Tavistock Duke of Bedford Statue and Buildings, Tavistock, Dartmoor National Park

Tavistock Duke of Bedford Statue and Buildings, Tavistock, Dartmoor National Park

Tavistock is part of a rare UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town is of international significance. Stretching from the foot of Cornwall to the Cornwall/Devon border, the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Site is split into sections. Tavistock is included in the Tamar Valley and Tavistock section. According to the official website 'Cornish Mining World Heritage':

'Tavistock itself is unlike any other town within the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. The dramatic remodelling of much of the medieval town by the 7th Duke of Bedford during the mid-19th century was achieved with profits from his mines, whilst a substantial proportion of the mining workforce was housed in model cottages built within the town, at the mines and across his estate.'

This is why you see a statue to the 7th Duke of Bedford in the centre of Tavistock and why there's a Bedford Square, Duke Street, Bedford Hotel and numerous B's carved into buildings around town.

When exploring Tavistock, look out for:

Bedford Square and Town Hall. An information plaque reads: 'Opened in 1864, the Town Hall emerged as the centrepiece of the seventh Duke of Bedford's ambitious scheme for the development of the town centre.'

Guildhall Square. An information plaque reads: 'Guildhall. Built in 1848 by the Duke of Bedford, on a site once occupied by the mill of Tavistock Abbey, this building replaced an earlier Guildhall that stood in Bedford Square. Its duties as a courthouse ended in 2001.'

Pannier Market.

Duke Street.

Bedford Cottages.