Residents asked to scour gardens for abbey artefacts

An appeal for citizen history detectives to investigate historic remains in their gardens has uncovered some monastic treasures.

Amateur historians are being asked to continue helping in a major project to bring alive the town’s former abbey by helping reveal the buried and destroyed remains to the public.

Some residents have been cutting back undergrowth and looking more closely at stone objects they previously took for granted for years. The appeal led some to grow more curious about the possibility they were formerly part of the huge abbey which used to dominate the town.

Tavistock Heritage Trust (which is represents local history groups) is now hoping more residents’ finds will add to the overall picture of the abbey for restoration, mapping and digitising for public viewing online under the Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey Project.

There are glimpses of the abbey throughout Tavistock and the overall project is designed to pull them all together, enabling people to appreciate its former grandeur which reflects its regional dominance and international importance. The project will include an archaeological dig for any resident wanting to dig into their town’s past.

David Conn, chair of the trust, said: “Walk through Tavistock and you are never far from the Abbey.

“Not the abbey on maps and history books, but that hidden in plain sight. It is built into garden walls, supporting flower beds, forming gateposts, lying unnoticed beside driveways and even disappearing into hedgerows. For nearly 500 years, the stones of Tavistock Abbey have quietly become part of the fabric of the town.

“Now, the Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey Project wants residents’ help finding them.

“Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, the great Benedictine Abbey was dismantled. Much of its finely carved granite was simply too valuable to waste. Local people reused it in their homes, gardens, walls and outbuildings, creating an extraordinary archaeological treasure hunt that continues today.”

For centuries, the remains of the once highly powerful and influential Benedictine Tavistock Abbey have only provided a few clues visible above ground.

Now historians and the town council want to reveal more of the remains to the public and involve them in uncovering their town’s greatest secret.

David added: “The project has already identified remarkable examples across the town. Beautiful medieval window tracery has been discovered into private gardens. Carved architectural fragments serve as seats and steps. Magnificent granite capitals, mouldings and columns have found entirely new lives supporting everyday buildings. Even a finely carved medieval face peers out from a modern wall, silently watching the centuries pass.

“Each discovery helps us piece together the story of one of the most important medieval monasteries in the South West.

“Every report, however small it may seem, helps build a picture of how the abbey was dispersed through Tavistock after the 16th century. Some stones may prove to be medieval. Others may tell us fascinating stories about later building traditions. Either way, every discovery adds another piece to Tavistock's remarkable story.”

Anyone with a possible abbey stone, or intriguing piece of carved granite, can contact the Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey Project, by sending a picture and emailing: [email protected]