Willand
| Willand | |
| Devon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Willand Old Village | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST037110 |
| Location: | 50°53’27"N, 3°22’11"W |
| Data | |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Mid Devon |
Willand is a village in Devon, in the east of the county about twelve miles north of Exeter and a mile and a half north of Cullompton. In 1991 the population was 3,750 although in latter years this has grown considerably. The parish is surrounded, clockwise from the north, by the parishes of Halberton, Uffculme and Cullompton.[1]
Willand has probably had a settlement since the Iron Age but is first recorded in 1042 as having "belonged to Ethmar".
There is one pub, The Halfway House, and a country manor, called the Verbeer Manor. Beside the manor is the local visitor attraction; Diggerland. The village has one primary school, Willand School, that has around 300 pupils.
Adjacent to the railway line there is a large poultry processing factory, part of the 2 Sisters Food Group, which purchased it from Lloyd Maunder in 2008.[2]
Transport links
The Bristol to Exeter railway line was completed in 1844 and a station, called Tiverton Road, was opened in Willand to serve the nearby town of Tiverton; this was renamed Tiverton Junction railway station when a branch line reached the town, and also became the junction for the Culm Valley Light Railway in 1876. Both branch lines had closed by 1975, and the station closed in 1986 when Tiverton Parkway station was opened.
The M5 motorway bypasses the village; junctions are at Cullompton and Tiverton Parkway.
Rising village
A survey carried out in 2015–17 found that the location was subject to a remarkable geological phenomenon: an uplift, or 'orogeny', of just under an inch every year. The cause of the uplift is unknown.[3]
Sport
- Football: Willand Rovers F.C., who play at The Stan Robinson Stadium on Silver Street.[4]
- Tennis: Willand Tennis Club, beside the village hall
Society
Willand has a Village Hall where a number of social activities take place such as Short Mat Bowls and Coffee Mornings.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Willand) |
References
- ↑ "Map of Devon Parishes". Devon County Council. http://www.devon.gov.uk/devon_districts_2002_.pdf. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ↑ Poultry giant 2 Sisters Group acquires Lloyd Maunder - Richard Allison in Farmers Weekly 21 January 2008
- ↑ 'Map records UK's small ups and downs': Jonathan Amos, BBC, 11 April 2018
- ↑ Willand Rovers FC - Western Football League