousand years to the Anglo-Saxon world, revealing how a powerful Devon family helped shape not only Tavistock, but England itself. These opening lectures by historian John Fletcher and Dr G

After months of careful planning, surveys and preparation, a major milestone has been reached in the Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey Project with the start of conservation work on Betsy Grimbal's Tower. The first day on site marked the beginning of the physical restoration of one of Tavistock's most recognisable medieval landmarks. For the first time in generations, skilled conservation masons from specialist contractors DBR Ltd began work on the tower, carefully preserving the

3 D Scanning of the Vicarage Stones On Thursday 13 November, a quiet corner of Tavistock became the focus of a remarkable step forward in the town’s heritage story. In the garden of the Vicarage—normally closed to the public and known only to a handful of specialists—the Tavistock Heritage Trust oversaw the detailed 3D digital scanning of three extraordinary early medieval inscribed stones. These stones are among the earliest Christian monuments in England, and they are centr

Education has always been central to Tavistock’s story, shaping not only young minds but also the fabric of the town itself. This...

Catholic Church of our Lady of the Assumption & St. Mary Magdalene Most weekends, going to church once might feel like plenty. But during...

If Heritage Open Days is about opening doors to the past, then Saturday 20th September is the day when Tavistock throws those doors wide...

We’re into the second half of Tavistock’s Heritage Open Days 2025 – and there’s still so much to discover! With talks, tours, walks,...

Heritage Open Days in Tavistock aren’t just about architecture, abbeys, and archives – they’re also about the traditions that have...

Chris Bellers from Tavistock Local History Society shows the Bidgoods their ancestors headstone This June, Tavistock Heritage Trust had...

As we mark Volunteers’ Week 2025, it’s time to shine a well-deserved spotlight on the incredible people who give their time, energy and...

£14,750 grant by Historic England to develop a major educational project around the story of Sir