Ivybridge

Ivybridge is a small town and civil parish in the South Hams, in Devon, England. It lies about 9 mi 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 12,056.

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. Ivybridge became a civil 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 led to an increase in housing nearby. The paper mill, now French owned, still provides local jobs. Although occasionally referred to as a dormitory town, many people work in the town itself, and agriculture continues to play an economic role for Ivybridge's hinterland. The area surrounding Ivybridge is almost completely farmland.

When heavy industry diminished during the latter half of the 20th century, the population has boomed (400% in 30 years) from 1,574 people in 1921 to 12,056 in 2001.

History
The name Ivybridge is derived from a small 13th-century hump-backed bridge of the same name. Apart from swimming, 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. 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.

The first mention of settlement in Ivybridge was the manor of Stowford in the Domesday Book of 1086. 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." There was a chapel, that was on the site of Saint John's church, since 1402. 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. 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. 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. Throughout the 1980s and 90s it underwent a period of rapid growth, perhaps 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.

Governance
Ivybridge is represented by five tiers of elected government.

5 Ivybridge Town Council forms the lowest tier of governance whose statutory role is to communicate local opinion to local and central government.

4 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.

3 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 service trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. 2 The Parliament of the United Kingdom is responsible for matters such as education, health and justice.

1 The highest elected authority is the European Parliament in Brussels.

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). The current mayor is Councillor Trevor Parsons who was appointed in 2011. In 2007 Ivybridge town council won the Aon/NALC (National Association of Local Councils) Council of the Year. 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 mi north; Ugborough - 2.5 mi east; Ermington - 2 mi south and Cornwood - 3 mi northwest. 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. 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 formerly an SDP politician, but now a member of the Conservative party who held 56% of the votes at the last election. The town’s three wards are each used for voting at the local elections and general elections.

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. Shown below is a table of all the towns that Ivybridge holds international links with:

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 mi from London, 10 mi from Totnes and 28 mi 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 m metres above sea level and leaves the town at 40 m metres above sea level. At its height the top of the east and west of the valley is 80 m 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 m metres above sea level and 278 m 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. 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.

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 mi from east to west and 1 mi from north to south.

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 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. February is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between 3 °C and 4 °C. July and August are the warmest months with mean daily maxima over 19 °C.

The climate of 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.

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 mm. 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 and, as a result, the air quality in Ivybridge may be reduced by the (proposed) construction of an incinerator southwest of the town (at the New England Quarry) with possible implications for health.

Demography
Ivybridge’s most recent census indicates that Ivybridge had a population of 12,056. The United Kingdom Census 2001 was carried out by the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales, on Sunday, 29 April 2001. The next census to take place will be on 27 March. 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). The town has a median age of 36, which is below the national average of 39.9.

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 (0.65%). This is slightly lower than the local averages of the South Hams (0.9%) and Devon (1.1%), and much lower than the national average for England (9.1%).

Economy
Ivybridge's earliest known economy relied on the River Erme with a corn mill, tin mill and an edge mill in existence 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 led 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 industrial 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. For example, one route follows the route of the old china clay railway to Redlake in the heart of the moor, another glides delightfully by the Erme through Longtimber Woods. There are other accesses to 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 is mainly along Fore Street and Glanvilles Mill and provides many jobs and services for the town, although the local schools combine to be biggest employers. There are some out of town jobs at the Tesco Extra superstore at Lee Mill and Endsleigh Garden & Leisure. The town has six traditional public houses: The Sportsmans, The Bridge, The Exchange, The Old Smithy, The Duke of Cornwall and The Imperial.

Landmarks
The town's natural landmark is Western Beacon; a hill that overlooks the town. 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. The original viaduct was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1848, only the granite piers remain. The operational line alongside was built by Sir James Charles Inglis in 1893 for the Great Western Railway. It still carries the main line trains. 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, in recent years another memorial has also been built nearby commemorating the lives of American servicemen stationed in and near the town in 1944.

The Watermark
See The Watermark Website for more info

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.

The building is located on the North side of Erme Court opposite the town hall and houses: On the ground floor, an Information Centre, Library, Coffee Shop and IT Training facility; On the first floor, some large function rooms which are available for hire and are also used as a Cinema; On the second floor, 15 small office units forming an Innovation Centre for small-business startups. These offices are part of the South West Innovation Centres and are managed by the Torbay Development Agency.

In 2012 The Watermark launched an exciting new Cinema Partnership with Curzon Cinemas, bringing a new era of varied and exciting programming for the Watermark & further improving the towns entertainment venue.

Transport
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 1-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 the nearby villages of 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. It is operated by First Great Western who run links to London Paddington, and 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.

Shopping
The shopping area is mainly along Fore Street, with some small shops and restaurants situated in the Glanvilles Mill shopping centre which is accessable from Fore Street. The shopping centre contains over 35 shops including Ivybridge's No.1 ranked restaurant The Riverbank, Dame Hannah Rogers' charity shop, a post office, a hair salon, several estate agents and a Warrens Bakery. The town's closest superstore is a Tesco Extra in the neighbouring village of Lee Mill. There is also a Garden and Leisure outlet known as Endsleigh just outside the town.

Education
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. 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. The other being the school's principal - Geoffrey Rees now retired, who was given a CBE at Buckingham Palace, London for his services to education.

Religion
Ivybridge has six churches. St John's Church (Anglican) is the parish church situated near the Ivy Bridge. There is also 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 currently held at Ivybridge Methodist Church, however it was formerly held in Chapel Place.

In 2001, 78.55% of the population stated that they were Christian, 14.73% stated as no religion 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.

Sports
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. The town's flat green bowls club is situated at the end of Bridge Park.

Public services
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. The town has two health centres: Ivybridge Health Centre and Highlands health centre, both located near the centre of the town. It also has three dentist surgeries: Victoria House Dental Surgery, M L Brown and Highland Street Dental Practice. 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.