THE first public meeting of the Friends of Tavistock Cemeteries appropriately took the form of a guided tour of Dolvin Road cemetery. The walk, on July 18, attracted more than 87 people of all ages, including children, and was led by Alex Mettler, a founder member of the Tavistock History Society. Mr Mettler has carried out extensive research on the cemetery and has published a number of articles and books on Tavistock history, some of which are available at the town museum. The cemetery covers 2.65 acres, granted by the Duke of Bedford between 1834 to 1844, and is divided into four areas: two non-conformist, one including cholera victims of 1849; a Quaker plot and Church of England. Opened in 1834, all four grounds were closed for new burials in 1882 with exceptions for local families with plots before that date. The cemetery has approximately 6,800 burials, the last being in 1971. One of the most notable tombs is that of Theophilus Jones from 1858, the architect of the Duke of Bedford, who designed Tavistock?s Bedford Cottages. The first burial was of Eliza Robjohns. The hour-long tour was enjoyed by all participants and may be repeated next year. It was organised by Brian Fyfield-Shayler and committee Paul Blower, Stephanie Blanchard and Ann Pulsford.