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London 2012 Olympic Torch, Great Torrington, Devon, Day 3 - May 21st.
Great Torrington May Fair
North Devon Great Torrington To South Molton 1
Great Torrington Miniature Railway (1993) Part 1
Great Torrington Miniature Railway (1993) Part 2
Great Torrington Fire
Olympic Fame goes out in Great Torrington - May 21st 2012
Kodak Zi6 - Great Torrington June 2009
Great Torrington bonfire
Great Torrington School
GREAT TORRINGTON CAVALIERS CHARITY BONFIRE CASTLE
Great Torrington Diamond Jubilee Beacon and Fireworks 2012

Great Torrington

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London 2012 Olympic Torch, Great Torrington, Devon, Day 3 - May 21st.
  • Order:
  • Duration: 5:28
  • Updated: 26 Nov 2012
London 2012 Olympic Torch, Great Torrington, Devon, Day 3 - May 21st.
  • published: 21 May 2012
  • views: 456
  • author: Ed Pickard
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/London 2012 Olympic Torch, Great Torrington, Devon, Day 3 - May 21st.
Great Torrington May Fair
  • Order:
  • Duration: 7:16
  • Updated: 14 Jul 2012
Great Torrington May Fair. Documentary by Arthur Barry, winner of Gloucester Video Club Documentary Competition 2008
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/Great Torrington May Fair
North Devon Great Torrington To South Molton 1
  • Order:
  • Duration: 1:15
  • Updated: 26 Aug 2010
North Devon Great Torrington To South Molton 1 country roads, driving, sunny day :-)
  • published: 11 Jun 2008
  • views: 1052
  • author: tiptopstuff
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/North Devon Great Torrington To South Molton 1
Great Torrington Miniature Railway (1993) Part 1
  • Order:
  • Duration: 6:29
  • Updated: 29 Feb 2012
In late July 1993 we visited the 7.25in gauge miniature railway at Great Torrington in Devon. MARK ROLLE was our locomotive on that wet morning. www.railwaybook.com
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/Great Torrington Miniature Railway (1993) Part 1
Great Torrington Miniature Railway (1993) Part 2
  • Order:
  • Duration: 5:34
  • Updated: 22 Mar 2012
In late July 1993 we visited the 7.25in gauge miniature railway at Great Torrington in Devon. MARK ROLLE was our locomotive on that wet morning and this second part takes a "brakevan" view of a complete circuit. www.railwaybook.com
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/Great Torrington Miniature Railway (1993) Part 2
Great Torrington Fire
  • Order:
  • Duration: 2:11
  • Updated: 24 Nov 2012
The Burning castle by Torrington Cavaliers, Great Torrington, Devon. August 2010.
  • published: 29 Aug 2010
  • views: 587
  • author: Scoof Goose
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/Great Torrington Fire
Olympic Fame goes out in Great Torrington - May 21st 2012
  • Order:
  • Duration: 1:29
  • Updated: 24 Nov 2012
The Olympic flame went out - Day 3 - 21st May 2012
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/Olympic Fame goes out in Great Torrington - May 21st 2012
Kodak Zi6 - Great Torrington June 2009
  • Order:
  • Duration: 4:20
  • Updated: 19 Sep 2011
includes Furze Farm B/B - The Cyder Presse Pub and Rosemoor Garden
  • published: 17 Jun 2009
  • views: 352
  • author: John Monney
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/Kodak Zi6 - Great Torrington June 2009
Great Torrington bonfire
  • Order:
  • Duration: 8:38
  • Updated: 06 Dec 2010
Great Torrington bonfire 28/08/10 What agreat night
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/Great Torrington bonfire
Great Torrington School
  • Order:
  • Duration: 3:30
  • Updated: 17 Oct 2012
Dream. Believe. Achieve. www.gts.devon.sch.uk Music: Whack Attack by Daniel Gautreau
  • published: 03 Oct 2012
  • views: 1475
  • author: GT Devon
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/Great Torrington School
GREAT TORRINGTON CAVALIERS CHARITY BONFIRE CASTLE
  • Order:
  • Duration: 2:22
  • Updated: 29 Aug 2010
The Great Torrington Cavaliers build spectacular facades on Torrington Common, North Devon, England which are the subject of bonfires. What you see here has already been burnt to the ground - alas! visit: www.torrington-cavaliers.co.uk
  • published: 29 Aug 2010
  • views: 504
  • author: cyniden
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/GREAT TORRINGTON CAVALIERS CHARITY BONFIRE CASTLE
Great Torrington Diamond Jubilee Beacon and Fireworks 2012
  • Order:
  • Duration: 4:01
  • Updated: 07 Jun 2012
Great Torrington Cavaliers built and burnt a magnificent beacon for Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee Celebration. Pyrotechnics and fireworks were provided by Two Tigers Fireworks Ltd.
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/Great Torrington Diamond Jubilee Beacon and Fireworks 2012
Great Torrington Castle Bonfire & fireworks Aug 2010
  • Order:
  • Duration: 4:08
  • Updated: 01 Mar 2012
Great Torrington Castle Bonfire & fireworks 40th Anniversary of the Great Torrington Cavaliers
http://web.archive.org./web/20130108001757/http://wn.com/Great Torrington Castle Bonfire & fireworks Aug 2010
London 2012 Olympic Torch, Great Torrington, Devon, Day 3 - May 21st.
  • published: 21 May 2012
  • views: 456
  • author: Ed Pickard

