The Exe Valley Plan -Index
Basic Information
 
11.1.4 Day visitors and associated spend

Significantly more day visitors come to the rural area than the urban area. There is scope to increase visitor
numbers to the town by providing interest activities and walks such as the MERCHANTS’ TRAIL. The Town Enhancement Scheme will help to improve the quality of the urban environment, encouraging visitors to explore the town. The improved visitor facilities on the Grand Western Canal will provide an additional draw for visitors.
The day spend in the urban area is almost as much as in the rural area. Astute marketing of the town to visitors should enable day spend in the urban area to exceed the rural area.

11.1.5 Nature of visitor spend Figure 37 and Table 20 reveal the impact of tourist spending in the wider local economy. In addition to the figures below, visitors with second homes in the area are estimated to spend £117,000 on materials, labour and services related to their homes. A further £7,487,00 enters the local economy
through visitors staying with friends.

Day visitors – rural to urban proportions
Day visitors spend – rural to urban proportions



Visitor spend, breakdown by category


Visitor spend
 
11.1.6 Jobs related to tourism spend The estimated full time equivalent (FTE) jobs that the total equates to is 1,640.

11.2 Ancient Heritage and Customs The area contains a large number of attractive churches, castles (6.1.1), ancient earthworks and old mills that provide colour and interest. Both Tiverton Castle and Bickleigh Castle reflect the drama of the mediaeval history of the area, and its technological advances in architecture and armoury, and provide colourful folktales to encourage creativity. Both are important local tourist venues, with Bickleigh Castle also hosting wedding ceremonies.

11.2.1 The British-Roman hillfort, Cadbury Castle, provides a pleasant family climb with a sheltered, grassed area at the top within the massive ramparts.

11.2.2 Bampton has a sizeable but incomplete motte and bailey castle, the scene of a battle in 1136, when Robert of Bampton held it for Queen Matilda against King Stephen.

1 1 . 2 . 3 The early part of Tiverton Castle was probably completed in 1106 by Richard de Redvers on the orders of Henry I. On the death of Isabel de Redvers, the castle passed to the Courtenay family. Henry VIII’s maternal aunt, Princess Katharine, married in to the Courtenay family and lived at the Castle. Her grandson was the last in the Courtenay line. The Castle took an active part in the Civil War, by the end of which much of the old castle had been destroyed. There have been later additions in the style of manor house wings, and the Castle now houses a fine collection of clocks, pictures and furniture.

11.2.4 The hills to the south-east of Bampton are the source of the Town Leat, provided by Isabella de Redvers in 1250. This provided the castle with water for the moats on the north and south side (now filled in), and Tiverton with water from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century. The ceremonial tradition of beating the leat’ is carried out every seven years from Tiverton, starting at Coggan’s Well in Fore Street where the leat emerges in the centre of Tiverton.

11.2.5 Bickleigh Castle has a Norman free-standing chapel, a fourteenth century gatehouse with Armoury, Tudor furnishings, and a Stuart farmhouse wing that replaced the mediaeval fortified castle destroyed in the Civil War.
 
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 Exe Valley Community Strategic Plan 4 February 2007
 
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