Visit Newton Abbot Places

Welcome to Visit Newton Abbot Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Newton Abbot

  

Newton Abbot Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Newton Abbot

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Newton Abbot history

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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 landmarks

Alexandra Theatre (cinema)

The Alexandra was originally built in 1871 as a corn exchange at the end of the market building. Before it was finished it was decided instead to use it as a meeting hall for the community. A major upgrade of the building included the addition of a stage with dressing rooms below and an orchestra pit.

St Leonard’s Tower

The centre of the town features the ancient tower of St Leonard – all that remains of the medieval chapel. The main chapel was demolished in 1836 to ease traffic congestion. Adjacent to the tower is a plaque marking where the first declaration of William III, Prince of Orange was read.

Forde House

Forde House was built in 1610 by Richard Reynell and Lucy Reynell. It was built with an E-shaped floor plan thought to be in honour of Queen Elizabeth I. The house gave shelter to Oliver Cromwell and Colonel Fairfax while on their way to besiege Dartmouth in 1646. In 1648 the estate passed to the Courtenay family through the marriage of Margaret Reynell to Sir William.

Bradley Manor

Bradley Manor has a notable great hall emblazoned with the royal coat of arms of Elizabeth I. The Great Western Railway named a 7800 class steam locomotive after the manor. It was restored in the 1980s and passed through Newton Abbot on special runs.

Passmore Edwards Public Library

John Passmore Edwards originally wanted a hospital built in memory of his mother, who was born there. But as the town already had a hospital, he decided on a public library, which opened in 1904. The building, designed by the Cornish architect Silvanus Trevail, is among the most impressive in Newton Abbot.

Almshouses

Gilberd’s in Exeter Road were endowed in 1538 to house lepers. Reynell’s almshouses in 1640 housed four clergy widows. Mackrell’s in Wolborough Street were built in 1874 by J. W. M. Rowell.

The workhouse

Newton Bushel had its own poorhouse, not far from present day Newton Abbot Leisure Centre. The cellar of the Devon Arms was used as the oakum picking room, where paupers were given the unpleasant job of untwisting old rope to provide oakum.

Tucker’s Maltings

Tucker’s Maltings was long the only traditional malthouse in the UK open to the public. The malt house produced malt for over 30 breweries and enough to brew 15,000,000 imperial pints (8,500 m) of beer per annum. It closed in October 2018.

Cider Bar

Ye Olde Cider Bar in East Street sells only cider, perry, country wines and soft drinks. Said to be one of only two remaining cider houses in the UK.

Newton Abbot Town & GWR Museum

After a 2019 relocation, the museum is now in the Newton’s Place community centre. It displays the history of Newton Abbot and of the Great Western Railway.

Newton Abbot War Memorial

In 1922 Newton Abbot Urban District Council instructed its Borough Surveyor, Coleridge Dingley White, to design a town memorial. The unveiling and dedication took place on Sunday 23 July 1922.

You can visit Newton Abbot places with Walkfo Newton Abbot to hear history at Newton Abbot’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Newton Abbot has 35 places to visit in our interactive Newton Abbot map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Newton Abbot, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Newton Abbot places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Newton Abbot & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 35 audio facts unique to Newton Abbot places in an interactive Newton Abbot map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Newton Abbot Places Map
35 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Newton Abbot historic spots	Newton Abbot tourist destinations	Newton Abbot plaques	Newton Abbot geographic features
Walkfo Newton Abbot tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Newton Abbot

  

Best Newton Abbot places to visit

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Newton Abbot has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Newton Abbot’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Newton Abbot’s information audio spots:

HM Prison Channings Wood HM Prison Channings Wood is a Category C men’s prison. It is located in the parish of Ogwell (near Newton Abbot) in Devon. The prison is operated by Her Majesty’s Prison Service.

Old Newton Abbot Hospital Old Newton Abbot Hospital was a health facility in East Street, Devon, England. It was managed by Torbay and Southern Devon Health and Care NHS Trust. Main entrance block is Grade II listed building.

Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish on the River Teign. It grew rapidly in the Victorian era as the home of the South Devon Railway locomotive works. It is twinned with Besigheim in Germany and Ay in France.

Austins (Newton Abbot) Austins is the largest independent store in South West England. Founded in 1924 as a drapery shop in Newton Abbot, Devon. Store has expanded to four locations in one part of the town.

St Leonard’s Tower, Newton Abbot St Leonard’s Tower, Newton Abbot, popularly known as The Clock Tower, is a Grade II* listed building. It was constructed in the 15th-century as part of a Gothic-style church and was the site of William III’s first proclamation in England. The adjoining nave was demolished in 1836 to improve traffic flows.

Newton Abbot Racecourse Newton Abbot Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located on the north bank of the River Teign in the parishes of Kingsteignton and Teigngrace. The course is a tight, flat left-handed oval of about 1 mile 1 furlong.

Hackney Marshes, Devon Hackney Marshes is a local nature reserve in Devon. It comprises a low-lying area of flood meadows located at the head of the Teign Estuary by Kingsteignton.

Newton Abbot Community Hospital Newton Abbot Community Hospital is a health facility on Jetty Marsh Road, Devon. It is managed by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.

Abbotskerswell Priory Abbotskerswell Priory was the home of a community of Augustinian nuns from 1861 until 1983. It has now been converted into apartments for retired people.

Buckland Athletic F.C. Buckland Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Newton Abbot, Devon, England. They are currently members of the Western League Premier Division and play at Homers Heath.

Visit Newton Abbot plaques