Ivybridge
Ivybridge is a small town in the South Hams, in Devon, England
It lies about 9 miles east of Plymouth. Near the A38 "Devon Expressway" road. A pretty little town on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. In it’s day it was a staging post for London coaches and the River Erme enabled the town to be home to three or more mills, one of which still survives today, all powered by the constant waters of the River Erme, the elixir of life for the town. The River Erme is now part of the attraction of Ivybridge, flowing through the middle of the town and drawing many tourists to photograph it.
A fresh approach from Luscombe Maye
To learn how Luscombe Maye serves Ivybridge, click here.
Ivybridge History
Mentioned in documents from the 13th century, Ivybridge's early history is marked by its status as an important crossing-point over the River Erme on the Exeter-to-Plymouth route. In the 16th century mills were built to harness the River Erme's power. The early urbanisation and development of Ivybridge largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution.
When the South Devon Railway Company built its train route through Ivybridge in the 19th century a paper mill was constructed alongside it and this led to an increase in housing nearby. The paper mill, now French owned, still provides local jobs.
Although some people think of Ivybridge as a dormitory town, many people work in the town itself, and agriculture continues to play an economic role. The area surrounding Ivybridge is almost completely farmland. It holds a farmers' market every month, though most of the sellers come from outside of the immediate area.
The population has boomed as Ivybridge has grown as a dormitory town, (400% increase in 30 years) supported by its position between Plymouth, Torbay and Exeter. Ivybridge now has a population of about 12,000.
The name Ivybridge is derived from a small 13th-century hump-backed bridge of the same name. It was the only means of crossing the river until 1819. "Ivy" was used to describe the bridge, because there was ivy growing on the bridge. As the bridge was the centre of the village and important to its very existence, it was named the "parish of Ivybridge" in 1894.
The first mention of settlement in Ivybridge was the manor of Stowford in the Domesday Book of 1086.
The first mention of Ivybridge itself came in 1280 when it was described as "dowry of land on the west side of the River Erme, by the Ivy Bridge.
There was a chapel, that was on the site of Saint John's church, since 1402. From the 16th century onwards mills were built in the town, harnessing the power of the river. Records show that in the 16th century there was a corn mill, a tin mill and an edge mill. One of the mills, 'Glanville's Mill' (a corn mill), was situated where many of the town's shops are today and gives its name to the shopping centre.
The first church (Saint John's) was built in 1790 as a chapel of ease, but 45 years later in 1835 it was consecrated as a district church. In 1819 the Ivy Bridge lost its position as the only means of crossing the river when the 'New Bridge' was built.
Ivybridge Art
The Ivy Bridge as painted by J. M. W. Turner in 1813. Turner is one of the more famous artists inspired by the town’s old beauty, drawing the old pack horse bridge at the north end of the town centre from which the town gets it’s name.
Geography
The topography of Ivybridge is generally hilly. This is because of the River Erme, which flows right through the centre of town. The river enters the town at 90 metres (300 ft) metres above sea level and leaves the town at 40 metres (130 ft) above sea level.
The western beacon is a hill that overlooks the town. It is 328 metres (1,076 ft) metres above sea level and 278 metres (912 ft) metres above the town. There is also an area of woodland called Longtimber woods to the north of the town, which attracts many walkers along its riverside path.
The geology of Ivybridge is varied. Throughout most of the town the rock is Old Red Sandstone (sedimentary) from the Devonian period. To the north of the town Granite can be found as it is situated on the slopes of Dartmoor – a large area of Granite. Along the River Erme large boulders and rocks can be found deposited on its meandering path brought all the way from Dartmoor; the Ivy Bridge itself is made out of Granite.
River Erme at Ivybridge
The built environment in and around Ivybridge is mainly characterised by its suburban streets and houses, although in the centre of Ivybridge it’s mainly characterised by Victorian buildings. In the centre of the town most buildings are terraced and now many of these buildings have been converted into retail outlets along Fore Street – the town’s central business district. In the middle layer of the town most buildings are semi-detached and built on quite steep roads. More detached houses are found on the outer layers of the city on the east and on the west of the town.
