Photo © Alan Hunt, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ashburton
Ashburton is a town on the south-eastern edge of Dartmoor, beside the A38, and the largest town inside the National Park. It is in the Domesday Book as Essebretona. The parish church of St Andrew dates from the 12th century according to the Ashburton History Museum, and the town grew quickly on the wool and tin trades. A market was established in 1309.
Ashburton is one of the four stannary towns around Dartmoor, where mined tin was assayed before sale. Great British Life puts the share of the moor's tin handled here at 40 per cent. The town was run through its Court Leet and Baron Jury, whose chief officers are the Portreeve and the Bailiff, and both offices continue. The portreeve dates, by local tradition, to AD 820 when the portreeve was perhaps the only person in town who could write. A Bread and Ale ceremony each July is said to go back to 1276, to check the quality of provisions.
Quarrying here took out marble, limestone and umber. A toll road reached the town in 1755 and a railway in 1872. The museum at 1 West Street covers the town's history. The museum does not give a year for the stannary charter, and the older dates usually quoted are tradition rather than proven record.
Ashburton on the map
In Ashburton
Ashburton Christmas Trees
Ashburton
Choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm on the edge of Dartmoor, growing Norway Spruce and Nordman Firs across 20 acres near Ashburton.
Ashburton Cookery School
Ashburton
Award-winning cookery school in Ashburton, Dartmoor's edge, offering over 50 courses from half-day classes to professional diplomas. Founded 1992. Teaches both passionate home cooks and aspiring chefs using the finest local and seasonal Devon produce. ICSA Academy accredited.
Ashburton Court Guest House
Ashburton
The accommodation at Ashburton Court includes a self catering apartment, and a variety of charming and well-appointed superking, twin, and double rooms.
Ashburton Court Leet, Portreeve, Ale Tasters and Bread Weighers
Ashburton
Ashburton's manor court, the Court Leet, still meets each year to appoint the Portreeve, the Ale Tasters and the Bread Weighers, a custom very few towns keep.
Ashburton Museum
Ashburton
Our aim is to tell the story of our ancient town and its surroundings through a lively collection of artefacts, pictures and displays.
Ashburton Repair Cafe
Ashburton
In the hot summer of 2018, a small group came together to create the Ashburton Repair Cafe. They were members of Ashburton Climate Emergency.
Church of St Andrew, Ashburton
Ashburton
Grade I parish church on West Street, with a 21 m granite-dressed tower built before 1449 and restored by G E Street in 1882-3.
Cliff Ellis Ceramics
Ashburton
Discover handcrafted ceramics from our Dartmoor studio. Shop for custom ceramic or join our engaging pottery classes.
Courtney Arnold
Ashburton
Courtney Arnold is a linocut printmaker working from a kitchen studio in Ashburton, inspired by the moorland, farmland and River Dart around her home.
Dartmoor Butchers
Ashburton
Welcome to Dartmoor Butchers, established in 1942, we keep local people, local produce and animal welfare our priorities .
Dartmoor Chilli Farm
Ashburton
Dartmoor-based chilli grower producing hand-made sauces, oils, jams and powders since 2007.
Dartmoor Hill Pony Association
Ashburton, Poundsgate
The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association (DHPA) is a membership organisation for hill-farmers using their ancient right to graze ponies on the commons of Dartmoor all year round. It is the Breeders’ Association for the Native Semi-wild Dartmoor Hill Pony Population.
Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team (Ashburton)
Ashburton
Dartmoor Search and Rescue Ashburton is a team of highly skilled volunteers, on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, assisting the emergency services in the search and rescue of the lost, missing, injured and vulnerable across South and East Devon.
Denis Perry Antiques
Ashburton
Antiques and collectibles shop on Ashburton's main street, a gateway town to Dartmoor National Park.
Dr Blackall's Drive
Ashburton
A carriage drive of about two miles cut round the hillside above the Dart by Dr Thomas Blackall of Spitchwick, running from Newbridge Hill past Aish Tor and Mel Tor to Bel Tor Corner.
Dr Thomas Blackall
Ashburton
Thomas Blackall (1814 to 1899), an Exeter physician who bought Spitchwick in 1867, rebuilt the house and had the carriage drive made that still carries his name.
Emma Whittaker - Expanded Skies
Ashburton
Hello and a warm welcome to Expanded Skies Jewellery and Precious Objects, designed and handcrafted on the edge of Dartmoor, in Devon, UK, by Emma Whittaker.
