|
The Village Today |
Those posing outside this same house on the history page would have been surprised to see how quiet this Devon village now is. This lane is now only a through route to walkers, riders and cyclists but it was once the main by-way to the next village, Peter Tavy, and then on to Tavistock. There would have been a constant flow of pack-horses passing this way. It is now a narrow lane to a few houses and the Power Station. Only walkers and cyclists following the Sustrans Coast to Coast Route 7 pass by this way. The Parish of Mary Tavy is predominately made up of Blackdown and the old village of Mary Tavy but now includes the hamlets of Horndon, Axna and Zoar? |
|
|
Booking Secretary Marilyn Hamshere Tel 01822 610395 (May 2009) In June 1953, the residents of the Parish celebrated the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11. The celebration took place in the Village Schoolroom. A sumptuous meal was provided. The children took part in sporting events during the afternoon and were presented with Souvenir Mugs by Mrs M. Mallett. In the evening there was a grand concert, and the day ended with a display of fireworks at a huge bonfire on Gibbet Hill. The organising Committee led by Mr R. L. Mallett (Chairman), Mr A. L. Cummins and Mr D. G. Cutland (Joint Honorary Secretaries) and Mr H. F. Chapman (Honorary Treasurer) had raised the princely sum of £200 for these celebrations, and after all expenses were paid there remained a balance in hand of £40-18-8d (£40.85p).
This money was raised by weekly family subscriptions, annual carnivals, dances, whist drives, sales of work, competitions, etc., donations as a result of events held by many local organisations, and of course, by interest from investments. The Architect, Mr J. H. D. Wickham (from the firm of Whiting and Wickham of Bideford) designed the Hall. He had the most difficult task in satisfying the Planning Authorities, meeting our requirements and keeping the costs within the limits of the funds at our disposal. He is to be congratulated on its design. The Building Contractors were Messrs. C. Doidge and Son, Ltd, of Tavistock and apparently they worked during appalling weather. Messrs R. Dingle and Sons of Stokeclimsland carried out the road works. Mr B. R. Prowse of “Berjean”, Mary Tavy voluntarily carried out the electrical installation and Mr S. Wise of “Midlands”, Horndon helped in supplying materials. The spacious Car Park adjoining the Hall was very kindly given, together with the Approach Road in memory of the late Mr and Mrs W. P. Collins of “Sunnycote”, Mary Tavy, by their sons – John, Frank and Ronald. The seat at the entrance to the Hall was given in memory of the late Mr and Mrs H. James of “Croftnor”, Mary Tavy by their daughters, and the original electric clock in the Hall by Mrs Bondfield of Blacknor Park, in memory of her husband. The large picture of H. M. The Queen was given by Mr J. H. Nicholls of Plymouth. In June 2003 a tea was again organised in the Coronation Hall to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11. It was for Senior Citizens and all youngsters up to the age of sixteen. However, so much food was produced that it turned in to a giant party for all. Again, Souvenir Mugs were presented to all the young people of the Parish. In the evening a bonfire was lit at the top of Gibbet Hill and young, old and in-between all made their way up and partook of hot-dogs, burgers and cider. It was a very good evening and from this vantage point the various firework displays in surrounding areas could be enjoyed. The Coronation Hall is very much a thriving focal point of the Parish with events taking place regularly - whist drives, Playgroup, Youth Club, birthday parties, etc. For a calendar of forthcoming events go to the Events Page
The Church of Tavy Saint Mary |
||
| ||
Mary Tavy Post Office and Stores Go to the History page to see what the PO looked like in the 1960's
Mary Tavy and Brentor Community Primary School Mary Tavy Preschool - See the Activities page and their website . |
||
 Back to the Top | ||
The Mary Tavy Inn was previously known as Buller's Arms and before that Elliot's Hotel. Go to the history page to see what it looked like then. |
||
