Great Torrington Town Council

A passenger rail service to Torrington was in operation for nearly a hundred years.  Built as an extension from Bideford, the line was opened in July 1872 and passenger trains ran until 1965 when the service was axed by Beeching.

Torrington station wasn’t in a terribly convenient situation being about a mile out of town at the bottom of a steep hill on the road to Bideford.  However, the railway service was used by a lot of workers and schoolchildren and a ‘station bus’ operated from New Street.  The initial passenger service on the North Devon line in August 1872 comprised six trains each way as far as Torrington, three from London, Waterloo, one from Yeovil and two from Exeter, with another between Barnstaple and Bideford.  The 2.10pm express from Waterloo took 6 hours 51 minutes for the journey of 225 miles to Torrington.  There were extra services to and from Barnstaple on Fridays which was market day.

A light, 3 ft gauge private railway was built in the early 1880s to transport bricks and clay from the Marland clay works to the Torrington goods yard.  The only passengers who used this line were clay workers.  This railway was in use for 44 years until the opening of the North Devon and Cornwall Junction Light Railway in 1925.  Much of the trackbed of the 3 ft gauge line was used but the narrow gauge system was retained within the clay works for another 45 years until it finally closed in 1970.

In 1925 standard gauge rails finally pushed south from Torrington and connected up at Halwill Junction to the rest of the network.  A new steel viaduct over the River Torridge near Torrington station was built alongside the old wooden viaduct of the Torrington and Marland Railway which was subsequently demolished.  The train went through Petrockstowe, Meeth, Hatherleigh, Hole and on to Halwill Junction where it met up with the Bude, Okehampton and Padstow lines.  There were three trains each way between Torrington and Halwill on weekdays but none on Sundays.  This line wasn’t the success that had been hoped for and was more a tourist route than a local service.

A substantial flow of traffic from Torrington station was milk for the London market from the dairy further along the valley.

By the early 1960s the number of passengers on the trains through Torrington was declining.  People were travelling in their own cars or by bus, particularly between Barnstaple and Bideford where there was a frequent service which was more convenient for both town centres.  Freight traffic was also declining and goods and cattle were being transported by road.  Inevitably, there were cuts to services.

In 1963 the government brought in Dr Richard Beeching to make major improvements to the rail industry and he recommended the development of freight and fast passenger services on main lines, concentrating on the profitable bulk flows of traffic and the elimination of large numbers of stations and branch lines.  In North Devon passenger services were withdrawn on three of the four routes to Barnstaple, with only the Barnstaple to Exeter line being retained.  The Barnstaple to Meeth section was retained for clay and milk traffic.  After the 1965 summer season the passenger service between Torrington and Barnstaple was withdrawn.  Freight continued to be transported – milk until 1978 and fertilizer until 1980.  Clay traffic on the railway ceased completely in 1982 and was transported by road.

There were talks in the late 1970s/early 1980s about the possibility of reopening railway lines to Bideford and Torrington but the numerous proposals came to nothing because of lack of funding.  The ‘Last Train to Torrington’ run by British Rail itself was on Saturday 6th November 1982 and ran from Bristol, Bridgwater, Exeter to Barnstaple.  Leaving Barnstaple for Torrington the train consisted of two diesel engines (one leading, one trailing) and 15 coaches carrying 843 passengers. This was the longest and best-patronised passenger train ever to run into Torrington station.

Please see the Tarka Valley Railway Group’s website for information on current plans to redevelop part of the old railway line from Torrington towards Bideford: http://www.tarkavalleyrailway.org/

The Tarka Trail is a recreational route opened in May 1992 which describes a figure of eight, centred on Barnstaple, through the beautiful countryside of North Devon.  It extends for 180 miles (290 km) and different parts of the trail can be covered by rail (the Barnstaple to Eggesford section of the Tarka Line), on foot or by bicycle.

The part of the Tarka Trail that is nearest to Torrington follows the route of the old railway line which was opened in 1872 but fell to Beeching’s axe in 1965, although freight continued to be transported until 1982.  About a mile out of town on the A386 towards Bideford, at the bottom of the hill, is the old Torrington railway station, now a pub called the Puffing Billy.  Nearby is Torrington Cycle Hire and families can often be seen cycling along the trail at weekends and holidays on bikes and tandems or with children pedalling along behind on small attached bicycles or riding in special covered trailers.