Gages Mill
Ashburton
We're located perfectly on the southern edge of Dartmoor, just a few minutes walk from the fantastic town of Ashburton, Devon.
In a Nutshell
Ashburton
Curated antiques shop in Ashburton offering Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian furniture, restored on-site with nationwide delivery available.
Jess Heard
Ashburton
Jess Heard makes small-batch functional stoneware ceramics, working from a joint studio with Cliff Ellis Ceramics in Ashburton, where the pair also run small-group pottery classes.
John Dunning, 1st Baron Ashburton
Ashburton
Ashburton-born lawyer John Dunning (1731 to 1783), Solicitor General and Lord Ashburton, who bought the Spitchwick lease in about 1769 and built his Dartmoor house there.
John Swete
Ashburton
Ashburton-born clergyman and artist (1752-1821) whose illustrated journals of Georgian Devon began with a tour across Dartmoor in 1789.
Lavender House Hotel
Ashburton
Hotel on Knowle Hill near Newton Abbot, offering accommodation within easy reach of Dartmoor National Park.
Mark Burley
Ashburton
Mark Burley is a black and white landscape photographer capturing Dartmoor's rivers, waterfalls, woodland and moorland, shown at Sherewood Gallery in Ashburton.
Mark Jessett
Ashburton
Mark Jessett is an artist specialising in works on paper. He was born in Oxford and studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths’ College, London.
Old Exeter Inn
Ashburton
Historic inn in Ashburton serving traditional British pies, Sunday roasts, and West Country cider since 1130.
Paloma Suarez
Ashburton
Paloma Suarez is a textile artist working with stitching, felting and mending - stories told with colour.
Peter Fabyan Sparke Amery
Ashburton
Ashburton antiquary and lieutenant-colonel of volunteers (1839-1907), treasurer of the Devonshire Association from 1893, secretary of its Folk-lore Committee and joint editor of Devon Notes and Queries.
PIGMENT Organic Dyes
Ashburton
The social enterprise was set up by Sophie Holt, who has facilitated adults with additional needs in various settings across Shropshire and Devon.
River Ashburn
Ashburton
The Ashburn is a river in the Dartmoor moors in Devon in south-west England, flowing through the Ashburton valley to the River
River Dart Country Park
Ashburton
Award-winning family outdoor attraction and campsite set in 90 acres within Dartmoor National Park, just 1 mile from the A38 at Ashburton. Adventure playgrounds, zip wire, high ropes, canoeing, kayaking, Dartmoor Bike Park, a pirate ship lake, riverside walks and an award-winning campsite.
Ruby Bateman
Ashburton
Ruby Bateman is a visual artist working from her home studio in the South West Countryside.
Sherewood Gallery
Ashburton
Photography gallery in Ashburton specialising in black and white landscapes of Dartmoor, with prints, framing and design services.
South Dartmoor Community College
Ashburton
South Dartmoor Community College is a wonderful school to be a part of. It is made so by fabulous students, brilliant staff and a marvellous community of parents, carers, extended families and eager supporters
Spitchwick Lodges
Ashburton
Two Grade II listed lodge buildings of the Spitchwick estate: the Higher Lodge, late 19th century, and the Lower Lodges, a pair of about 1800 with additions. Private homes.
Spitchwick Manor
Ashburton
The manor and estate of Spitchwick on the Dart above Poundsgate: a manor named in Domesday Book that gave its name to a medieval family, the Dartmoor house of the lawyer John Dunning, and for a century the subject of Chancery suits and, in 1849, a siege.
The Field System
Ashburton
The Field System is a shop, gallery and print workshop on West Street in Ashburton, and the hub of the town's Artist & Artisans trail.
The Haven Health Clinic
Ashburton
Complementary health clinic in Ashburton offering acupuncture, massage, counselling and trauma-informed therapies for pain, stress and long-term conditions.
The Old Coffee House
Ashburton
We are close to Ashburton town centre and next to the beautiful St Andrew's parish church.
The Old Library
Ashburton
Locally-run restaurant in Ashburton serving breakfast, lunch and Friday-Saturday evening meals with locally-sourced ingredients.
Tom Walker
Ashburton
Tom Walker is a pastel artist showing a selected collection drawn from a lifetime of exploration in the medium.
Wholesome Health Chiropractic
Ashburton
Chiropractic and osteopathy clinic in Ashburton offering spinal care, cranial osteopathy, massage and sports injury treatment for Dartmoor communities.
