Behind the Scaffolding: Discover What’s Happening at Betsy Grimbal’s Tower

If you have walked along Plymouth Road recently, you can hardly have missed the scaffolding surrounding Betsy Grimbal’s Tower, one of the most important surviving fragments of Tavistock’s medieval Abbey.

Now there is another very good reason to stop and take a closer look.

A new series of information boards has been installed outside the site, explaining what is happening behind the scaffolding, why the conservation work is necessary and what we are learning about this remarkable building along the way.

The boards form part of the Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey project and turn what might otherwise appear to be simply a building site into a window onto nearly 1,000 years of Tavistock’s history.

A building with many stories to tell

Tavistock Abbey was founded in AD 974 and developed into one of the most influential Benedictine abbeys in the South West. Following the Dissolution in the 16th century, much of the great monastic complex disappeared, but tantalising fragments survived.

Betsy Grimbal’s Tower is one of the most substantial.

The new displays explain the history of the Tower and how archaeologists and architects have begun to unravel the different phases of its development. They also show just how much the building has changed over the centuries, including repairs, alterations and rebuilding long after the monks had gone.

But this isn't simply about looking backwards.

How do you conserve a medieval ruin?

One of the fascinating things about the boards is that they explain some of the decisions being made right now.

Visitors can discover why specialist stonemasons are painstakingly removing inappropriate mortar and repointing the masonry using traditional lime-based materials.

There is also an introduction to soft capping, a conservation technique which may seem surprising at first. Instead of sealing vulnerable wall tops beneath hard cement, carefully designed layers of soil and vegetation can help protect historic masonry from rain, frost and rapid changes in temperature.

In other words, that covering of grass on top of an ancient wall isn't neglect. Done properly, it can become part of the wall's armour.

The displays also explain the research taking place alongside the physical conservation. Mortar samples have been taken for laboratory testing, while archaeological and architectural investigation is helping us distinguish between different phases of construction and repair.

Every stone, joint and patch of mortar can potentially add another fragment to the story.

Rediscovering an Abbey hidden in plain sight

Betsy Grimbal’s Tower is only one part of a much bigger ambition.

Through Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey, Tavistock Heritage Trust and its partners are working to conserve the Abbey remains, investigate its archaeology and documentary history and, ultimately, understand far more clearly how this enormous medieval complex fitted into the town we know today.

And we want the people of Tavistock to be part of that journey.

So next time you are passing Betsy Grimbal’s Tower, stop for a few minutes.

Take a look at the new boards. Discover why lime mortar matters, find out what soft capping actually does, explore the changing structure of the Tower and see how today's conservation specialists are working with a building whose story stretches back centuries.

The scaffolding will eventually disappear.

What we learn while it is there could change our understanding of Tavistock Abbey forever.