Denbury is a village in
Teignbridge district of
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, England. The village is situated between
Totnes and
Newton Abbot, approximately ten miles from
Torquay
Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...
.
Denbury Hill (Locally known as Denbury Down) is an
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
Hill fort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
which is located to the south west of the village. The area has a long history of human habitation, with Denbury Manor being owned by
Ealdred,
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...
, before the
Norman conquest of England
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...
in 1066. The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin in the village dates from 12th century.
The
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
built a camp and
shooting range
A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, venue or playing field, field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice or shooting sport, competitions. So ...
in the village in the run up to the
invasion of Europe in 1944. In 1967 The Royal Corps of Signals, Junior Leaders Regiment left Denbury Camp (1955 - 1967), 47 Lt Regiment, Royal Artillery (returning from Aden) moved in around September 1967 and finally left in about April 1969 when they moved to Houndstone Camp, Yeovil. They were part of 24 Brigade. Thereafter,
Channings Wood Prison was constructed on most of the site. Today, Channings Wood is a Category C prison for men from all over South Western England, and is the biggest employer in Denbury. The other part of the former military base is now the Denbury Range, home of the Torbay
Fullbore Club.
The village today comprises 300 households including farms in the surrounding area. The village forms part of the
Denbury and Torbryan
Denbury and Torbryan is a civil parish in Teignbridge, Devon, England. It includes the villages of Denbury and Torbryan
Torbryan is a village near Ipplepen in Devon, England. In the Domesday Book it was listed as Torre Braine in 1238. The de ...
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
. The village also is near the centre of Ambrook
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
. The population of the ward at the
2011 census was 6,180.
Local events
Glas-Denbury is a local music festival founded in July 2012. Created by local villagers to Denbury, has aimed to provide a music and entertainment festival experience locally to Devon and has been popular with both locals and visitors alike. There is also the annual May Fayre organised by a variety of people in the village, where the local primary school (Denbury Primary School) dance around the maypole, which has been the central tradition for centuries. On the 8 and 9 September 2018, there was a village commemoration for the 700th anniversary of the building of the Church, which was constructed in 1318. The celebration included residents dressing up in medieval costumes, the school created their own 'Wooden Horses' which were featured in the procession, which also featured a group of instrumental musicians playing a medieval-style piece - put together by the lead organiser - and a congregation on the green with local businesses and food stalls, similar to what would happen on a usual May Fayre day.
Manor
The historic
manor of Denbury was held successively by the families of Reynell, Taylor (the monuments to which family are displayed in the Taylor Chapel of Denbury Church) (both of which families also held the adjoining manors of
East Ogwell
East Ogwell is a village and former civil parish south of Exeter, now in the parish of Ogwell, in the Teignbridge district, in the county of Devon, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 855. In 1891 the parish had a population of 2 ...
and
West Ogwell
West Ogwell is a village and former civil parish and manor in Devon, England, located 2 miles south-west of the town of Newton Abbot and 1 mile west of the village of East Ogwell. It is now in the civil parish of Ogwell, administered by Teignbr ...
), Froude, Curtis, Townsend, and is currently owned by Timothy Roger Howe.
Church
Denbury Church was opened by the bishop of Exeter, Walter de Stapleton in 1318. It is often floodlit at night, sponsored by the village locals to celebrate a special day. There are still services running with th
Beacon Parishes Group
Education
Denbury Primary School is located in the village, just outside of Newton Abbot. It was inspected by
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
in 2013 and marked as Good, however, when it was inspected before in 2008, it was marked as outstanding.
References
External links
Denbury village websiteGlas-Denbury websiteDenbury and Torbryan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denbury
Villages in Devon
Teignbridge