New life for Tavistock Guildhall
A walk from Mount Kelly to Drake’s statue on Plymouth Road can take you from the Iron Age via the Middle Ages and the remains of a prominent abbey church through to the industrial revolution with its gritty history of mining on a world-class scale. Thanks to its hugely successful 19th century industrial expansion, including Tavistock Canal, Tavistock now enjoys world heritage site status alongside the Taj Mahal, Stonehenge and more than 1,000 sites across the world. Recent investment in the Butcher’s Hall, Pannier Market and No.1 Church Lane (Foulston’s House), is reinvigorating our much-admired legacy buildings.
Tavistock Heritage Trust is working in partnership with the town council to breathe new life into the remaining key buildings in the Duke of Bedford’s 19th century rebuilding of Tavistock town centre: The Guildhall, formerly the magistrate’s court, and the old police station. Both buildings will be fully refurbished in an ambitious £1.6 million project that will see the Grade II listed buildings conserved and, in some parts, remodelled to provide an interpretation centre for the eastern gateway to the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. The plans also include an education resource room and flexible use of the magistrates’ courtroom for art performance, debates and other community use. The trust is also working to reopen the Court Gate visitor centre to provide information to visitors on the town’s heritage and attractions.
Both ventures will rely on the enthusiasm of volunteers to help the trust bring Tavistock’s heritage to life. Volunteers are being recruited now to help in the information centre, as well as shape and run a programme of events and, in the future, support activities for local schools and organisations. Skills in retail, administration, marketing, research, writing, guided walks and public engagement are particularly valuable, though all enthusiastic volunteers with a few hours to spare are welcome. To find out more visit www.heritageintavistock.org