These views of Ashburton’s centre give a good idea of how old the town is despite the shops meeting modern needs. Perhaps the town is fortunate in that there is no large supermarket here and so the shopping centre continues to thrive.
ASHBURTON
Today, the town of Ashburton would be described by most as being a rather sleepy place where there is little sign of the hustle and bustle of modern life. This may be true today but it is still the largest town on Darmoor and it’s past was somewhat different. Mentioned in the Domesday book and later a Stannary Town (where tin was brought to be weighed, tested and, of course, taxed) it was on the main road from Exeter to Plymouth. It was not only tin that passed through the town but also sheep and wool for it was one of the most important markets on the south edge of Dartmoor.
If you enter Ashburton from Pear Tree Cross to the west you are on the old road down which the coaches travelled on their way from Plymouth to Exeter. It continued to be the main road until the new dual carriageway A30 was opened when, almost overnight, the town was able to regain some of its soul. Before then this road was often jammed with cars and caravans all going nowhere.
As you drop down the road into the town you will pass these two on your right. St Andrews is actually a very imposing church with a tall tower but who can be totally unmoved by the Methodist Chapel built at a time when the non-conformist church in the west country was very much alive and well. You can almost feel the congregation bursting with pride when this building was opened and it certainly stands as a monument to the wealth of the town in the middle of the nineteenth century.
The River Ashburn is quite small as it runs through the town unless swollen by recent rain. It is a tributary of the Dart. The picture to the right shows what a jumble the town is with new and old jostling for space. The house in the foreground is typical of the area with its slate hung wall.