Going in a southerly direction, you can walk or cycle via Watergate Bridge, East Yarde, Petrockstowe to Meeth Halt (11.4 miles/18.3 km).  In the other, northerly, direction the trail crosses over the River Torridge on numerous occasions as it winds through meadows and woods.  You pass the village of Weare Giffard on the far side of the river, go through a tunnel at Landcross and then cross the river on an iron bridge and go alongside the Torridge estuary to Bideford (5.3 miles/8.5 km).

For further information please visit the Tarka Trail website: http://www.devon.gov.uk/tarkatrail

Tarka Country’s name refers to Henry Williamson’s classic novel, ‘Tarka the Otter’ (1927).  The ‘land of two rivers’ (Torridge and Taw) inspired Williamson to write his book which mentions places along the Torridge including Canal Bridge (aqueduct at Beam), Beam Weir, Halfpenny Bridge, Annery Kiln, Never-Be-Good Woods and Landcross (‘Landcarse’) Pill.  A walker or cyclist along the Tarka Trail will pass through the contrasting landscapes of  Tarka Country described in the book: peaceful countryside, wooded river valleys, rugged moorland and dramatic coast.  

A film was made of ‘Tarka the Otter’ in the 1970s directed by David Cobham and narrated by Peter Ustinov in which local people took part.  In 2008 wildlife photographer Charlie Hamilton James spent a year filming on the river to make ‘On the Trail of Tarka’ for the BBC Natural History unit.  In Williamson’s day otters were treated as vermin and were trapped and hunted for sport.  Today the otter is an endangered species and our attitudes towards it have changed and the film explores whether the lives of modern otters reflect this shift.  It is a charming combination of well-loved fiction and modern-day fact and is a wonderful evocation of the changing seasons and the wildlife on the River Torridge.

The ‘Big Sing’ is an annual community event held in the pannier market on a Wednesday evening just before Christmas. The Silver Band play well-known Christmas carols for everyone to sing, youngsters from the local schools have performed on occasion, and a local church minister welcomes everyone and co-ordinates proceedings.  The event is a good opportunity to get in the spirit of Christmas.

Torrington Silver Band has been in existence for over sixty years.  The band welcomes experienced players but equally welcome are those who want to come and learn. There is also a thriving corps of drums which are always an attraction at local events.

The band features at local annual events such as the May Fair ceremony and Carnival and the Remembrance Day commemoration.  The players put on concerts during the year and play for weddings and birthday celebrations and take part in civic parades, fêtes, competitions and festivals all over the South West.  There have been some memorable trips to Roscoff with the twinning association and every other year the band welcomes the French visitors, entertaining them at various twinning events.  At Christmas time they play for the Big Sing and on Saturdays before Christmas they play carols in the square.

The band started back in 1952 under the direction of Len Short, who trained so many young people to play an instrument, and had many successes culminating in playing at the Royal Albert Hall in the National Finals.  In 2002 the band came together to celebrate fifty years and recorded a CD ‘In the Mood’.  The band rehearse and perform at the former Howe Church building in Castle Street.

For further information please visit the Silver Band website: http://torringtonsilverband.com/

The Carnival Queen and her attendants are elected by pupils at the senior school and the queen is crowned in the square the day before May Fair after the rehearsal of the May Fair ceremony.  A lot of people gather in the square to watch these events.

The Carnival is held on the Saturday evening following May Fair.  Floats and walking entries gather and are judged at the Old Bowling Green and then process up New Street and around the town led by the Town Band and the May Queen and Carnival Queen floats.  Carnival Queens and marching bands from neighbouring towns are also invited to join the procession.  People accompanying the floats shaking tins and a final collection raise funds for local organisations and charities.

A fair was said to have been held in Torrington from at least 1220 and the right to hold fairs in the town was confirmed by Royal Charter in 1554.  It was not until after 1873 that the first Thursday in May was set as the opening day of the fair and by this time traditions were long-established.  In Victorian times it was the custom for young girls to get up early on May Day and wash their faces in pools, believing this would make them beautiful.  A favourite place for this ritual was Lady Wash, a stream that runs down Castle Hill.

In the early days there was also a cattle market with animals penned in New Street.  Men, women and children came into town from the surrounding villages on horseback and on foot.  The main streets were lined with stalls selling a variety of wares.  On Barley Grove the pleasure fair offered peep shows, boxing booths, shooting galleries and a variety of entertainments.  At night, with flaring lights and a din from gongs, drums and trumpets, the excitement reached its climax.