5:28
Lon­don 2012 Olympic Torch, Great Tor­ring­ton, Devon, Day 3 - May 21st.
Lon­don 2012 Olympic Torch, Great Tor­ring­ton, Devon, Day 3 - May 21st....
pub­lished: 21 May 2012
au­thor: Ed Pickard
7:16
Great Tor­ring­ton May Fair
Great Tor­ring­ton May Fair. Doc­u­men­tary by Arthur Barry, win­ner of Glouces­ter Video Club Do...
pub­lished: 18 May 2008
au­thor: glosvideo­club
1:15
North Devon Great Tor­ring­ton To South Molton 1
North Devon Great Tor­ring­ton To South Molton 1 coun­try roads, driv­ing, sunny day :-)...
pub­lished: 11 Jun 2008
au­thor: tip­top­stuff
6:29
Great Tor­ring­ton Minia­ture Rail­way (1993) Part 1
In late July 1993 we vis­it­ed the 7.25in gauge minia­ture rail­way at Great Tor­ring­ton in Dev...
pub­lished: 17 Aug 2007
au­thor: Nicholas Tozer
5:34
Great Tor­ring­ton Minia­ture Rail­way (1993) Part 2
In late July 1993 we vis­it­ed the 7.25in gauge minia­ture rail­way at Great Tor­ring­ton in Dev...
pub­lished: 17 Aug 2007
au­thor: Nicholas Tozer
2:11
Great Tor­ring­ton Fire
The Burn­ing cas­tle by Tor­ring­ton Cav­a­liers, Great Tor­ring­ton, Devon. Au­gust 2010....
pub­lished: 29 Aug 2010
au­thor: Scoof Goose
1:29
Olympic Fame goes out in Great Tor­ring­ton - May 21st 2012
The Olympic flame went out - Day 3 - 21st May 2012...
pub­lished: 21 May 2012
au­thor: Heather Lewis
4:20
Kodak Zi6 - Great Tor­ring­ton June 2009
in­cludes Furze Farm B/B - The Cyder Presse Pub and Rose­moor Gar­den...
pub­lished: 17 Jun 2009
au­thor: John Mon­ney
8:38
Great Tor­ring­ton bon­fire
Great Tor­ring­ton bon­fire 28/08/10 What agreat night...
pub­lished: 29 Aug 2010
au­thor: vikkisquires
3:30
Great Tor­ring­ton School
Dream. Be­lieve. Achieve. www.​gts.​devon.​sch.​uk Music: Whack At­tack by Daniel Gautreau...
pub­lished: 03 Oct 2012
au­thor: GT Devon
2:22
GREAT TOR­RING­TON CAV­A­LIERS CHAR­I­TY BON­FIRE CAS­TLE
The Great Tor­ring­ton Cav­a­liers build spec­tac­u­lar fa­cades on Tor­ring­ton Com­mon, North Devon...
pub­lished: 29 Aug 2010
au­thor: cyniden
4:01
Great Tor­ring­ton Di­a­mond Ju­bilee Bea­con and Fire­works 2012
Great Tor­ring­ton Cav­a­liers built and burnt a mag­nif­i­cent bea­con for Her Majesty's Di­a­mond ...
pub­lished: 05 Jun 2012
5:28
In­fuze @ Great Tor­ring­ton Car­ni­val 2012
...
pub­lished: 07 May 2012
au­thor: In­fuze­Funk
4:08
Great Tor­ring­ton Cas­tle Bon­fire & fire­works Aug 2010
Great Tor­ring­ton Cas­tle Bon­fire & fire­works 40th An­niver­sary of the Great Tor­ring­ton Caval...
pub­lished: 05 Sep 2010
Vimeo results:
4:08
Great Tor­ring­ton Cas­tle Bon­fire & fire­works Aug 2010
Great Tor­ring­ton Cas­tle Bon­fire & fire­works 40th An­niver­sary of the Great Tor­ring­ton Caval...
pub­lished: 05 Sep 2010
au­thor: Bil­ly­nom8
1:10
Town of Tor­ring­ton: Warn­er The­ater
Mayor Ryan Bing­ham talks to us about the great op­por­tu­ni­ties the town of Tor­ring­ton has to...
pub­lished: 14 Jun 2012
au­thor: David Whit­ney
2:35
'Fishy Tales'
Film made by chil­dren and par­ents at The Plough Arts Cen­tre, Great Tor­ring­ton, April 2012...
pub­lished: 23 Apr 2012
au­thor: james hedge
5:43
Alex Schein : Acous­tic Stu­dio Ses­sions (Mon­k­ey­claus, VA)
Be­hind the scenes with Alex Schein record­ing at Mon­k­ey­claus Stu­dios (Rose­land, VA). Many t...
pub­lished: 14 Sep 2010
au­thor: Alex Schein

