Ivybridge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

Ivybridge
Fore Street, the centre of Ivybridge.
Ivybridge shown within Devon
Population	12,581 (2006 est.)[1]
OS grid reference	SX635560
- London	182 miles (293 km)
District	South Hams
Shire county	Devon
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	IVYBRIDGE
Postcode district	PL21
Dialling code	01752
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
European Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	South West Devon
Website: www.ivybridge.gov.uk
List of places: UK • England • Devon

Coordinates: 50°23′20″N 3°55′16″W / 50.389, -3.921

Ivybridge (pronounced /ˈaɪvibrɪdʒ/ (help·info)) is a small town and civil parish in the South Hams, in Devon, England. It lies about 9 miles (14.5 km) east of Plymouth. It is at the southern extremity of Dartmoor, a National Park of England and Wales and lies along the A38 "Devon Expressway" road. Ivybridge has a population of over 12,000.

Mentioned in documents as early as the 13th century, Ivybridge's early history is marked by its status as an important crossing-point over the River Erme on the Exeter-to-Plymouth route. In the 16th century mills were built using the River Erme’s power. The parish of Saint John was formed in 1836.^[2] Ivybridge became a parish in 1894 and a town in 1977.

The early urbanisation and development of Ivybridge largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution. When the South Devon Railway Company built its train route through Ivybridge in the 19th century a paper mill was constructed alongside it and this lead to an increase in housing nearby. The paper mill, now French owned, still provides local jobs. Although some people think of Ivybridge as a dormitory town, many people work in the town itself, and agriculture continues to play an economic role for Ivybridge. The area surrounding Ivybridge is almost completely farmland. It holds a farmer’s market every month, though most of the sellers come from outside of the immediate area.

When heavy industry diminished during the latter half of the 20th century, the population has boomed (400% in 30 years) to grow as a dormitory town, supported by its position between Plymouth, Torbay and Exeter, from 1,574 people in 1921 to 12,056 in 2001.^[3]

[edit] History

The Ivy Bridge as painted by J. M. W. Turner in 1813.

The name Ivybridge is derived from a small 13th-century hump-backed bridge of the same name. It was the only means of crossing the river until 1819. "Ivy" was used to describe the bridge, because there was ivy growing on the bridge. As the bridge was the centre of the village and important to its very existence, it was named the "parish of Ivybridge" in 1894.^[3] Edmund Barron Hartley was born in Ivybridge on 6 May, 1847. He was awarded the Victoria Cross in Moirosi's Mountain, Basuto War, 5 June, 1879.^[4]

The first mention of settlement in Ivybridge was the manor of Stowford in the Domesday Book of 1086.^[5] Although the first mention of Ivybridge came in 1280 when it was described as "dowry of land on the west side of the River Erme, by the Ivy Bridge."^[6] From the 16th century onwards mills were built in the town, harnessing the power of the river. Records show that in the 16th century there was a corn mill, a tin mill and an edge mill. One of the mills, 'Glanville's Mill' (a corn mill), was situated where many of the town's shops are today and gives its name to the shopping centre.^[6] The first church (Saint John's) was built in 1790 as a chapel of ease, but 45 years later in 1835 it was consecrated as a district church.^[2] In 1819 the Ivy Bridge lost its position as the only means of crossing the river when the 'New Bridge' was built joining Fore Street and Exeter Road.

In 1977 Ivybridge became a town and throughout the 1980s and 90s underwent a period of rapid growth, due to the A38 road by-pass. Between the censuses in 1981 and 2001 the population more than doubled from 5,106 to 12,056.^[3]

[edit] Governance

Ivybridge Town Hall

Ivybridge is represented by several tiers of elected government. Ivybridge Town Council forms the lowest tier of governance whose statutory role is to communicate local opinion to local and central government.^{[7][not in citation given]} The next tier is the district council – South Hams District Council. They take care of matters such as local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. The next tier is Devon County Council, who take care of much larger matter such as: education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. The Parliament of the United Kingdom is responsible for matters such as education, health and justice.

It is a town and parish divided into three wards: Ivybridge Filham (the east of the town), Ivybridge Central (the central area of the town) and Ivybridge Woodlands (the west of the town).^[8] The current mayor is Councillor Alan Wright who was appointed in 2007.^[7] In 2007 Ivybridge town council won the Aon/NALC (National Association of Local Councils) Council of the Year.^[9] Its town hall is located close to the centre of the town and the previous town hall - Chapel Place is still in existence and located in the centre of the town close to the Ivy Bridge.

