Historic Buildings

‘Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey’

Tavistock Abbey plays a part in the everyday life of the town which is generally not recognised by the community. Throughout its 500 years plus life, the abbey was granted a market which still runs today and various fairs, of which Goose Fair remains a major event in the town. The granting of the abbey to the Russell family at the Dissolution has, over subsequent centuries, impacted on the town planning and its architecture, providing major public buildings which everyone uses and enjoys today. Seeing the ruins repaired and its history interpreted will educate the community and visitors about the significance and the scale of the abbey, its regional importance and influence which impacted on Devon and Cornwall prior to feudalism and industrialisation. This will foster appreciation of the town’s depth of heritage and history.