Ivybridge is a town and civil parish in the South Hams, in Devon, England. It lies about east of Plymouth. It is at the southern extremity of Dartmoor, a National Park of England and Wales and lies along the A38 "Devon Expressway" road. There are two electoral wards in Ivybridge East and Ivybridge West with a total population of 11,851.
Mentioned in documents as early as the 13th century, Ivybridge's early history is marked by its status as an important crossing-point over the River Erme on the road from Exeter to Plymouth. In the 16th century mills were built using the River Erme's power. The parish of Saint John was formed in 1836. Ivybridge became a civil parish in 1894 and a town in 1977.
The early urbanisation and development of Ivybridge largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution. Stowford Paper Mill was built in 1787 and rebuilt again in the 1860s with extensive investment. In 1848 the South Devon Railway arrived on the northern edge of the village. The paper mill closed in 2013 after 226 years in Ivybridge and the buildings are being converted to homes and shops.Ivybridge Heritage Ivybridge is often referred to as a commuter town, although a small proportion of people work in the town itself, and agriculture continues to play an economic role for the surrounding area. The area surrounding Ivybridge is varied and complex, including river valleys, farmland and dense woodland.
While heavy industry diminished during the latter half of the 20th century, the population grew significantly from 1,574 people in 1921 to 12,056 in 2001.
History
The name Ivybridge is derived from a small 13th century hump-backed bridge of the same name. The Ivy Bridge was the only means of crossing the river until the 1830s although plans were put forward in 1819. "Ivy" was used to describe the bridge, because there was ivy growing along the bridge. As the bridge was the centre of the village and important to its very existence, it was named the "parish of Ivybridge" in 1894.
The first mention of a settlement in the Ivybridge area was the manor of Stowford in the Domesday Book of 1086. Although the first mention of Ivybridge came in 1280 when it was described as "dowry of land on the west side of the River Erme, by the Ivy Bridge." There was once a chapel, that was on the site of present-day Saint John's Church, originating from 1402. From the 16th century onwards mills were built in the town, harnessing the power of the river. Records show that in the 16th century there was a corn mill, a tin mill and an edge mill. One of the mills, 'Glanville's Mill' (a corn mill), was situated where many of the town shops are today and gives its name to the shopping centre. The first church (Saint John's) was built in 1790 as a chapel of ease, but 45 years later in 1835 it was consecrated as a district church. The oldest burial in St John's church yard is from 1836. In the 1830s the Ivy Bridge lost its position as the only means of crossing the river when the 'New Bridge' was built joining Fore Street and Exeter Road. Today, this bridge has been modernised so as to carry the increased weight and traffic of the 21st century. Stowford Mill is depicted on a commemorative coin produced for the town of Ivybridge by Bigbury Mint Ltd, based in Ermington near the town. The 25 mm diameter coin also features the town's viaduct which stands at an impressive 104 feet high. The coin was first struck circa 2005 by Bigbury Mint.
In 1977 Ivybridge became a town. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s it underwent a period of rapid growth and was designated as the fastest growing town in Europe, the construction of the A38 "Devon Expressway" adjacent to the town significantly contributed to the town growth during this period.
Governance
Ivybridge is represented by five tiers of elected government.
Ivybridge Town Council forms the lowest tier of local government. Ivybridge town council consists of sixteen council members who are elected from two wards, Ivybridge East and Ivybridge West. The council members are elected every four years and a town mayor is elected every year by the town council members. The town council is responsible for the provision of a number of local services including the management of parks, open spaces, cemeteries and allotments. A committee of the town council reviews all planning applications and makes recommendations to the District Council, which is the planning authority for the town. The town council also represents the views of the town on issues such as local transport, policing and the environment. The town council raises its own tax to pay for these services, known as the parish precept, which is collected as part of the Council Tax. The old town hall in Chapel Place is close to the centre of the town, while the new town hall is at Erme Court. The next tier is South Hams District Council. They take care of matters such as local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks and tourism. The next tier is Devon County Council, who take care of matters such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire service, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. The Parliament of the United Kingdom is responsible for matters such as education, health and justice.
The town is divided into two wards: Ivybridge East (the half of the parish lying east of the River Erme, plus some of the town's eastward expansion into Ugborough parish) and Ivybridge West (the half of the parish west of the river).
