Dartmoor: Buckfast Abb.
 Abbeys |
In 1018 a Cistercian monastery was built on the site of the present abbey and flourished, particularly during the medieval period, until the Dissolution in 1539. Benedictine monks discovered the ruined medieval foundations in 1882 and early in the 20 th cent took up the challenge of rebuilding monastery and church. The Buckfast Abbey project became one of the wonders of the 20 th cent, especially when one considers that this magnificent cathedral-size Abbey Church was built in just 30 years between 1906-37. Most remarkably, this enormous task was undertaken by just four monks, only one of whom had any prior experience of masonry work. The abbey has been recreated employing an austere mix of Early English and Norman architectural styles. Not everything is new however, large parts of the medieval fabric of the South and North Gates have survived and been restored, the enormous Guest Hall has also been renovated and is now employed as an exhibition area.
Today, a community of 42 monks fulfils a life of prayer, work and study, not too different from their medieval counterparts, and similarly, they maintain self-sufficiency by means of various commercial enterprises. Benedictine honey and the famous Buckfast Tonic Wine are among the products on sale at the Abbey shops. Among apiarists the name Buckfast is world famous, thanks largely to the pioneering work of Brother Adam who has devoted over 70 years to beekeeping at the Abbey, including the breeding of a new kind of disease resistant bee. A further important source of income for the Abbey results from their expertise in stained glass windows. During the past fifty years three of the monks have designed and made windows for over 150 churches, in addition to private commissions; to sample their skills witness the abbey windows, especially the wonderful East Window.
Situated a little to the south of the abbey, nestling in a lush wooded valley, is Buckfastleigh. This is an old market town once specialising in wool, but now lending itself more as a visitor centre from which tourists can visit places of interest standing on the periphery of the town, such as Buckfast Abbey. The local station is home to the South Devon Valley Railway, a gloriously nostalgic steam line, privately run along a scenic seven-mile stretch following beside the River Dart as far as Totnes. The station site is shared by the exotic Buckfast Butterfly Farm and the splendidly noble Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary; both being serious conservation projects. More animals are on show at Pennywell, an eighty-acre farm and wildlife centre lying a mile to the south of the abbey.
North of Buckfast Abbey is Ashburton, with a population of 3500 the largest town in the Dartmoor National Park. Like Bovey Tracey and Buckfastleigh, Ashburton stands on the very easterly fringes of the giant moor; also like Bovey Tracey it makes claims of its own to be the Gateway to Dartmoor. An attractive, well-to-do market town, it is situated on a steep hill, its streets lined with old inns, well-cared-for shops, prosperous looking Georgian Houses, and Regency villas. The most important building is the 15 th cent church, a fine monument to the profits of tin and cloth for which Ashburton was once renowned. During the tin boom in the medieval period, the town was one of Devon's four prestigious Stannary Towns - ‘stannary' simply means tin, brought by miners to be weighed, assayed and given the King's Stamp of approval. Although visitors pass through Ashburton, stopping to admire the many inns and antique shops, the town has never adopted a tourist culture as a result of which it maintains a relaxed atmosphere free from the ‘hard-sell'. The main attraction in this area is the River Dart Country Park, lying to the west of town, with its beautiful woodland and riverside walks, the adventure playground and the cool refreshing waters of the lake.