Before 1894 Ivybridge was made up of four neighbouring parishes: Harford - 2 miles (3.2 km) north; Ugborough - 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east; Ermington - 2 miles (3.2 km) south and Cornwood - 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest.^[10] All the parishes’ boundaries met at the Ivy Bridge. In 1836 the Parish of Saint John was formed (the name of the church at the time, which was named after John the Evangelist). The parish represented the small central area of Ivybridge known at present. In 1894 St John's parish became a parish church for the newly created parish of Ivybridge.^[3] 83 years later the village and civil parish of Ivybridge became a town in 1977. Its local government district has been the South Hams since 1 April, 1974 and its county constituency has been South West Devon since 1997.

The town forms part of the county constituency of South West Devon. Its Member of Parliament is Gary Streeter representing the Conservative party who hold 44.8% of the votes. The town’s three wards are each used for voting at the local elections and general elections.^[11]

[edit] International Links

Ivybridge's first official twinning was with Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives in 1972 before Ivybridge became a town. Since then it has developed unofficial town twinnings (exchanges) and Friendship Treaties.^[12] Shown below is a table of all the towns that Ivybridge holds international links with:

Flag	Country	Town	Region / State	Date
	France	Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives	Basse-Normandie	1972
	Germany	Beverungen	North Rhine-Westphalia	1975
	United States	Bedford	Virginia	2004

[edit] Geography

At coordinates 50°23′28″N, 3°55′12″W (50.233, -3.551) Ivybridge is situated deep in the south western peninsula of England, Ivybridge is 182 miles (293 km) from London, 10 miles (16 km) from Totnes and 28 miles (45 km) from Exeter. The main road in and out of the town (the A38) allows fast access to its nearby city Plymouth for many of Ivybridge’s commuters.

The topography of Ivybridge is generally hilly. This is because of the River Erme which flows right through the centre of town. To the east and to the west of the river the land is elevated forming a valley. The river first enters the town at 90 metres (300 ft) metres above sea level and leaves the town at 40 metres (130 ft) metres above sea level. At its height the top of the east and west of the valley is 80 metres (260 ft) metres above sea level. The western beacon is a hill that overlooks the town; its peak can be seen from almost anywhere in the town. It's 328 metres (1,080 ft) metres above sea level and 278 metres (910 ft) metres above the town. There is also an area of woodland called Longtimber woods to the north of the town, which attracts many walkers along its riverside path.

The geology of Ivybridge is varied. Throughout most of the town the rock is Old Red Sandstone (sedimentary) from the Devonian period.^[14] To the north of the town Granite can be found as it is situated on the slopes of Dartmoor – a large pre-volcanic area of Granite. Along the River Erme large boulders and rocks can be found deposited on its meandering path brought all the way from Dartmoor; the Ivy Bridge itself is made out of Granite.

River Erme at Ivybridge

The built environment in and around Ivybridge is mainly characterised by its suburban streets plans and houses, although in the centre of Ivybridge it’s mainly characterised by victorian buildings. From the centre of the town most buildings are terraced and now many of these buildings have been converted into retail outlets along Fore Street – the town’s central business district. In the middle layer of the town most buildings are semi-detached and built on quite steep roads. More detached houses are found on the outer layers of the city on the east and on the west of the town. Over the past decades the town has been shaped by its two most essential pieces of infrastructure: the railway line to the north and the A38 dual carriageway to the south. No large scaling housing has been built on either side of these boundaries. Due to this Ivybridge has been forced to grow east and west rather than north and south; it stretches approximately 1.76 miles (2.83 km) from east to west and 1 mile (1.6 km) from north to south.

[edit] Climate

Along with the rest of South West England, Ivybridge has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the British Isles. The annual mean temperature is approximately 11 °C (52 °F) and shows a seasonal and a diurnal variation, but due to the modifying effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the British Isles.^[15] February is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 3 °C (37 °F) and 4 °C (39 °F). July and August are the warmest months with mean daily maxima over 19 °C (66 °F).^[13]

South West England has a favoured location with respect to the Azores high pressure when it extends its influence north-eastwards towards the British Isles, particularly in summer. Coastal areas have average annual sunshine totals over 1,600 hours.^[15]

Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. The Atlantic depressions are more vigorous in autumn and winter and most of the rain which falls in those seasons in the south-west is from this source. Average annual rainfall is around 980 millimetres (39 in). The number of days with snow falling is typically less than ten per winter. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.^[15]