Youtube results:
2:31
Great Tor­ring­ton Por­tas Pilot Ap­pli­ca­tion
Thi­sIs­Tor­ring­ton video in sup­port of the Por­tas Pilot Ap­pli­ca­tion....
pub­lished: 04 Apr 2012
3:03
Danny Pen­sive on the road - Great Tor­ring­ton
Bat­tles and windy hills (and windy sound)...
pub­lished: 27 Jan 2012
0:58
The Great Tor­ring­ton Tales - WW2 An­i­mat­ed Flash­back
Fea­tured in Tor­ring­ton Tales a the­atre pro­duc­tion staged by the Plough com­mu­ni­ty the­atre a...
pub­lished: 03 Nov 2008
au­thor: fred­dysocram
7:09
Eloise Mc­Pake, 10SMC of Great Tor­ring­ton School
Drunk off white wine and cider on NEW YEARS EVE. She later puked in Ruby Beat­ties Bath­tub,...
pub­lished: 03 Jan 2009
photo: UN / Evan Schneider
File - Cristina Fernández, President of Argentina, is pictured during a meeting of the UN’s Special Committee on Decolonization to consider the “Question of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas)”, 14 June, 2012.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
06 Jan 2013
LONDON -- They have barely 3,000 inhabitants and far more sheep than people. They are more than 8,700 miles from London. For much of the year, they are bitterly cold and wind-swept, with only open sea and ice between them and Antarctica ... But the Falkland Islands, the focus of a short war between Britain and Argentina in 1982, have been in the headlines again recently ... Their arguments suggest what has long been evident ... Ms ... Mr ... Cameron said....(size: 5.1Kb)
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Indian Army soldiers patrol outside their army camp at Gurez, about 180 kilometers (113 miles) north of Srinagar, India, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011. Indian troops in Kashmir fought a deadly gunbattle with suspected rebels crossing the military Line of Control from Pakistani-controlled territory Saturday, the army said. One soldier and 11 suspected rebels were killed, army spokesman Lt. Col. J.S. Brar said, but only six suspected rebels' bodies were recovered. He said the other five bodies were lost when they fell into a river during the fighting in the disputed Himalayan region.
Herald Tribune
06 Jan 2013
ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani military is accusing forces from neighboring India of crossing the boundary between the two sides' forces in Kashmir and attacking a Pakistani border post, killing a soldier. The military's public relations office said in a statement Sunday that another Pakistani soldier was critically wounded in the incident early Sunday. They said troops are still exchanging gunfire in the area ... All rights reserved ... Parker ... ....(size: 4.3Kb)
photo: AP / Joerg Koch
Eine Ein-Euro-Muenze steht in Muenchen in einer Fotoillustration auf einem Ein-Dollar-Schein (Foto vom 28.11.07).
Project Syndicate
07 Jan 2013
Just as the Great Depression arose in part from the difficulties in moving from a rural, agrarian economy to an urban, manufacturing one, so today’s problems arise partly from the need to move from manufacturing to services ... While the Great Recession has exacerbated these trends, they were apparent long before its onset....(size: 5.3Kb)
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Kashmiri Sikh students shout slogans and hold placards as they take part in a protest in Srinagar on December 27, 2012, following the rape of a student in the Indian capital on December 16. An Indian student who was left fighting for her life after being brutally gang raped on a bus in New Delhi arrived December 27 in Singapore for treatment at a leading hospital. The attack sparked a wave of protests across India in which a policeman died and more than 100 police and protestors were injured.
Al Jazeera
07 Jan 2013
The father of Indian woman who died after being gang raped and tortured has said he had not allowed his daughter to be identified after the British Daily Mirror Sunday paper edition revealed her name, Indian newspaper the Hindustan Times reported on Monday ... Legal experts say the court in the Saket district of the capital would likely transfer the case to a more senior court during Monday's hearing ... 614 Source.....(size: 19.4Kb)
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick
Chatraparishad Supporters participate in a Candel Light to  protest  against Delhi gang rape case and for reviewing “ Women Protection Law “ in kolkata on Friday 28 December 2012
Newstrack India
05 Jan 2013
Tweet. New Delhi, Jan 5 (ANI). The male friend of the 23-year-old medical student, who was gang-raped and left unclothed and bleeding in the street and later died in hospital two weeks after she was attacked on December 16 on a private bus in New Delhi, has said that things would have gone differently if someone had stopped to help ... "It would have been a very different scenario today, had even one person come to our help that day ... (ANI)....(size: 3.8Kb)



