Discover Tavistock’s Hidden Gem: Our Lady of the Assumption Open Days

Step inside one of Tavistock’s most distinctive churches this September, as the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Mary Magdalene opens its doors for Heritage Open Days 2025.

Set on Callington Road, this striking Grade II* listed building was commissioned by William, the 8th Duke of Bedford, and designed in the 1860s by Henry Clutton – a leading architect of the Gothic Revival. Clutton was also responsible for the Chapel in Tavistock’s Plymouth Road Cemetery, as well as a similar church at Woburn, the Bedford family’s seat.

His designs combined soaring lines and elegant detailing with a sensitivity to local traditions, making this church not just a place of worship, but a landmark of Tavistock’s architectural story.

The church’s history is deeply entwined with Tavistock’s industrial boom. Built to serve the influx of miners and their families who came to the town to work at the Devon Great Consols mines, it reflects a period when Tavistock’s population was growing rapidly and communities needed new spaces to gather, worship, and find comfort. It remains today a thriving parish, with parishioners supporting its role as both a spiritual centre and a place of heritage.

This year’s Heritage Open Days national theme is “Buildings, Bridges and Beehives”—an invitation to explore how the structures around us were designed, built, and used. Our Lady of the Assumption is a perfect example: a building created not just for its beauty, but to serve the needs of a working community, and one that still stands as a symbol of faith, resilience, and craftsmanship.

Visitors during the open days will have the rare chance to step inside, admire Clutton’s design up close, and learn about the church’s links to both Tavistock’s mining heritage and the Bedford Estate. The open day is supported by parishioners, who will be on hand to share stories and insights into the church’s living history.

Whether you are interested in architecture, local history, or simply curious to explore one of Tavistock’s treasures, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

📍 Our Lady of the Assumption & St Mary Magdalene, Callington Road, Tavistock

📅 Open Day: Saturday 13th & 20th September 2025, 11:00 – 15:00

🎟️ Free entry as part of Heritage Open Days

For full details of this and all 36 events across Tavistock, visit: heritageintavistock.org/tavistock-heritage-open-days