Bridford

From Wikishire
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Bridford
Devon

Bridford: near the church
Location
Grid reference: SX815863
Location: 50°39’54"N, 3°40’37"W
Data
Population: 503  (2011)
Post town: Teignbridge
Postcode: EX6
Dialling code: 01647
Local Government
Parliamentary
constituency:
Central Devon

Bridford is a village in southern Devon, in the valley of the River Teign and on the south-eastern edge of Dartmoor.

The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Dunsford, Doddiscombsleigh, Christow, and Moretonhampstead.[1] At the 2011 census the population of the parish was 503, compared with 404 in 1901.[2]

History

The place-name 'Bridford' is first attested in a charter of circa 1080, where it appears as Bridaford. It is recorded as Brideforda in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name means 'brides' ford', and has the same derivation as Britford in Wiltshire.[3]

Today

Bridford has a village pub called the Bridford Inn, which incorporates the village shop. The Post Office visits every Friday in the village hall, and the doctor's surgery is open five days a week in neighbouring Christow. Moorgate vets have a small surgery just outside the village, and there is a servicing garage and garden centre within a mile of Bridford. There is a children's play park, a village garden and a village hall. The village also has a two-acre Woodland Trust nature reserve and Rowdon Woods. It is well served by buses to both Exeter and Newton Abbot.

Bridford's church is dedicated to St Thomas Becket. There is also a tiny Methodist chapel in the centre of the village.

Society

The village has clubs such as scouts, women's institute and darts, skittles teams. Teign Valley Golf Club is four miles away and there is a football pitch and tennis courts in Christow two miles distant.

Bridford holds a village summer fête in July each year.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Bridford)

References

  1. "Map of Devon Parishes". Devon County Council. http://www.devon.gov.uk/devon_districts_2002_.pdf. Retrieved 7 July 2016. 
  2. Harris, Helen (2004). A Handbook of Devon Parishes. Tiverton: Halsgrove. pp. 29-30. ISBN 1-84114-314-6. 
  3. Ekwall, Eilert, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 4th edition, 1960. p. 64 ISBN 0198691033