Bovey Tracey hotels and self catering cottage accommodation in Bovey Tracey - Devon-Stay Bovey Tracey Tourist Information

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One of the main gateways onto Dartmoor, Bovey Tracey is a great base for visiting the moorland and very close to Haytor, one of the highest points. The Dartmoor National Park Authority is located close-by, at the Parke building.

Originally called Boffa, the town gets its name from the River Bovey, which runs through town, and the de Tracey family, local gentry dating back to the 11th century. The family, headed by William de Tracey, one of the repented killers of Archbishop Thomas Becket, lived in the East Street Manor House.

Henry III was the one to confer the town a licence to Fair and Market, and a Farmer's Market still runs every other Saturday. The local church, from the late 14th century, is located near St Mary's Well, on the same spot as every church preceding it. The first one, built in the 5th century, consisted of just wattle and mud. Close by is a thatch-roofed construction, which was used as both a church hall and an alehouse.

The 18th century saw the establishment of a local pottery industry, which is thought to have been of great importance to the advance of national pottery at an industrial level. Bovey Tracey Potteries, at one time employing almost 250 people, rose to success with the nearby reserves of quality clay. Unfortunately, the industry declined in the 20th century. Nowadays, most examples of the local pottery can be seen at the House of Marbles museum, which also features the world’s largest display of marbles.

Cromwell's Arch, historically linked with the English Civil War and the defeat of the Royalists at Bovey Heath, is the only remaining portion of an old monastery and just off the main street. Also of interest are the Riverside Mill, the Market Cross, now a War Memorial, and the Courtenay House.