The text below is from an unknown magazine article from behind the bar. Its source and date are both unknown. If anyone has any interesting stories about this pubs life, can they e-mail info@marytavyparishcouncil.co.uk The Elephant's Nest at Horndon Right in the depths of the Moor, a short walk from where the River Tavy is a mere stream is one of the most unusual Inns in th West Country - "The Elephant's Nest at Horndon. About 3 miles of the main Tavistock - Okehampton road from Mary Tavy. It was originally known as the New Inn but the name was changed about 10 years ago. (Anyone know the date, then we could date this article?) The landlord, then a Com. Ossington, was a huge man and he was always being teased by the customers that he was a great big elephant. (To find the truth behind this story take a look at Mary Warne's personal History of Mary Tavy). This resulted in an application to the magistrates for the name to be changed to "The Elephant's Nest" Without Fuss The magistrates must have seen the amusing side of the situation for they granted the change without fuss. Normally it is quite difficult to get the magistrates to agree to a name change for a licensed premises. The building, which is more than 200 years old, has a rather plain exterior and faces south west over the Moor. There has, so far as is known, always been a pub on the site and the present establishment takes in a couple of tiny Moorland cottages as well. In modren time the premises have been greatly altered, but none of the old charm has been lost. Old Beam A really solid structure, all the exterior walls are well over three feet thick. However, it is the interior that makes the house so charming and popular. In the main bar is a large old-fashioned fireplace with a solid woden beam supporting the mantel-shelf. This has been in the bulding since is was erected and is so hard and tough that it is almost impossible to stick a knife into it. Inside the fireplace is the most valuable piece of furniture in the building - an old-fashioned grate that belonged to Sir Francis Drake and came from Buckland Abbey. To one side of the fireplace, hanging in a position of honour, is an old miner's lamp which, tradition has it came from the old tin mines in the area. To whom it belonged or how it came to be in the area is not known, although the landlord (at the time of writing), Mt harry Collins has cleaned it up and tried to get it working, but he cannot find how it opens. Miner's Number On the side is the maker's plate, "Ackroyd and Best Ltd., Morley, Leeds".. in the centre is stamped "LBL 18" probably the mine letters and workman's number. (Since this article was written, this miners lamp has has been stolen. If you know its whereabouts, the pub would be pleased to have it returned. The details above make it easy to identify and there would only have been one with those numbers on!) At the turn of the century (20th) when the tin mines were open, as many as 16 or 20 miners used to sleep in a line under the rafters ..... and Horndon was a boom village. Beer at a penny a pint was sold from huge barrels. The Elephant's Nest is the first pub which Mr. Collins has run. The son of a superintendant in the Metropolitan police, Mr Collins was formerly cheif cashier of the passenger branch of London Transport. He decided to take the Elephant's Nest, partly because of his wife's ill health and partly after falling love with Dartmoor. He could not have chosen a more delightful part. The peace and quiet of a Dartmoor Hamlet seems wonderful after a life among the crowds and amid the noise of London. (The rest of the article is about the then landlord Mr Collins) Those wishing to book a meal or contact the Elephants' Nest can e-mail the landlord at hugh.cook@onetel.net or phone 01822 810 273 |
||
"Opened in 1932, the plant at Mary Tavy is still England's largest hydro-electric power station, working with smaller stations at nearby Morwellham and Chagford to produce a total of 3,340 kW of electricity from the water resources of Dartmoor. When the plants were acquired by South West Water in the 1990s, they were still largely operating with their original 70 year old turbines, switchgear and gauges.
As such they represent an important piece of industrial archaeology, attracting regular visits from educational, institutional and engineering groups. South West Water has therefore embarked on a refurbishment programme that will improve efficiency without altering the authentic overall appearance of the plant and machinery, panels and gauges." The information above came from this website belonging to the supplier of equipment for the new refurbished power staion. To learn the full story take this link to the Rotork website or this link to the South West Water website. Meanwhile enjoy these photos of the work involved in 1935 when the power house was extended to install 3 extra turbines. |
On 29 th October 1953 a Public Meeting was held to decide on the disposal of this money, and it was the unanimous wish of the many who attended, that it should be the nucleus of a fund to provide the Parish with a Hall. A Committee was formed and at the end of the first year the fund had risen to £572-4-11d (£572.25p), a remarkable achievement, and by 30 th September 1960, the seventh year, to £3,847-15-8d (£3,847.75p).
