Okehampton
Okehampton is a
town in
Devon,
England, at the northern edge of
Dartmoor, on the
River Okement. The border of the Dartmoor
National Parkhttp://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/ is just south of the town.
Like many towns in the
West Country, Okehampton grew on the
Medieval wool trade. Notable buildings in the town include the
15th century Chapel of St James, and
Okehampton Castle. The town is also home to the Museum of Dartmoor Life
http://www.museumofdartmoorlife.eclipse.co.uk/. Okehampton elected two members to the
Unreformed House of Commons. The
Reform Act 1832 abolished its representation as a
rotten borough.
The substantial
army training camp on
Dartmoor is reached via Okehampton, and is referred to as "Okehampton Camp". It is managed by the Army Training Estate, and used by a variety of military units including many cadet training units. The
Ten Tors event is run by the
Army each year in early May from Okehampton Camp.
Okehampton's location at the edge of the moor means that it has always been a route centre. The
A30 trunk road now
bypasses the town.
Okehampton railway station is on the former northerly rail route from
Exeter to
Plymouth via
Tavistock. The line from Exeter remains open for freight traffic because of Meldon
quarry, just to the west of Okehampton. In summer the
Dartmoor Railway operates a
heritage railway service between Okehampton and Meldon Quarry.
In 1997 Devon
County Council revived a passenger rail service from Exeter, on summer weekends only, in an attempt to reduce motor traffic to the
national park. At other times the town is linked to Exeter and North
Cornwall by regular
bus services.
*
Army Training Estate web page on the role and management of Okehampton Camp*
Dartmoor National Park*
Museum of Dartmoor Life*
Dartmoor Railway
