Buckfast

Buckfast Abbey forms part of an active Benedictine monastery at Buckfast, near Buckfastleigh, Devon, England. Buckfast first became home to an abbey in 1018. The first Benedictine abbey was followed by a Savignac, later Cistercian, abbey constructed on the site of the current abbey in 1134. The monastery was surrendered for dissolution in 1539, with the monastic buildings stripped and left as ruins, before being demolished. The former abbey site was used as a quarry, and later became home to a Gothic mansion house. In 1882 the site was purchased by a group of French Benedictine monks, who refounded a monastery on the site, dedicated to Saint Mary. New monastic buildings and a temporary church were constructed incorporating the existing Gothic house. Buckfast was formally reinstated as an Abbey in 1902. The first abbot of the new institution, Boniface Natter, was blessed in 1903. Work on a new abbey church, which was constructed mostly on the footprint of the former Cistercian abbey, started in 1907. The church was consecrated in 1932 but not completed until 1938. The abbey continues to operate as a Benedictine foundation today, and is a registered charity under English law. As of 2020, the abbey has 13 monks.

Bakers Pit is a phreatic maze cave system near Buckfastleigh, Devon, England. It was first opened in 1847 by quarrying activities.Bakers Pit is entered via a vertical descent of 16 metres. It has 3.631 kilometres (2.256 mi) of passage contained within an area of 4 hectares (9.9 acres) and a small stream, flowing to the River Dart, that is still actively developing the cave. It was once connected to Reeds cave, however, only "voice" connection is currently possible, and only in a few locations. Connections between the two systems have been filled in with concrete to protect the beautiful formations in the Reeds cave.The cave was much frequented between the wars by local people during which time many of the calcite formations were destroyed, although some formations have now naturally regenerated. In the early 1960s an upper series was discovered significantly extending the known cave by as much as 50 per cent by climbing a vertical slot in the roof. This extension is better known as the Plymouth Extension and this area contains some of the best examples of formations due to its difficult access of squeezes and climbs. This upper series once went up to the surface but for conservation this has been sealed off with an emergency plan in place in case of rescue from this upper series..

Joint Mitnor Cave, also known as Bone Cave, is a limestone cave situated in the now disused Higher Kiln Quarry near Buckfastleigh, in Devon, England. The cave is one of a number at the quarry and in the surrounding area, and is managed by the Pengelly Trust.

Reed's cave is a cave in Higher Kiln Quarry near Buckfastleigh, Dartmoor, Devon. It has many formations including the unique Little Man formation, which is beyond Easter Chamber. Devon's only true troglobite collembolan Pseudosinella dobati is recorded from this cave. People are generally not allowed to enter Reed's Cave, but some entries are permitted during the summer months. Reed's Cave was once connected to Bakers pit but the connection has been filled in with concrete. Because of entry restrictions, the cave has become an important roosting site for Greater Horseshoe Bats.

Buckfastleigh is a market town and civil parish in Devon, England situated beside the Devon Expressway (A38) at the edge of the Dartmoor National Park. It is part of Teignbridge and, for ecclesiastical purposes, lies within the Totnes Deanery. It is 18 miles (29 km) east-northeast of Plymouth, 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Exeter and has a population of 3,661. It is a centre of tourism and is home to Buckfast Abbey, the South Devon Railway, the Buckfastleigh Butterfly Farm and Otter Sanctuary, the Tomb of Squire Richard Cabell and The Valiant Soldier. With 13 letters, Buckfastleigh is one of the longest place names in England with no repeated letters, tied with Buslingthorpe, Leeds and Buslingthorpe, Lincolnshire, but exceeded by Bricklehampton in Worcestershire with 14 letters.

Buckfastleigh railway station is situated on the South Devon Railway, a heritage railway in Devon, England. It serves the town of Buckfastleigh.