The Guardian
21 Dec 2012
It is time to recognise my gifts as a musician. Illustration. Benoit Jacques for the Guardian. The band I'm in is only two dates into a five-date mini-tour, and I am already lost. The manager of the venue is asking me about our journey. "Which direction did you come from?" he says. "I'm not sure," I say ... "You're in Great Torrington," he says ... A woman approaches me ... "You guys were really, really great!" she shouts, above the music ... ....(size: 5.3Kb)
Jazzwise Magazine
03 Dec 2012
Plough Arts, Great Torrington, Devon (12 Jan); Grimsby Jazz, Grimsby (16 Jan); Seven Arts, Leeds (17 Jan); Millennium Hall, Sheffield (18 Jan); Hideaway, London (19 Jan); The Victory Club, Cheltenham (25 Jan); Fleece Jazz, Suffolk (1 Feb), 606 Club, London (2 Feb); Brook Theatre, Chatham (5 Feb); St Mary's Church, Wivenhoe (8 Feb); Aberystwyth Arts ......(size: 1.9Kb)
The Jazz Mann
28 Nov 2012
Tour dates and a some words from Gilad about the new album appear below; ... 12 Plough Arts, Great TorringtonDevon ... Paris, in the name of love; Tel Aviv, the birth of the tragedy; Buenos Aires, for the pathos; Vienna, for the charm of sweetness; Manhattan, in loving memory of America; Scarborough, as opposed to London; Moscow, in honour of greatness; Berlin, as a farewell to productivity; Somewhere in Italy but not too far from home ... Â....(size: 2.8Kb)
BBC News
27 Nov 2012
A Devon branch of the Women's Institute ditched its usual activities for a pole dancing session. The group from St Giles in the Wood near Great Torrington said the one-off session had been a popular addition to their programme. Members discussed including pole dancing when the group was created a year ago ... 'Such a laugh' ... She said ... ....(size: 1.7Kb)
Belfast Telegraph
12 Nov 2012
A nine-year-old girl is taking a step closer to her dream of becoming a pilot by experiencing flying first-hand. Ellie Carter is learning about aeronautics with flying instructor Martin Kettle. She cannot wait until she is 14 so that she can fly under instruction and then fly solo at 16 ... The Monkleigh Primary School pupil, from Great Torrington, Devon, said her love of aviation grew from an interest in aeroplanes. She said ... ....(size: 1.8Kb)
The Guardian
20 Oct 2012
RHS 'Grow Your Own' Autumn Festival, Great Torrington, Rettendon, Woking & Harrogate ... Cook and carve pumpkins at Rosemoor, Great Torrington; haggle for bulbs at Hyde Hall, Rettendon; sample elusive apple varieties and quiz gardening expert Pippa Greenwood at Wisley, Woking; or fathom your fungi at a mushroom session and hear ethnobotanist James ......(size: 4.1Kb)
The Observer
16 Sep 2012
