North Tawton

Wellknown nowadays to travellers along the Tarka Trail, the small market town of North Tawton was once an important borough governed by a portreeve, an official who was elected each year until the end of the 19th century. This scattered rural community prospered in medieval times but the decline of the local textile industry in the late 1700s dealt a blow from which it never really recovered - the population today is still less than it was in 1750. The little town also suffered badly from the ravages of a series of fires that destroyed most of the older and more interesting buildings. However, a few survivors can still be found, most notably Broad Hall (private), which dates back to the 15th century.

In a field close to the town is Bathe Pool, a grassy hollow that is said to fill with water at times of national crises or when a prominent person is about to die. The pool reportedly filled at the time of the death of Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Edward VII, and also just before the outbreak of World War One.