Exetours S1 Totnes

S1. Totnes

Great Western Railway. Leaves Exeter St Davids 0926 0941 1011 1045. 35 minutes to Totnes

Stagecoach route 7. Leaves Exeter Bus Station 50 minutes past the hour (August 2019). 80 minutes to Totnes.

Totnes
Situated at the head of the tidal reaches of the River Dart, Totnes is the most interesting inland town in Devon. Its history goes back to Saxon times and it had its own mint in the 9th century. William the Conqueror gave it to Judhael, who built the castle and from late medieval times it became a wealthy trading town, at times out-ranking the port of Dartmouth further down the estuary. Overlaying the rich evidence of earlier centuries there is a certain alternative, hippy feel to the place; incense, crystals, health foods, meditation, floaty clothes shops and exotic bric-à-brac abounds - all this perhaps influenced by the presence of the Dartington estate on its outskirts - well worth a separate visit if time permits. On Tuesdays many of the natives dress up in Elizabethan costume (1560s not 1960s). 

The bus arrives in Coronation Road, beside the  Seven Stars Hotel and the Town Mill [1], where the Totnes Archive of many thousands of historic photographs is housed. Continue to the crossroads and turn left to admire the view of the tidal river Dart from Totnes Bridge [2], built in 1828 by Charles Fowler, architect of Covent Garden. On the other side of the river lies Bridgetown, a suburb developed by the Pomeroy family in an attempt to capture some of the rich trade of Totnes. Return and turn left to explore the Plains [3] with a monument to William John Wills, a native of Totnes, who in 1860 attempted with Burke to cross Australia, dying on the return journey. There is also interesting modern riverside housing. The Dartmouth Inn provides cheap roast lunches. Return along the Plains or cut through to Ticklemore Street to Fore Street. On the other side of Fore Street is the Seven Stars Inn [4], basically a Georgian building although an inn is recorded on the site from medieval times. Turn left up Fore Street looking up on to the interesting façades on both sides, many of them slate-hung in a style typical of south Devon. Set back on the left is the Mansion [6], an 18th century building formerly housing the King Edward VI College and now a community centre with a People's Café. Further up on the left is the picturesque Gothic House [6] and on the right, set inconspicuously into the pavement the Brutus Stone [7], said to commemorate the landing of Brutus the Trojan about 1180 BCE - a figment of the chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth's vivid imagination. On the left just before the Eastgate Totnes Museum [8] is housed in an interesting Tudor building. It has a special section on Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, 19th century pioneers of the computer. Babbage spent his early years in Totnes. Eastgate [9], the arched gateway over the Street, is on the line of the town's medieval defences. It is worth leaving the road here turning right up the steps and along the old town walls following Guildhall Yard to the ancient Guildhall [10], which is sometimes open to the public. The churchyard and splendid church of Saint Mary [11], mainly built during the early 15th century can then be visited. Inside is one of the finest stone screens in England. Opposite the church on High Street is the house of the Tudor merchant Nicholas Ball [12] where the wife of Sir Thomas Bodley, founder of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, was born. Further along High Street on the left is the rather unimaginative  market place, often full of lively stalls - a mix of local produce, crafts  and antiques. On the other side of the road is the Butterwalk [14], an arcaded slate-hung late medieval row of shops similar to other covered walkways in south Devon towns. In Bogan House at 43 High Street, a Tudor merchant's house is the Totnes Fashion and Textile Museum which contains the Devonshire Collection of Period Costume. Continue along High Street and turn right along Castle Street to the Norman motte and bailey castle [16] which dominates the town. Castle Street continues steeply down hill to Totnes Station [15] and travellers arriving by train can join the walking tour at this point. From Castle Street turn right to continue along the Narrows, past a fascinating range of independent and alternative shops as far as the prize-winning fish and chip shop. From the end of the High Street it is possible to continue along Leechwell Street and then the pathway named leechwell Lane to the medieval Leechwell [17], a holy well reputed to have healing properties. The street name Maudlin Street reveals that the was a leper hospital nearby. From the Narrows you can return to pick up the bus by going along the High Street and Fore Street or, to complete the circuit of the walls, turning right to follow South Street.

An alternative town trail is available on-line on the Visit Totnes website.