On Saturday, at the first intermediate sprint of the day in Great Torrington, Howard clawed back three bonus seconds to close, provisionally, to 10sec behind, but he had dropped from second to fourth at the finish, and is now 1min 2sec behind ... Only nine of the field managed to hang on, including, for the second day running, the Great Britain ......(size: 5.4Kb)
Sky Sports
15 Sep 2012
Pablo Urtasun timed his sprint perfectly to claim victory on stage seven at the Tour of Britain as Jonathan Tiernan-Locke extended his race lead ... Close battle ... Despite groups firing clear Howard was still able to trim three seconds off Tiernan-Locke’s lead mid-stage by claiming the first intermediate sprint of the day in Great Torrington ... ....(size: 2.5Kb)
Sky Sports
15 Sep 2012
Pablo Urtasun timed his sprint perfectly to claim victory on stage seven at the Tour of Britain as Jonathan Tiernan-Locke extended his race lead ... Close battle ... Despite groups firing clear Howard was still able to trim three seconds off Tiernan-Locke’s lead mid-stage by claiming the first intermediate sprint of the day in Great Torrington ... ....(size: 2.5Kb)
Digital Spy
14 Sep 2012
TV comic Richard Herring has announced the return of his hit 2002 live tour 'Talking Cock'. Having been translated and performed in over a dozen European countries, a reworked show billed as 'The Second Coming' will commence at the Liverpool Comedy Festival on October 7. The tour will continue for over 60 dates until finishing at the Leicester Y Theatre on June 1, 2013 ... Thursday 16th May - Great Torrington, The Plough Arts Centre ... More ... ....(size: 11.4Kb)
noodls
10 Sep 2012
This is a great opportunity to see him and World Champion Mark Cavendish in action ... The Devon Stage of Britain's biggest free-to-watch sporting event will race through Instow, Bideford, Landcross, Great Torrington, Hatherleigh and Folly Gate ... There will also be intermediate Yodel Sprints at Great Torrington, Slapton Ley and Kingsbridge....(size: 8.0Kb)
The Guardian
10 Aug 2012
From hip hotels to art shows, fresh activities and even fresher seafood, Devon has plenty that's new this summer, including a quiet village hosting a food revolution ... Photograph ... It opens at 9am every day, so it's a great spot for breakfast after an early-morning walk along the beach ... Monty Halls, a TV marine biologist, is now running wildlife excursions from his Great Escapes shop in Dartmouth ... CULTUREArt, Great Torrington ... ....(size: 10.3Kb)
The Daily Telegraph
30 Jul 2012
The Olympic cauldron has been extinguished and the flame transferred to a lantern as the eight-metre high structure is relocated to a different part of the Olympic Stadium, Locog has confirmed. Photo ... Comments ... The flame, which was being carried through Great Torrington, Devon, on badminton player David Follett's wheelchair went out and had to be relit mid-relay ... Great Britain overcome UAE to set up Uruguay decider ... great olympic moments....(size: 13.0Kb)