[edit] Demography

Ivybridge’s most recent census indicates that Ivybridge had a population of 12,056.^[3] The United Kingdom Census 2001 was carried out by the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales, on Sunday, 29 April, 2001.^[16] The next census to take place will be on 27 March.^[16] To put that figure into comparison with the area surrounding Ivybridge: it accounts for about 15% of the South Hams' total population (83,200) and it accounts for about 1% of Devon’s total population (1,122,100).^[1][17] The town has a median age of 36,^[18] which is below the national average of 39.9.^[19]

The ethnicity of Ivybridge is predominately white with 99.4% of the population identifying themselves as white. According to the 2001 census, there were 78 people in Ivybridge who identify themselves as belonging to a black and/or minority ethnic group. This is slightly lower than the local averages of the South Hams (0.9%) and Devon (1.1%), but much lower than the national average for England (9.1%).^[20]

[edit] Economy

Ivybridge's earliest known economy relied on the River Erme with a corn mill, tin mill and an edge mill in existance in the town. Later development of the town relied on both the River Erme and the railway, which was part of the Industrial Revolution of the United Kingdom The largest employer to the town during the Industrial Revolution was Stowford Paper Mill, which lead to population growth in the town. The paper mill is still in use today providing jobs for the town. With the expansion of the town in the late 20th century much of the new jobs are in the service sector of Industry. Due to the A38 Ivybridge's transport to nearby city Plymouth was made possible as a commuter route. As a result a lot of Ivybridge's work or "economy" is made in Plymouth and nearby towns. Ivybridge does still have some of its own industry with a small inustrial estate at the south of the town and very nearby an industrial estate just to the east at Lee Mill. There have been attempts to brand the town as a walking centre for southern Dartmoor. There is good access to Dartmoor from the town — one route follows the route of the old china clay railway to Redlake in the heart of the moor. The Two Moors Way, which crosses Dartmoor and Exmoor starts in Ivybridge and finishes in Lynmouth on the North Devon coast. The shopping area mainly of Fore Street provides some jobs and services for the town, although a lot of jobs come from much larger centres such as: the Tesco Extra superstore at Lee Mill and from Endsleigh Garden & Leisure. The town has six public houses: The Sportsmans, The Bridge, The Exchange, The Old Smithy, The Duke of Cornwall and The Imperial.

[edit] Landmarks

The Ivy Bridge

The town's natural landmark is Western Beacon; a hill that overlooks the town. Many people walk up there for the views of Ivybridge and the South Hams. The town's first manmade landmark is the Ivy Bridge; a 13th century hump-backed bridge covered in Ivy. It is still in use today and gives the name of the town – Ivybridge. The two remaining industrial landmarks of the town are the Viaduct over the River Erme and the Paper Mill. They were key to the town's initial growth in the Industrial Revolution and are still importance to the town today. In the centre of the town a war memorial was constructed ,and each year on Remembrance Day the town holds a ceremony to those who lost their lives. The modern landmark of the town (The Watermark) began construction in 2007 and was completed in March 2008 at a cost of £1.4 million.^[21] It is a library and resource centre for the town located opposite the town hall.

[edit] Transport

Facing west towards Plymouth at Ivybridge railway station.

Ivybridge has long been a staging post on the Exeter to Plymouth road dating back to the 13th century and the “Ivy Bridge” was the only way over the River Erme at the time. The bridge itself is still in use to this day taking cars (one-way) and pedestrians across the river. In 1819 a new bridge was built at the top of fore street (approximately 120 metres down the river). It is now used as a 2-way road across the river for vehicles and a separate pedestrian bridge lies alongside it. Another bridge (Marjorie Kelly Way/B3213) is situated at the bottom of Fore street. In 1974 the A38 road was opened linking Ivybridge to Plymouth and Exeter. It was the first major trunk road for Ivybridge and was bypassed at the B3213. The B3213 runs through the centre of Ivybridge and connects it to nearby hamlets: Bittaford and Wrangaton.

The first railway station at Ivybridge was not complete when the South Devon Railway was opened, but was brought into use six weeks later on 15 June 1848. The building was situated on the north side of the track, immediately to the west of Ivybridge Viaduct. Passenger trains were withdrawn on 2 March 1965. On 15 July, 1994 a new station was opened on a new site costing £380,000 to the far east of the town.^[22] It is operated by First Great Western who run links from Exeter to Cornwall. It also has several trains that go to London Waterloo run by South West Trains.

