A PROJECT focusing on Tavistock's history is about to enter an exciting new phase where everyone will be able to contribute their own pieces of history to a website.

At the heart of the Tavistock 1752 project by Tavistock Forward are four 18th century maps, one of which shows the town in immense detail. The remaining three cover the surrounding parish of Tavistock, extending from the edge of Peter Tavy down to Morwellham Quay.

Simon Thompson, who is managing the project, said: 'I first became interested in these maps in 2005 when I was doing an archaeological investigation on a development of new apartments behind the Ordulph Arms.

'I felt the maps deserved a much wider audience than the few scholars who knew about them, and, with the backing of the town council, Bedford Estates and Devon Record Office, we managed to get funding from Awards for All to digitise them and put them on the web.'

Chris Hair, who is overseeing the website development, said: 'What we are now setting out to do is to create a wiki — a collaborative website set up to allow user editing and adding of content — so that people can add their own bits of history relating to specific areas and buildings in Tavistock.

'We are holding the first workshop later this month to let people know what it's about and how to use it. Our initial focus is on the town centre and documents relating directly to the maps. In time, and depending on public response and funding, we would like to cover the whole parish.'

Chairman of Tavistock Forward John Taylor said: 'We have already received some funding from the Tamar Valley Service and have had discussions with them about developing the project further.

'Right across the country there is great interest in making these types of maps readily available to the public, and in Tavistock we are particularly fortunate in the antiquity, scale and quality of our historic maps.'

He said they tied in with Tavistock's World Heritage designation and would provide a fantastic resource for everyone living in the area.

In the next few weeks, with the help of the Tavistock Library, a number of presentations for primary and secondary schools are being arranged and once the website goes live the maps will be available to anyone with internet access.

The workshop is being held at Tavistock Library on May 27 from 7pm to 9pm.

Anyone interested in attending should first book a (free) place by calling the library on 01822 612218.