Tiverton North Devon

Few buildings evoke such an immediate feeling of history as Tiverton Castle, originally built in 1106 by Richard de Redvers on orders of Henry I. The de Redvers were the first Earls of Devon and when the line died out in 1293 they were succeeded as Earls by the Courtenays, who rebuilt and enlarged the Castle, and they regarded it as their "head and chief mansion". In 1495 Princess Katherine Plantagenet married William Courtenay, who became Earl of Devon. She died in 1527 and was buried in St. Peter's Church. Unfortunately for the Courtenays this royal marriage led to their eventual downfall in that turbulent age, and the senior line died out in 1556, and the Castle subsequently had various owners down the ages. During the English Civil War the Castle was besieged by Fairfax in 1645, and fell to him due to a lucky shot hitting a drawbridge chain. There is a fine collection of Civil War arms and armour, some pieces of which can be tried on. Nowadays the Castle is a peaceful, private house, and the buildings, furnishings and exhibits reflect the colourful history and development. With continuing conservation in the Castle and beautiful walled gardens there is always something new and interesting to see. More images below. Subsequent visits have resulted in a few additional images below.

Town Centre	1907 Clock Tower	River	Market Place
Castle Street	Parish Church	13th C Tower
Castle from road	Parish Church	Side facing Church	Castle Main Entrance
Castle	Leading to Castle & Church	Town Centre - Library	River Exe
Lever's soap container in Museum	Museum of social, agricultural, transport and local history	Tiverton is a busy mid Devon market town situated north of Exeter on the A396. Standing on two rivers, the Lowman and the Exe, Tiverton once used this as a source of power for its woollen industry. Much of Tiverton now centres on the Heathcoat lace factory, which has been in operation since 1816.

Shire horses	Shire horses	Shire horses	Sunset over Tiverton
Tiverton Street	Tiverton Museum	Steam Loco in Tiverton Museum	Steam Loco
GWR Notice	Steam Loco	Model "Rocket"	Steam Loco
Steam Loco	Steam Loco	Steam Loco	24 May 2006 Very Wet & Cold
25 May 2006 - rain gone, dry & warm	Medieval School 31 May 06		River Exe
St Peters	St Peters (3)	Carving of a Galleon on Church (1)	Tiverton Castle behind churchyard
Monkey? Carving	close up	17th C Organ (2)	Medieval woodwork
Lord of ye Manor	14th C Chest	Grand Western Canal	midges over the canal
ducklings on canal	and again	Swan & Cygnets	Swan & Cygnets
Both Swans	Halberton	Halberton	Bedding down
Sunset over the fields	Moon

(1) The Greenway Chapel and the Porch, both built by John Greenway in 1517. He, and some of his fellow merchants, also rebuilt the South Aisle. The outside of the chapel is richly carved. The remarkable frieze of ships depicts the armed merchantmen or galliasses of that period, in which Greenway and other members of the Merchant Adventurers' Company transported their goods. Above the ships, along the second string course, are twenty-one scenes from the Life of Christ. They are now badly weathered. The principal figures all face the spectator, suggesting that these are representations of scenes from miracle plays.

(2) The Organ, built by Christian Schmidt. It was placed in St. Peter's in 1696 in spite of strong opposition from those with puritanical leanings. It was completely rebuilt in 1867 by Henry Willis of London, but many of the old pipes with other material were re-used and the original case has survived. The carving is of the school of Grinling Gibbons. It was on this organ that the 'Wedding March' was first played, at the wedding of Thomas Daniel and Dorothea Carew in 1847. The adaptation, from Mendelssohn's Incidental Music for a Midsummer Night's Dream, gradually became popular, and virtually every bride started using it after it was played at the wedding of the Princess Royal in 1858.

(3) The Tower, 99 feet high, probably dates from the early years of the 15th century. It is a fine example of a type common in Somerset and Devon.

In the Mediaeval period St. Peter's was a Collegiate church. That is to say the parish, which then covered a wide area (country as well as town), was served by a college of priests. It was divided into four portions, each with its own Rector - a system that lasted until 1889. The Earls of Devon held the patronage of three portions and the Priory of St. James in Exeter had the fourth. The church at this time was dominated by the adjoining castle, which was occupied by the Earls of Devon. In the 15th century, a chapel was built by the Courtenay family, the holders of both the Earldom and the castle, to enshrine their magnificent tombs; but nothing now remains of it. It was despoiled at the Reformation and finally destroyed during the Civil War. With the exception of the Norman doorway, the oldest parts of the existing church are the Tower and the Chancel arch, both 15th century. There is documentary evidence to show that after a period of great neglect the church was largely rebuilt between 1412 and 1429. A century later, when the wool trade was bringing prosperity to the town, John Greenway added his splendid chantry chapel and carved porch.