Our rented cottage in Upcott near Dowland, Devonshire
The Tarka Trail went right past our cottage
The Tarka Trail is named after Tarka the Otter, a novel by Henry Williamson in the early 20th centry. The book is set along the River Torridge, which is only about a mile from our cottage.
Hot air balloon over the beautiful Torridge Valley
Great Torrington is a market town, and a hub for the villages nearby where my Brinsmead ancestors lived. It is also the site of an English Civil War battle in about 1645.
When arriving at Great Torrington, I parked at Sydney House Car Park. The view of the Torridge here is simply stunning... from the bluff or cliff on which Torrington is situated.
Some remnants of the original town wall & castle are seen here, but most was demolished in the last 4 centuries.
Next to the car park is the Tourist Centre and the 1646 cafe, where the servers dress in 17th century garb. The Tourist Centre is very helpful! They take cash only though. Torrington was a difficult place for a foreigner to pay--certain shops did not accept my card because all credit cards here must have a PIN. The car parks are cheap however... 2 hours was only £ 1.20.
The Pannier Market goes back to the Middle Ages, when people brought produce to sell in panniers, or large baskets carried on donkeys. Perhaps some of my Brinsmead relatives spent time in this market (when it looked a lot older).
The English flag is rarely flown in the United Kingdom, unless in support of the soccer team. It's called St. George's Flag, and it is the flag of England as opposed to the Union "Jack" which represents all parts of the U.K. such as Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
This is the little Torrington Museum staffed by volunteers who really love what they do. Most of what they have on display is from the 1800's and 1900's.
They do have some English Civil War mannequins representing the plight of people here in the mid-1600's. The warfare most definitely would have impacted my family in some way, although it is unknown at this time if it was direct or indirect.
A diagram of the Rolle Canal near the Torridge, showing its local importance.
A diorama representing some of the materials that were shipped down the canal.
St. Michael & All Angels Church, Great Torrington
The church was almost completely destroyed by an explosion of gunpowder stored in the building. This is the rebuilt church dating from the late 17th century.
This rockwork in front of the church entrance would have existed when my great x3 grandparents Henry Brinsmead and Charlotte Hancock were married (presumably here) in 1830 in Torrington, unless it was at the local Methodist church I found (not pictured here).
An intriguing tomb in the churchyard (not Brinsmead)
Directly across from the parish church is the road to the village of Weare Giffard, where Henry Brinsmead was born. It was there that I drove next, seeking to turn back time.
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