Christmas in Tavistock
Best Market Town Offers Food and 'Soul' Food
Tavistock's Pannier Market, a world-class delicatessen and a quaint tea room offer delights for the senses in the shadow of historic St. Eustachius Church.
Tavistock, an ancient market and stannary town in the south of England, is the perfect place for a Christmas vacation. Stannary is the term applied to tin mines specifically in the southern English counties of Devon and Cornwall.
Although mining operations have virtually ceased, a rich history brings tourism to the area to fill out local coffers. The parish church, St. Eustachius, was founded as Tavistock Abbey in 981, by Ordulph (later sainted). In 1318, the church was enlarged to essentially its current size, although two other renovations, in 1425 and 1450, added an aisle. The baptismal font dates to that era, and it is believed, according to the church’s own history, that Sir Francis Drake was baptized there.
"Onward Christian Soldiers" penned nearby
The church has a few more modern connections, though, that make it ripe for a Christmas visit. A picture of the patronal saint, given by the Reverend S. Baring-Gould, composer of “Onward Christian Soldiers,” is hung near the baptismal font. The Rev. Baring-Gould was Vicar of a church in a nearby town, Lew Trenchard.
Historic shopping opportunities
Perched above the Tavy River, Tavistock is also home to what is often called the best Pannier Market in England, with the town being voted Best Market Town in Britain in 2004. Tavistock received a royal Charter permitting a market to be held thre in 1105. Not surprisingly, the name Tavistock incorporates not only the name of the river on which it sits, but the Old English word stok, or stock, meaning market.
The Pannier Market itself is housed in a Victorian building surrounded by a mews featuring charming shops. The market—with its stalls selling everything imaginable from clothing to locks—is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
There are lovely places to shop beyond the Pannier Market, however. One of these is Creber’s, a venerable institution where one can find gourmet goodies from cheese and chestnuts to Navy Rum bottled especially for Creber’s. N.H. Creber Ltd. was established in 1881 by John Carter, who bought a business on lease from the Duke of Bedford. It was Carter’s daughter who changed the name to Creber’s when she married a man by that name. Her grandson, Robert Creber, runs the business now, after spending time at the world-famous Harrods in London. Creber’s, today, is truly a department store of food and drink, and attracts custom from the much larger town of Plymouth (from which the pilgrims sailed to America), forty-five minutes away.
Soothe your harried soul; eat scones!
If you get hungry just looking at the abundance in Creber’s, take a short walk up the street to the Victorian Parlor tea room, also on West Street, and indulge in a calorie-laden, but soul-soothing, Devonshire Cream Tea. The Victorian Parlor offers teas from about ten in the morning until four in the afternoon, served on delicate Victorian china.
Perhaps the best features of the tearoom are the Victorian teapot stands. Also porcelain, and hand-painted with the delicate blossoms the Victorians so admired, your pot of tea will be set upon one of these rare treasures of another era. But beware; despite the delicacy of the service, the portions of tea and scones and Devonshire clotted cream and strawberry jam are substantial. You might want to purchase something tea-related at the Victorian Parlor. The proprietor offers elegant Victorian tea and table linens for sale, as well as oddments relating to the civilized custom of having tea.
If you go:
Find St. Eustachius Church at the foot of West Street, across from the Pannier Market. It offers sung services on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. and 4 p.m. and weekday said services at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The Victorian Tea Room is on West Street, up the hill from the church, at 78 West Street.
Creber's is located at 48 Brook Street, a short walk east of St. Eustachius. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
