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Buckfastleigh Devon CAM
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About Buckfastleigh Devon.
Buckfastleigh is located two and half miles south west of Ashburton on the B3380 The name Buckfast means a stronghold where deer and buck were held and Leigh is interpreted to mean an open pasture.
Buckfastleigh is an ancient woollen town that boasted five textile mills and a tannery Surrounded by water and its situation on the edge of Dartmoor made the town an ideal location for wool production. The moor provided good pasture for the sheep and the rivers Dart, Mardle and the Dean Burn provided an abundance of water which was necessary for processing and dyeing the fleeces.
Today there is still evidence of the past woollen trade but tourism is the major source of commerce. The town is a good base for walkers and cyclists as Buckfastleigh lies on the Dartmoor Way a route well suited to both these activities. Methods of transport seem very popular in Buckfastleigh, it is the headquarters of the South Devon Railway and there is also a Buckfastleigh Vintage Bus Service. The steam railway covers about seven miles through the Dart Valley to Totnes and the station at Buckfastleigh is resplendent, with a railway museum, caf?, model railway, gift shop and a railway workshop to visit. The Vintage Bus Service was previously called the Primrose Line and it operates a fleet of historic, old double and single decker buses to take people to the local attractions, especially Buckfast Abbey.
To celebrate its ancient woollen trade Buckfastleigh held a Wool and Leather Festival in July 2005. The festival had something for everyone including, exhibitions, guided tours, town walks, a street market. music, art, sport, children's activities and crafts. One highlight of the festival was the start of a giant tapestry to celebrate 1,000 years of wool and leather working in Buckfastleigh. This wonderful piece of artwork was finished in 2006, more than 350 people contributed stitches, clocking up 1,000 hours and using 250 shades of colour and more than 80,000 stitches. The tapestry is 4ft 6ins long and 3 feet high and it depicts local scenes including the River Mardle, the chimney of the Old Town Woollen Mill, the Town Hall and the wooden viaduct that brought water to the factories. Local artist Lois Taylor used photographs of local landmarks for inspiration and when the buildings no longer existed she relied on archive photos.
Buckfastleigh is a very interesting town and a good base from which to explore many different areas of Devon. Dartmoor is right on its doorstep but the South Hams area is not far away and the town is just off the A38 Devon Expressway.
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