The Use and Control of Water in Tavistock's past: Where the 2026 Walks Programme Begins

Every great story needs a strong opening chapter

.

For Tavistock’s 2026 Heritage Walks Programme, that chapter begins not with kings or charters, but with something far more elemental… water.

On the surface, Tavistock is a town shaped by stone. Look closer, and you’ll find it is a town shaped by flow. Hidden channels, diverted streams, piped springs and working leats have quietly powered life here for over a thousand years. And this year’s opening walk, “The Use and Control of Water in Tavistock's past", lifts the lid on that story in all its ingenious, occasionally unsavoury, and utterly fascinating detail.

Led by the brilliant Dr Sharon Gedye, this walk has already earned a reputation as one of the most engaging and popular in the programme. It returns in 2026 as the first walk of the season and, fittingly, the one that sets everything else in motion.

Dr. Sharon Gedye

Because before there was an Abbey, grand houses, markets, or civic pride, there was a simple challenge:how do you bring clean water in, move dirty water out, and make it work for you in between?

The monks of Tavistock Abbey tackled this head-on. Drawing fresh water from springs beyond the town, they created systems that separated drinking water from waste, while also harnessing flow for practical use. It was medieval engineering with a quiet confidence, shaping not just the Abbey, but the future of the town itself.

The Mill Brook, flowing almost unnoticed today, once powered a network of industry from the 12th century onwards. Mills, tanning, and metalworking all relied on its steady energy. Meanwhile, the River Tavy, now tamed and edged into place, was once broader, wilder, and far more central to daily life.

And then there’s the less glamorous side of the story. Streets where waste once ran, systems designed to carry it away, and the gradual transformation of Tavistock into a cleaner, more controlled urban space during the 19th century. It’s history with its sleeves rolled up.

What makes this walk so compelling is not just the detail, but the perspective. It reveals Tavistock as a place of innovation and adaptation, where people learned to manage one of nature’s most powerful forces long before modern infrastructure existed.

As the opening walk of the 2026 programme, it sets the tone for everything that follows, from architecture and industry to community and change. If you understand the water, you begin to understand the town.

Places on this walk are limited, and its popularity means they tend to go quickly. If you’re planning to join us for any of this year’s walks, this is the one to book early.

Think of it as your starting point… the source from which the rest of Tavistock’s stories flow.

You can book tickets online by following this ticket link or drop into the Visitor Information Centre - but be quick

You can see the full programme here