Dunsford

Dunsford
Dunsford
	The river Teign, as it passes through Dunsford Nature Reserve
	Dunsford Location within Devon
Population	688 [1]
OS grid reference	SX813892
District	Teignbridge;
Shire county	Devon;
Region	South West;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	EXETER
Postcode district	EX6
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Central Devon;
	List of places UK England Devon 50°41′24″N 3°40′55″W / 50.690°N 3.682°W

Dunsford is a village in Devon, England; it is located just inside the Dartmoor National Park. The hamlet of Butts is sited about one mile to the west; it generally considered to be part of the village, as is Reedy, which is a similar distance to the east.

History

The place name is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Dunesforda, meaning 'Dunn's ford'.^[1]

The village has a number of traditional thatched cottages; a primary school which has a swimming pool, climbing wall and sports field; one village shop and post office; a tea room and a public house. St Mary's Church, built between 1420 and 1455,^[2] is located in the village centre.

Dunsford Halt was a station on the Teign Valley Line from Exeter St Thomas to Heathfield station that served the village from 1928 to 1958.^[3]

Great Fulford House lies to the west of Dunsford; a Domesday manor which has been the home of the Fulford family since at least 1190. The present house was mainly built in the early 16th century and is a semi-fortified mansion house built round a central courtyard.^[4] It was the backdrop to the 2014 reality-television programme, Life Is Toff.

Geography

Dunsford Woods nature reserve is nearby, which is managed by Devon Wildlife Trust; it consists of 57 hectares of river valley woodland, heath-covered rocky slopes and fertile flood-plain scrub and grassland. It is known especially for its wild daffodils and six species of fritillary butterfly.

Events

Dunsford holds a village show at the beginning of July every year. Dunsford Amateur Dramatic Society (DADS) produces a pantomime in the village hall in early January. The villagers also hold an annual fancy dress pancake race in the streets.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p.154.
^ St Mary's Church guidebook, April 1992
^ Holman, Dave (17 May 2017). "Station name: Dunsford Halt". Disused-stations.org. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
^ Great Fulford House. Retrieved : 13 May 2010 Archived 24 December 2012 at archive.today

External links

[1] Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p.154.

[2] St Mary's Church guidebook, April 1992

[3] Holman, Dave (17 May 2017). "Station name: Dunsford Halt". Disused-stations.org. Retrieved 30 July 2024.

[4] Great Fulford House. Retrieved : 13 May 2010 Archived 24 December 2012 at archive.today

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