Coordinates: 50°57′02″N 4°09′04″W / 50.95060°N 4.15106°W / 50.95060; -4.15106

Great Torrington
Town hall torrington 050416.jpg
The old Town Hall (now the town museum) in the centre of Great Torrington
Great Torrington is located in Devon
Great Torrington

 Great Torrington shown within Devon
OS grid reference SS4919
District Torridge
Shire county Devon
Region South West
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town TORRINGTON
Postcode district EX38
Dialling code 01805
Police Devon and Cornwall
Fire Devon and Somerset
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK Parliament Torridge and West Devon
List of places: UK • England • Devon

Great Torrington (often abbreviated to Torrington, though the villages of Little Torrington and Black Torrington are situated in the same region) is a small market town in the north of Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to the River Torridge below. The centre of the town therefore commands spectacular views, though lower-lying parts are prone to occasional flooding. Torrington is in the very heart of Tarka Country, a landscape captured by Henry Williamson in his novel Tarka the Otter in 1927. Great Torrington has the most active volunteering community in the United Kingdom.[1]

Contents

History[link]

There were Iron Age and medieval castles and forts in Torrington, located on the Castle Hill. Great Torrington had strategic significance in the English Civil War. In the Battle of Torrington (1646), the Parliamentarians, led by Sir Thomas Fairfax, swept into the town and defeated Lord Hopton's forces. This marked the end of Royalist resistance in the West Country. Today the town is recognised as an important heritage centre for the history of the 17th century, and its people can often be seen dressed in costume for historical re-enactments, festivals and celebrations. An interactive Civil War Experience, "Torrington 1646", marks the town's historically important role.

Railway[link]

The branch line to Bideford was extended to Great Torrington in July 1872, by the London and South Western Railway, which built a railway station and locomotive depot in the town. The locomotive depot was closed in 1959 and the line was closed to passenger traffic as part of the Beeching Axe. It was closed to goods traffic in 1984. At the site of the old station there is currently a pub named The Puffing Billy, a cycle hire shop and an old carriage, an old wagon, a brake van, and a small diesel engine. A few small sections of track remain, but most has been removed and replaced with a combined foot and cycle path as part of the Tarka Trail. The Tarka Trail continues to Bideford, Barnstaple and on to Braunton in one direction and to Meeth in the other making 32 miles (51 km) of traffic free trail.

Tesco were seeking to open a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) store in the town; however, this was opposed by many locals and the planning application was rejected.[2]

File:Torringtonviaduct.jpg
The narrow gauge wooden viaduct over the Torridge in 1905
A map of Great Torrington from 1937
File:Torringtonstation.jpg
Torrington station on 15 June 1969 looking towards Bideford.

Mayfair[link]

Mayfair is an annual folk festival believed to date back to 1554 in which the children of Torrington dance around a maypole set up in the town square. The event takes place on the first Thursday in May. The junior school kids elect a May Queen and she is crowned in the town square after a procession with attendants. There is then Maypole dancing after which the kids go off to the fair and the adults wander around the public houses.

Torrington Common[link]

Torrington Common is an area of common land which surrounds the town on all but the eastern side. The common is administered by a body called "The Commons Conservators". The Common covers 365 acres (1.5 km2) and has over 20 miles (30 km) of public rights of way. The landscape features a variety of habitats and a rich collection of flora and fauna.

History of the common[link]

An "area of waste called the Common" was donated to the town in 1194 by Baron FitzRobert of Torrington. In 1889 the rights to this land were transferred by an act of parliament to an elected Committee of Conservators.

Since 2 October 1889 the Conservators have met regularly to fulfil their remit to manage the land. Early activity was mainly concerned with control over the grazing and quarrying of the common, but since 1980 grazing has stopped and instead various techniques have taken its place to prevent the common from reverting to scrub and woodland.There has also been development on the commons which many locals oppose and believe is not legitimate.