Until 1894, Ivybridge was made up of four neighbouring parishes: Harford – north; Ugborough – east; Ermington – south; and Cornwood – northwest. All the parishes' boundaries met at the Ivy Bridge. In 1836 the parish of Saint John was formed (the name of the church at the time, which was dedicated to John the Evangelist). The parish represented the small central area of present-day Ivybridge. In 1894, St John's became a parish church for the newly created parish of Ivybridge. 83 years later the village and civil parish of Ivybridge became a town in 1977. Its local government district has been the South Hams since 1 April 1974.
For Westminster elections, the town forms part of the county constituency of South West Devon. The seat has been held since 2024 by Rebecca Smith for the Conservatives, having previously been held by Gary Streeter for the Conservatives since its creation from Plymouth Sutton and South Hams in 1997.
International links Ivybridge's first official twinning was with Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives in 1972, before Ivybridge became a town. Since then, it has developed unofficial town twinnings (exchanges) and friendship treaties:
: Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives, Lower Normandy, since 1972 : Beverungen, North Rhine-Westphalia, since 1975 (then in West Germany) : Bedford, Virginia, since 2004
Geography At coordinates Ivybridge is situated deep in the south western peninsula of England, Ivybridge is from London, from Totnes and from Exeter. The main road in and out of the town (the A38) allows fast access to its nearby city Plymouth for many of Ivybridge's commuters.
The topography of Ivybridge is generally hilly. This is because of the River Erme which flows right through the centre of town. To the east and to the west of the river the land is elevated forming a valley. The river first enters the town at above sea level and leaves the town at above sea level. At its height the top of the east and west of the valley is above sea level. The western beacon is a hill that overlooks the town; its peak can be seen from almost anywhere in the town. It is above sea level and above the town. There is also an area of woodland called Longtimber Woods to the north of the town, which attracts many walkers along its riverside path.
The geology of Ivybridge is varied. Throughout most of the town the rock is Old Red Sandstone (correction:this should read ‘heat-altered slates), (sedimentary) from the Devonian period. To the north of the town Granite can be found as it is situated on the slopes of Dartmoor – a large pre-volcanic area of Granite. Along the River Erme large boulders and rocks can be found deposited on its meandering path brought all the way from Dartmoor; the Ivy Bridge itself is made out of Granite.
The built environment in and around Ivybridge is mainly characterised by its suburban streets plans and houses, although in the centre of Ivybridge it's mainly characterised by Victorian buildings. From the centre of the town most buildings are terraced and now many of these buildings have been converted into retail outlets along Fore Street – the town's central business district. In the middle layer of the town most buildings are semi-detached and built on quite steep roads. More detached houses are found on the outer layers of the city on the east and on the west of the town. Over the past decades the town has been shaped by its two most essential pieces of infrastructure: the railway line to the north and the A38 dual carriageway to the south. No large scaling housing has been built on either side of these boundaries. Due to this Ivybridge has been forced to grow east and west rather than north and south; it stretches approximately from east to west and from north to south.
Climate
Along with the rest of South West England, Ivybridge has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the British Isles. The annual mean temperature is approximately and shows a seasonal and a diurnal variation, but due to the modifying effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the British Isles. February is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between and . July and August are the warmest months with mean daily maxima over .
The climate of South West England has a favoured location with respect to the Azores high pressure when it extends its influence north-eastwards towards the British Isles, particularly in summer. Coastal areas have average annual sunshine totals over 1,600 hours.
Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic depressions or with convection. The Atlantic depressions are more vigorous in autumn and winter and most of the rain which falls in those seasons in the south-west is from this source. Average annual rainfall is around . The number of days with snow falling is typically less than ten per winter. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west and, as a result, the air quality in Ivybridge may be reduced by the (proposed) construction of an incinerator southwest of the town (at the New England Quarry) with possible implications for health.
Demography
Ivybridge's most recent census indicates that Ivybridge had a population of 11,851. The United Kingdom Census 2011 was carried out by the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales, on Sunday, 27 March 2011. To put that figure into comparison with the area surrounding Ivybridge: it accounts for about 14% of the South Hams' total population (83,140) and it accounts for about 1% of Devon's total population (1,133,800). The town has a median age of 42 (up from 36 since 2001), which is above the national average of 39.
The ethnicity of Ivybridge is predominately white with 98.7% of the population identifying themselves as such. This is slightly higher than the local average of the South Hams (98.3%) and much higher than the national average for England (85.5%). Of the remaining ethnic groups, 0.7% are mixed, 0.5% are Asian, 0.1% are Black and 0.1% are classed as other.
Economy