The fair almost disappeared in the late 1880s, although the proclamation was still read from the window of the Town Hall.  In 1924 an effort was made to revive the May Fair and, as well as wishing to preserve the past, the Town Council and Chamber of Commerce were also concerned for the future.  Under the banner of ‘Uz be plaised to see ‘ee’ it was hoped to gain both publicity and custom for the town.  After fair proclamations outside the Town Hall, near Vaughan’s glove factory in Whites Lane and at Cornmarket Street, the festivities began in the square with folk and floral dancing.  The choral society gave its performance and school children danced around the maypole.  In the afternoon there was a  marathon race followed by a clay pigeon shoot on Castle Hill, skittles on Castle Green and a bowling tournament.  The finale was a grand carnival.  Cattle and sheep were auctioned and the funfair was in full swing at Barley Grove.

Since the late 1930s the crowning of the May Queen has been the main feature of May Fair day.  The costumes of the queen and crowner, the boy heralds and the eight attendants always have a theme commemorating a national event.  In 2016 they were dressed in colourful Tudor costumes to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.  Crowds gathered in the town square to watch children dancing and various entertainments before the Town Crier called ‘Oyez, oyez …’ to get silence for the reading of the proclamation by the Town Clerk.  Finally, the May Queen, accompanied by her heralds and followed by the crowner and attendants processed up the square to sit on her throne and be crowned.  Then the local children danced around two maypoles accompanied by music from the Town Silver Band.

The Cavaliers are a band of men who do a lot of voluntary work in the community, organise fundraising events, drink copious amounts of beer and have fun! Their name derives from the period of the Civil War when Torrington was a Royalist, or Cavalier, town.  They are best known for the structures they build on the commons every few years – buildings, ships, trains – which are set alight along with a fantastic firework display.  Thousands of people come from far and wide to see these enormous bonfires and huge sums of money are raised for charity.

The Cavaliers were founded in 1970.  Plymouth City Council was preparing to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower to America and many Devon towns were invited to join the celebrations.  Torrington sent two floats constructed by a group of local men – Carnival Queen and attendants and also a historical tableau involving the parish church – and the men dressed in hired costumes as Cavaliers and Roundheads.

That event was the beginning of the Cavaliers and was marked, as all subsequent events have been, by imagination, hard work, a swashbuckling spirit and enthusiastic drinking.  Some of their earlier antics and near accidents would horrify present-day health and safety officers!  These have included sword fights, flying machines, a human cannon ball, a water carnival on the River Torridge, a wrestling night at the Plough and a snail eating contest!

The Cavaliers support a lot of local events and do a great deal of unsung work in the town.  They hang the bunting and erect the staging for May Fair each year.  They organise a bonfire and firework display at the rugby club for Guy Fawkes night.  They build Santa’s Grotto under the Town Hall at Christmas and hand out hundreds of bags of sweets to local children.  They get a lorry into the square for concerts on New Year’s Eve and organise the march through the town to commemorate the Battle of Torrington each February.

Cavalier bonfires over the years have included:

1973 Battleship Bismark.

1974 Viking Ship with sails made by girls at Sudbury’s glove factory.

1975 American Fort Dearborn.

1976 World’s Tallest Guy, over 100ft when on the bonfire.

1990 Houses of Parliament when descendants of the Gunpowder Plotters – Fawkes, Catesby and co. – came down to Torrington to join in the event.

1991 Great Train Robbery.

1996 Torrington Church as part of 350th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of Torrington when the church was partially blown up.

2000 Great Fire of London (Pudding Lane).

2005 Nelson’s Victory, a truly superb half-scale model of the ship.

2010 Medieval Castle symbolising the one which once stood on Castle Hill.

2015 Trumpton – the village from the children’s TV programme, popular in the 1960s.

Further information can be found on the Torrington Cavaliers website: http://www.torrington-cavaliers.co.uk/

There has been a parish church in Torrington for at least 750 years.  The oldest parts of the present building date from the 13th and 14th centuries.

In 1510 Henry VIII granted the rectory and advowson of Great Torrington to Cardinal Wolsey who appropriated them to his foundation of Christ Church, Oxford and since 1549 the perpetual curates (more recently called vicars) have been appointed by the Dean and Chapter of that College.

The older rectory had been at Priestacott (off the road to Huntshaw Mill) but when Margaret of Richmond became Lady of the Manor ‘she pitied the long path that the rector had from the church’ and in 1491 presented to the rector, Thomas Burswell, and his successors her manor house and land.  The present vicarage which stands on this site dates from 1841.

