Private Guided Heritage and History Tours of Tavistock
Did you know that Tavistock Heritage Trust conduct a limited number of private guided tours of Tavistock’s history and heritage?
Tavistock is Devon’s only World Heritage Town with over 1000 years of recorded history.
These tours are open to groups of up to 10 people and cover historical insights into Tavistock’s rich history and heritage.
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Led by experienced local guides you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of Tavistock’s amazing story.
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Maximum number of participants per tour – 10.
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Larger numbers are accommodated by request.
Walk 1
Discover Tavistock – an introduction to our heritage
Your perfect gentle overview of the colourful history and heritage of this 1,000-year-old World Heritage Site town.
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This 90-minute, predominantly flat walk over approximately 1 mile will take you on a journey through ten centuries, revealing Abbey and Churches, Mineral Mining and the Industrial Revolution, the building of the Canal and Railways and the influence of the Dukes of Bedford, which can be seen almost everywhere you look!
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Today the town retains much of its built heritage and prides itself on being England’s premier market town
Walk 2
A curated guide to Tavistock Guildhall Heritage Centre
The interpretation centre within Tavistock Guildhall is a part of a £1.8 million heritage project in partnership between Tavistock Heritage Trust and Tavistock Town Council.
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The interpretive content was designed and written by the THT team, so who better to guide you through the depth of history behind the displays than the THT team?
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You’ll discover the history of the Guildhall building and the mix of 19th-century Gothic and medieval architecture
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Through this 60-minute curated tour, you will discover stories about the building and its multiple uses and why this is such an important part of a much bigger international story.
We’ll talk you through the detail that will give you a deeper understanding of the many World Heritage topics as you journey through this majestic, Grade II* listed building to your final destination, the historic Magistrates’ Court.
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Post tour you are encouraged to tour the interpretation centre independently and your guide will be available to answer further questions.
Walk 3
6th century memorial stones
Tavistock Heritage Trust is currently involved in a project to relocate, three engraved granite stones dated between the 5th and 7th century AD. These stones were likely inscribed to memorialise important members of the early communities who lived in or around what is now the town of Tavistock and the village of Buckland Monachorum. One of the stones is engraved with extremely rare Ogham script, an ancient Irish alphabet that appears on monumental inscriptions dating from the 4th to the 6th century AD. The stones were taken from their original sites and installed in the garden in the 19th century.
All three stones are legally protected by Historic England as Scheduled Ancient Monuments and have been designated as ‘at risk’ due to their declining condition.
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These stones are currently on private property. With the kind permission of the owner THT can offer a very limited number of opportunities to visit the stones with an expert guide.
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This hour-long tour provides context to the stones and individual detail and interpretation of each memorial.
Full day heritage discovery package
Why not combine any two of the guided tours with an Award-Winning Cream tea, together with your expert guide?
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Tavistock is the home of the cream tea!
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The Bedford Hotel is where the Devon Cream Tea was invented and they won ‘Champion of Champions’ at Tavistock Cream Tea Festival, so you can look forward to delicious home-made scones with excellent local jam and clotted cream.
With the tea of your choice to complement the first-class food you can relax and recharge your brain and rest your feet in between tours with this sumptuous feast in the company of your expert guide.
Pricing
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Single walks - £50 per tour or £5 per head (whichever is the greater )
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Any two walks - £95
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Single walks with cream tea - £145 ( based on 10 per tour)
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Any two walks with cream tea - £190 (based on 10 per tour)
For further information on private guided walks contact David Conn ​