Over the past decades the town has been shaped by its two most essential pieces of infrastructure: the railway line to the north and the A38 dual carriageway to the south. No large scaling housing has been built on either side of these boundaries. Due to this Ivybridge has been forced to grow east and west rather than north and south; it stretches approximately 1.76 miles (2.83 km) from east to west and 1 mile (1.6 km) from north to south.
Ivybridge Demographics
Ivybridge accounts for about 15% of the South Hams' total population (83,200) and it accounts for about 1% of Devon’s total population (1,122,100). The town has a median age of 36, which is below the national average of nearly 40.
Ivybridge Economy
The Paper Mill: Ivybridge's earliest economy relied on the River Erme with a corn mill, tin mill and an edge mill in existence in the town. Later development of the town relied on both the River Erme and the railway, which was part of the Industrial Revolution. The largest employer to the town during the Industrial Revolution was Stowford Paper Mill. The paper mill is still in use today providing jobs for the town.
With the expansion of the town in the late 20th century many of the new jobs are in the service sector. Thanks to the A38, Ivybridge's transport to nearby Plymouth is possible as a commuter route. As a result, a lot of Ivybridge's work or "economy" is made in Plymouth. Ivybridge does still have some of its own industry with a small industrial estate at the south of the town and very nearby an industrial estate just to the east at Lee Mill.
Walking from Ivybridge
There have been attempts to brand the town as a walking centre for southern Dartmoor. There is good access to Dartmoor from the town.
One route follows the old china clay railway to Redlake in the heart of the moor.
The Two Moors Way, which crosses Dartmoor and Exmoor starts in Ivybridge and finishes in Lynmouth on the North Devon coast.
The town's natural landmark is Western Beacon; a hill that overlooks the town. Many people walk up there for the views of Ivybridge and the South Hams.
Each April the Ivybridge walking and outdoor festival takes place.
Ivybridge Shopping
The shopping area mainly of Fore Street provides some jobs and services for the town, although a lot of jobs come from much larger centres such as the Tesco Extra superstore at Lee Mill and from Endsleigh Garden & Leisure.
The town has six public houses: The Sportsmans, The Bridge, The Exchange, The Old Smithy, The Duke of Cornwall and The Imperial.
Education
Erme Primary School: The town's first school - the town has six schools: Four state primary schools, the Dame Hannah Roger's special school, and Ivybridge Community College, the town's secondary state school, which has a sixth form. It has specialist status as a sports college and has recently been given awards in science and mathematics as well as languages. The school has a very large catchment area which stretches from Shaugh Prior on Dartmoor, to Bigbury on the coast and covers many of the villages in the South Hams such as Ugborough, Modbury and Yealmpton.
There are no independent schools in Ivybridge, but Dame Hannah Rogers School provides a boarding education for children with disabilities and communication needs.
The nearest university is the University of Plymouth. The town also has a youth centre. In 2008 a new library and resource centre called the Watermark was opened, replacing the small library on Keaton Road.
There are two notable people from the community college. One being sports teacher Michaela Breeze who won a gold medal weightlifting in the 2002 Commonwealth Games for Wales and won another gold medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The other being the school's principal - Geoffrey Rees now retired, who was given a CBE at Buckingham Palace for his services to education.
Sports
Ivybridge playing fields: There are various leisure facilities in the town: the South Dartmoor Leisure Centre features an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor swimming pool, an indoor sports hall, squash courts and gymnasium facilities. The South Devon Tennis Centre has four indoor and four outdoor courts. Next to the South Devon Tennis Centre are the Erme playing fields, which hold a cricket field (with a practice net) and two football pitches. There is also a skatepark in the centre of the town and rugby pitches at Ivybridge Rugby Football Club, a cricket team, and the Erme Valley Harriers (athletics and road running). The town's football team, called Ivybridge Town F.C., was founded in 1925 and play at regional level in the South West Peninsula League. The town's flat green bowls club is situated at the end of Bridge Park.