Pridhamsleigh Cavern is a cave on the outskirts of Ashburton, Devon, England. It is approximately 1.1 kilometres in length with a total depth of just over 50 metres including Prid II. Pridhamsleigh is a good site for novice cavers, making it quite muddy throughout. It has a large variety of passages which lends itself to longer explorations. Due to the nature of the connecting and unconnecting overlapping phreatic passages in the cave, surveys (maps) of the cave are hard to interpret. The cave contains 'Bishops Chamber', a wide chamber close to the entrance from where most routes lead, and 'The Lake'. This elongated pool is over 100 feet deep. In the early 1970s divers with SCUBA gear discovered, at a depth of about 80 feet, a window into second partially air-filled chamber, with no passages leading off it. This chamber is the biggest in Devon and is named Gerry's Chamber after its discoverer, the late Gerry Pritchard. An accurate, hand-drawn, plan of the cave is held in the reference section of Plymouth Library. Although not requiring great skill to explore, the cave is quite complex, there being three distinct routes from 'Bishop's Chamber' to the lake. First-timers should note their route carefully as it is easy to get disorientated. The cave is the type locality for the 3mm-long, blind white cave shrimp endemic to the south-west of England, Niphargus glenniei (Spooner, 1952).

The River Mardle is a tributary of the River Dart in Devon, England. It rises on Holne Moor on Dartmoor and flows in a generally south-easterly direction. It forms a short part of the boundary of Dartmoor National Park near its confluence with Snowdon Brook and Chalk Ford, where it is crossed by the Two Moors Way. After this, it flows through Scae Wood and then farmland until it reaches the town of Buckfastleigh where it passes under the A38 road and the South Devon Railway to meet the River Dart near Buckfastleigh railway station.

Hembury Castle is an Iron Age hillfort about a mile north-west of the village of Buckfast on the south-eastern edge of Dartmoor in Devon, England (grid reference SX726684). The fort is about 178 metres above sea level on a promontory between the River Dart on the east and the Holy Brook, south-west. The slope down to the River Dart is very steep and is covered by Hembury Woods which is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest.The fort is said to cover about seven acres and it is surrounded by a prominent rampart and ditch. It is one of several Iron Age forts on the eastern edge of Dartmoor, others include Holne Chase Castle, Wooston Castle, Cranbrook Castle and Prestonbury Castle. Inside the fort, on the western side, is an 11th- or 12th-century motte with a surrounding narrow inner bailey. The ramparts of the earlier hillfort may have been used as the outer bailey of the castle. The entire site has legal protection as a scheduled monument.The first documentary reference to Hembury Castle is in the 13th-century cartulary of nearby Buckfast Abbey, where it is referred to as vetus castellum quod dicitur Hembire. The name probably derives from Old English hean byrig, "at the high burh".A legend relates that the fort was held by the Danes, but it was taken from them by a stratagem. Some local women allowed themselves to be captured by the Danes and taken into the fort, but in the night when their captors were in a drunken sleep, the women rose, killed them and let in their countrymen.

Holne Bridge is a Grade II* listed medieval bridge over the River Dart, Dartmoor, Devon, England. It is on the road between Ashburton and Two Bridges, about 1.5 miles or 2.5 km from Ashburton, and connects Holne Chase to Ausewell. The narrowness of both this bridge and nearby New Bridge means that the length and width of vehicles on this road are restricted.The bridge is constructed of local granite and has four arches, three of which are semicircular, the other segmental. It was rebuilt in 1413, at the same time as the building of the nearby New Bridge. The two central pillars have cutwaters on both sides; on the north side of the bridge these extend up to road level and provide triangular refuges for pedestrians.

Ashburton Town Hall is a municipal building in the North Street, Ashburton, Devon, England. The town hall, which is the meeting place of Ashburton Town Council, is a Grade II listed building.

Ashburton railway station is a closed railway station situated in the town of Ashburton in Devon, England. It was the terminus of a branch line from Totnes.