The town has a bus service (X80) to Plymouth, Totnes and Torquay run by first First Devon and Cornwall. Stagecoach operates an hourly route between Plymouth and Paignton, which includes Ivybridge as a primary stop.

[edit] Education

See also: List of schools in the South West of England

The town has six schools: Four state primary schools, the Dame Hannah Roger's special school, and Ivybridge Community College, the town's secondary state school, which has a sixth form. It has specialist status as a sports college and has recently been given awards in science and mathematics as well as languages.^[23] The school has a very large catchment area which stretches from Shaugh Prior on Dartmoor, to Bigbury on the coast and covers many of the villages in the South Hams such as Ugborough, Modbury and Yealmpton. There are no independent schools in Ivybridge, but Dame Hannah Rogers School provides a boarding education for children with disabilities and communication needs. The nearest university is the University of Plymouth. The town also has a youth centre. In 2008 a new library and resource centre called the Watermark was opened, replacing the small library on Keaton Road . There are two notable people from the community college. One being sports teacher Michaela Breeze who won a gold medal weightlifting in the 2002 Commonwealth Games for Wales and won another gold medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.^[24][25] The other being the school's principal - Geoffrey Rees who was given a CBE at Buckingham Palace, London for his services to education.^[26]

[edit] Religion

Ivybridge Evangelical Church

Ivybridge has six Christian churches: - St John's (Anglican) Church is the parish church situated to the west of the Ivy Bridge. Also there is a Baptist church a Methodist church and Ivybridge Congregational Church. On the western outskirts of the town is a Roman Catholic church and school - St Austin's Priory. The Salvation Army church is held in Chapel Place - the former town hall of Ivybridge.^[27]

In 2001 78.55% of the population stated that they were christian, 14.73% stated as no reigion and 6.33% did not state their religion. Furthermore there were a few people stating other religions - 0.07 (9 people) as muslim, 0.07% (8 people) stated as buddhist, 0.05% (6 people) as jewish, 0.02% (3 people) as hindu, 0 as sikh and 0.17 (21 people) as other religions.^[28]

[edit] Sports

Ivybridge playing fields

Each April the Ivybridge walking and outdoor festival takes place. There are various leisure facilities in the town: the South Dartmoor Leisure Centre features an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor swimming pool, an indoor sports hall, squash courts and gymnasium facilities. The South Devon Tennis Centre has four indoor and four outdoor courts. Next to the South Devon Tennis Centre are the Erme playing fields (Erme Valley) which hold a cricket field (with a practice net) and two football pitches. There is also a skatepark in the centre of the town and rugby pitches on the eastern outskirts of town at Ivybridge Rugby Football Club, a cricket team, and the Erme Valley Harriers (athletics and road running). The town's football team, called Ivybridge Town F.C., was founded in 1925 and play at region level in the South West Peninsula League.^[29]

[edit] Public services

Ivybridge Fire Station

South West Water supply the town with water and sewage services. South Hams District Council is responsible for waste management. The town's Distribution Network Operator is Western Power Distribution. Currently the town along with the rest of Devon relies on electricity generated further north from the national grid, although Langage Power Station in Plympton is due to start generating electricity for the town as early as December 2008.^[30] The town has two health centres: Ivybridge Health Centre and Highlands health centre, both located near the centre of the town.^[31] It also has three dentist surgeries: Victoria House Dental Surgery, M L Brown and Highland Street Dental Practice.^[32] Ivybridge is served by Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and the nearest hospital is Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust operates in Ivybridge and the rest of the south west; its headquarters are in Exeter. Devon and Cornwall Constabulary serve the town's policing matters and there is a small police station in the centre of the town. Ivybridge has one retained fire station (number 53) on the southern outskirts of town, which is in the west division of Devon as part of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. It has a Water Tender Ladder, Prime Mover, Environmental Pod and an Incident Support Unit. The fire station used to be closer to the centre of the town. There is also a youth centre in the centre of the town which has just recently been was opened in 2007.

[edit] See also

• List of civil parishes in Devon
• List of schools in the South West of England
• United Kingdom Census 2001

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• www.ivybridge.gov.uk, the website of Ivybridge Town Council.
• www.ivybridge.devon.sch.uk, Ivybridge Community College.
• www.ivybridge-devon.co.uk, Ivybridge community and visitor resource.
• www.stjohnsivybridge.btik.com, St. John the Evangelist anglican church website.
• www.burrows.co.uk/ivybridge/Images/11A.pdf, detailed map of Ivybridge.