Discover Tiverton, Devon

Tiverton, Devon, England: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tiverton,_Noah%C2%92s_Ark_-_geograph.org.uk_-_666582.jpg
Author: Martin Bodman


Tiverton is a major town in the Mid Devon district in Devon, England. Its name means "town on two fords", as it sits at the confluence of the rivers Exe and Lowman. It has a population of 19,000 people (2012 estimate).

Human habitation in the Tiverton area goes back into the Stone Age. The Romans built a fort here while King Henry I built Tiverton Castle in 1106, originally as a Motte and Bailey type. It was remodelled in the later centuries.

Tiverton became an important wool trading town in the 16th and 17th centuries. The industry vastly contributed to its growth, creating many wealthy merchants who built fine houses and buildings that add to the town's heritage. The prosperity from wool continued into the 18th century.

The arrival of the Industrial Revolution ironically ushered in a period of decline for Tiverton. A number of factors also caused its wool industry to go into terminal decline. Massive unemployment and low wages even caused a number of riots to erupt. However in 1815 industrialist John Heathcoat moved his lace-making operation in Tiverton, and singlehandedly helped to reverse Tiverton's misfortune. The opening of the Grand Western Canal from Taunton to Tiverton in 1838, followed by the Great Western Railway in 1848, further fueled industrial development and prosperity.

Prosperity of the 19th century did not last past the first half of the 20th century, by which time Tiverton was gain in gradual decline. As it enters the 21st century, the town put in place a number of regeneration projects to kickstart its economy.

Visiting Tiverton

Take the M5 motorway from Manchester. at Junction 27, head west on the A361 road which leads to Tiverton.

Knightshayes Court, Tiverton: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Knightshayes_Court_(National_Trust)_-_geograph.org.uk_-_31216.jpg
Author: john spivey

Places of Interest in Tiverton

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