During the Civil War at the Battle of Torrington in February 1646 there was an explosion in the church which killed some 200 people and destroyed part of the building as well as many of its records of other events.  Restoration work was carried out in 1651.  The lower part of the old south tower survived the explosion while the upper part and the spire disappeared.  The church had previously had a leaded broach spire similar to the 14th century spires of Barnstaple and Braunton.  A second spire was erected which remained at least until 1786 but at some time before 1830 was blown down by a gale and the remaining part of the spire was converted into the curious cupola shown in the old engraving of 1830 with a bell hung on the outside.  During the 1830s a new spire was built at the western end of the church by local builder, Walter Brown Cock.  The old south tower was converted into a transept and after 1864 it accommodated the schoolchildren and seating was put in for that purpose.  In 1938 the seating was removed and the transept was furnished as a side chapel and memorial to the late vicar, the Rev. Frank Emlyn-Jones, who served as parish priest from 1894-1934.  It is named the Chapel of St James after the demolished chapel of Torrington Castle.

The inside of the church feels large (107 ft / 33 metres long) and bare.  The fine roof is of the waggon-shaped pattern typical of this part of England.  The pulpit with its carved cherubs and gilded lions’ heads is typical 17th century work.  During the restoration of 1860-64 (when the old galleries and box pews were removed) the pulpit was moved and the sounding-board discarded.  Someone later rescued the sounding-board from a builder’s yard and gave it to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.  It remained there until 1960 when the Mayor of Torrington, Colonel J. E. Palmer, arranged for its return to the church.

The Willis organ is one of the finest organs in the West Country.  It was built by Henry ‘Father’ Willis (1821-1901) for Sherwell Congregational Chapel in Plymouth in 1864.  In 1989 Sherwell planned to get rid of the organ during alterations to the church and it was dismantled and rebuilt at Torrington church where it is much treasured.

The present parish priest is Father Peter Bevan.

For more details about St Michael’s and All Angels, see the church website: http://www.stmichaelstorrington.org.uk/

The Battle of Torrington took place in 1646 during the English Civil War.  It is sometimes called ‘the forgotten battle’ as it is seldom referred to in accounts of that period but it was, in fact, the decisive battle of the final campaign of the West, which ruined the cause of King Charles I.

At that time Torrington was in Royalist hands under Ralph, Lord Hopton, Commander in Chief of what remained of the King’s Army in the West.  Word of what was happening in North Devon reached the Parliamentarian General, Sir Thomas Fairfax, at Exeter who learnt that some of the King’s horse from Oxford had penetrated westward and Royalist horse in North Devon was attempting to push eastward to join them in order to relieve Exeter and attempt to recapture the West.  With North Devon securely in Royalist hands, they could hope to bring in additional aid from Wales or Ireland.  Fairfax, therefore, decided to abandon the siege of Exeter and to advance in person with a force of some 10,000 horse and foot hoping this time to destroy completely the Royalist armies.

Fairfax and his army marched towards Torrington and, fighting off a series of skirmishes by the Royalists to try and impede their advance, took over Stevenstone House in the late afternoon of 15th February.  The Royalist soldiers were ordered back nearer to the town.

Fairfax intended to do no more that night than hold the positions already gained so stationed his men in readiness for an assault in the morning.  At around midnight a noise rather like a tattoo was heard in the town and it was supposed that the enemy were retreating.  As a kind of experiment, a small party of dragoons was ordered slowly to approach the first barricade and fire over it.  There was an immediate response from the Royalist soldiers on the other side and thus it was that battle commenced.  Regiments of foot and horse were ordered to the front and managed to break through the barricades into the town.  There was fierce fighting in the narrow streets and townspeople watched, terrified, from upper windows.  The Royalists fought bravely but were no match for the energy and discipline of the Parliamentarians.  Hopton’s own horse was shot and he himself was wounded and, eventually, he and his men were forced to retreat.

The Parliamentarians drove their prisoners into the church not knowing the Royalists were using it as a powder magazine, having stored about 80 barrels in there.  Somehow, the barrels of gunpowder were ignited and blew up with a mighty explosion which killed 200 prisoners, guards and citizens and destroyed part of the church and many houses.  Fairfax had a lucky escape when he narrowly missed being struck by falling pieces of lead.

The streets of Torrington were littered with dying men from both sides and abandoned weapons.  When the powder store went up there had been a deafening roar which caused the ground to tremble and echoed around the hills and valleys before subsiding in a long-drawn-out rumble.  With the noise of the explosion ringing in their ears, the retreating Royalists fled down Mill Street and over the bridge at Taddiport as they made for the Cornish border.  The defeat at Torrington had spelled the end of Royalist hopes in the West Country.