Travel to Newton Abbot Map
Newton Abbot tourist guide map of landmarks & destinations by Walkfo
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Newton Abbot history
Early history
Neolithic inhabitants have been found at Berry’s Wood Hill Fort near Bradley Manor. Milber Down camp was built before the 1st century BC and later occupied briefly by the Romans. Highweek Hill has the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, known as Castle Dyke.
The markets
There has been a thriving market in Newton Abbot for over 750 years – the first market charter was granted in 1220. The New Town of the Abbots (of Torre Abbey) was given the right some time between 1247 and 1251 to hold a weekly market on Wednesdays. Over the river, another weekly market was created on the Highweek side of the River, Newton Bushel.
Wool and leather
In medieval times Devon was an important sheep-rearing county. Newton Abbot had woollen mills, fullers, dyers, spinners, weavers and tailors. The annual cloth fair was the town’s busiest fair. By 1972 business had declined and the works closed down.
The Newfoundland trade
Between 1600 and 1850 there was a steady trade between Newton Abbot and the cod fisheries off Newfoundland. Every year men from the town would gather at the Dartmouth Inn or Newfoundland Inn in East Street in the hope of being hired for a season’s work. The dried cod was stored in depots and sometimes used as payment.
Ball clay and the Stover Canal
The Bovey Basin took millions of years to fill from rivers that flowed out of Dartmoor. The natural deposition has resulted in clay that is purer and more refined than others. Clay is used in a wide range of products such as bricks, tyres, porcelain, glossy magazines and medicines.
The railway
The South Devon railway reached Newton Abbot in 1846, and changed it from a market town with associated trades (leather and wool) into an industrial base. A branch to Torquay was added on 18 December 1848, and one to Moretonhampstead on 26 June 1866, although the latter has since closed to passengers. The present station was rebuilt to its current form in 1927 to designs by Chief GWR Architect P. E. Culverhouse.
Modern history
Two Royal Navy personnel from Newton Abbot were among the first British casualties in World War I, being killed after their ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat. Over the course of the two world wars, more than 250 Newtonian men gave their lives for the British Empire. The town was bombed from the air twice during World War II, killing a total of 21 people.
Newton Abbot map & travel guide with history & landmarks to explore
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| Travel Location: Travel Area: | Newton Abbot [zonearea] | Audio spots: Physical plaques: | 35 0 | Population: | [zonesize] |
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Tourist Guide to Newton Abbot Map
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