About

Situated at the historic Court Gate in the centre of Tavistock, Tavistock Museum is a delightful community hub that celebrates the area’s rich history and centuries of local tradition.

Tavistock Museum started life in 1986, on the ground floor of the Tavistock Town Council offices on Drake Road. In 2003, the museum moved to its present location above the historic Court Gate, providing a functional use for one of Tavistock’s oldest and most important buildings. In 2006, the museum extended into the adjoining cottage.

Browsing the exhibits, you’ll take a trip into the rich history of Tavistock and the surrounding area. The museum has been gifted many items over the years, including a significant collection of objects presented by Tavistock Town Council.

The collections feature items relating to agriculture, mining and education. In 2006, the museum became an Area Centre for the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site. Visitors can explore mining equipment on display, as well as a collection of local minerals, giving visitors a chance to see rocks taken from specific mines in the local area.

At Tavistock Museum you can also view an intriguing collection of railway memorabilia, made even more interesting by the fact that the town no longer has any rail links whatsoever. Up until a little over fifty years ago however, Tavistock had two railway stations.  The first, Tavistock North, opened in June of 1890 and was on the Southern Railway route, with trains coming from Plymouth, through Bere Alston to Tavistock, before heading on to Okehampton, Exeter and finally London Waterloo.

The second, which became known as Tavistock South, following nationalisation in 1948, was on the Great Western Railway route from Marsh Mills in Plymouth, through Yelverton and Horrabridge, to Tavistock and then on to Ledford and Launceston. By 1970, both lines had closed, leaving remnants such as the distinct Tavistock North totem sign behind to be featured in the modern-day museum. These items now serve as a memory linking the town to the golden age of railway, stretching from the late 19th Century to the 1960s.

Home to a wide span of fascinating stories from tales of Tavistock’s lost Medieval abbey to memories of visiting American GI’s, Tavistock Museum provides a detailed retelling of history that will be sure to fascinate the whole family.