An Introduction to Tavistock, Devon

A town of just over eleven thousand people,of shopping and entertainment venues for visitors
Tavistock is a lively little market town located on theand residents. The town also supports a great
River Tavy in the English County of Devon. Derivingnumber of outlying villages and a thriving local farm
its name from the name of the river, the town cancommunity. It is still an important town in trade and is
trace its history as far back as the year 961. Therapidly becoming a dormitory area for commuters to
town was founded with the construction ofPlymouth. Due to its pleasant rural location, it is also
Tavistock Abbey, the ruins of which are now foundbecoming a popular place for retired people.
in the middle of the town. The town is also notableThe most notable site of interest is Tavistock Abbey
as being the birthplace and hometown of Sir Franciswhich are the ruins of a Benedictine Abbey and the
Drake.centre of the town. Although not much remains of it,
During medieval times and beyond, the town wasit is amongst the most significant abbeys in the area
important in the trade of corn and cattle and also theand it is absolutely integral to the history of the
nearby mining industries. At the end of medievaltown.
times, the town became important in the trade ofTavistock is home to a number of entertainment
cloth. It also miraculously survived the Black Death ofoptions and is a popular place to stop and state for
1625, with only fifty-two people dying. Tavistockexploring the local area. There are a number of places
continued to boom in the following centuries andfor walking and camping near to the town which
even more so with the coming of the railway in 1859.have proven particularly popular amongst tourists.
Today Tavistock is a lively town with an abundance