Features of the common[link]

  • Taddiport Bridge and Rothern Bridge: Prior to the opening of the Town Mills Bridge, these were the only local crossings of the River Torridge.
  • Rolle Road: This is the site of the Rolle Canal which opened in 1827 to help transport clay, lime and other commodities between the boats on the tidal river at Landcross and the lime kilns, clay pits and farms around Torrington. It ran through common land, but was closed in 1871. Later, it was filled in to create a toll road across the Common.
  • Waterloo Monument: A stone obelisk erected in 1818 by "the ladies of Great Torrington" to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo.

Development[link]

Some residents feel that the existence of the common has protected Great Torrington from over development. Others believe that it has damaged the town by stunting growth.

Attractions[link]

The Plough arts centre is Great Torrington's theatre, cinema and art gallery.

Other attractions in Great Torrington include:

  • Dartington Crystal, A unique Factory, Visitors Centre, Glass Shop and Restaurant of world famous Dartington Crystal – the biggest employer in the town and now the only working glass factory left in the UK.
  • Rosemoor Garden, a collection of internationally recognised gardens, woodlands and parkland owned by the Royal Horticultural Society.
  • A Victorian pannier market with a glass roof, restored in the early 2000s.
  • St Michael's, an Anglican church whose grounds include a mound said to contain the remains of 60 Civil War Royalist prisoners.
  • The Plough arts centre, a small theatre, cinema and gallery.
  • Torrington 1646 Visitor Centre celebrates the town's role in the Civil War through exhibitions and talks by guides dressed in period costume and using the language of the age.
  • Great Torrington has a good selection of pubs selling good food and a selection of real ales. These include The Torridge Inn, The Black Horse, Torrington Arms, Cavalier, Globe and Royal Exchange.

Torrington has a small local brewery called Clearwater Brewery with its popular "Cavalier" and "1646" brands.

Employment[link]

Torrington has long been a factory town. In the nineteenth century it was a centre of the glove making industry. The major employer today is Dartington Crystal, but the shops in the town centre also provide a source of employment. Most of the shops are locally owned; however, there are branches of The Co-operative Food, Barclays Bank, Lloyds TSB and Lloyds Pharmacy. Large factories have deserted the town in recent years including the meat factory after a fire, and the milk factory which also caught fire has moved its production elsewhere. Various converted and purpose built care homes in the town also provide a significant source of employment.

Media[link]

Local radio is provided by Heart, a station based in Exeter which broadcasts across North Devon.

The local newspaper is the North Devon Journal also based in Barnstaple. The Western Morning News is not widely available. Most households receive a copy of the North Devon Gazette every week. The Crier is a monthly community newsletter and diary delivered free to most households within the town.

Sport[link]

Torrington's local football team is Torrington F.C..There is also the local rugby, golf, netball, bowling, tennis and swimming teams. Torrington Golf Course is situated 1.5 miles from the town centre and has 9 holes.

Twinning[link]

Great Torrington is twinned with the French port town of Roscoff, situated in northern Brittany. Roscoff is served by the Brittany Ferries service from Plymouth and is a popular destination for school trips from the area.

Transport[link]

Torrington is served by a number of regular bus services:

  • 71/71 Barnstaple - Torrington/Stibb Cross/Shebbear
  • 315 - Barnstaple - Bideford - Crediton - Exeter
  • 70 - Torrington - Weare Giffard - Bideford
  • 118 - Torrington - Bideford - Okehampton - Tavistock

References[link]

  1. ^ Edwards, Goodwin and Woods (2003), Citizenship, community and participation in small towns: a case study of regeneration partnerships, in Imrie and Raco (eds), Urban Renaissance?: New Labour, community and urban policy, Policy Press, Bristol
  2. ^ BBC News

External links[link]

ros-rup:Great Torrington

http://wn.com/Great_Torrington

Related pages:

http://fr.wn.com/Great Torrington

http://nl.wn.com/Great Torrington

http://it.wn.com/Great Torrington

http://pl.wn.com/Great Torrington




This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Torrington

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.