North Devon

GREAT TORRINGTON

RHS Garden Rosemoor - Photo: Adrian Beaumont

Set high above rolling countryside, Great Torrington lies on the banks of the River Torridge and is noted for its festivals and historic re-enactments.

The Town Hall, rebuilt in 1860, still has the original yard known as the Shambles and is the town's volunteer-run museum.

In 1646 The Battle of Torrington was the last major conflict of the English Civil War when the ‘cavalier’ town was taken by roundheads.

Up to 200 prisoners were kept in a local church but it blew up, killing all inside, and had to be rebuilt a few years later.



RHS Garden Rosemoor, just a mile outside the town, was the Royal Horticultural Society’s first regional centre.



Its garden has over 200 rose varieties.

River Torridge - Photo: Ian West