Walks and trails The Old Market, Dartmouth ©Dereck Harper
up Clarence Hill. This is a medieval street, named after a visit in 1828 by the Duke of Clarence, later William IV. Mount Galpin, on the right was the town house of the Holdsworth family, the rulers of Dartmouth for over a century. They then looked down on the mill pool, where the lower town is now. The all-powerful Holdsworths (7 generations) were at the forefront of triangular trade with Newfoundland and the Mediterranean – bringing great prosperity to Dartmouth.
6. A Stepped Packhorse Track: Continue up Clarence Hill, then turn left where the road forks uphill and go down Brown’s Hill Steps to your left. A stepped lane lined by attractive cottages, Brown’s Hill was once the main packhorse route out of the town before roads existed for wheeled traffic. At the bot- tom, turn right and cross the road into the market square. Here the old Pannier Market is crowded with shoppers every Tuesday and Friday. When you have explored the Pannier market, leave with the Dolphin Inn on your left, to go through to Foss Street which was built in the 13th century as a dam across the tidal creek to power the mills. Today Foss Street is an attractive pedestrian shopping precinct. Turn right, crossing Victoria Road into Anzac Street.
7. The Wine Merchants’ Church: Ahead, on the left, lies St. Saviour’s Church, consecrated in 1372, which contains many treasures of great beauty. It was built by Dartmouth
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merchants who had become rich in the Bordeaux wine trade, like the famous John Hawley whose brass lies in the chancel. The original church of the town St. Clement’s at Townstal, was at the time far from where most people lived. The town’s earliest fire engine once stood in the churchyard, along with the ducking mast and stool to plunge cheats and nagging wives or ‘scolds’, over the churchyard wall and into the river. John Hawley (together with Newcomen) was one of Dartmouth’s most important and influential citizens. He met Jeffery Chaucer here and was almost certainly the model for The Shipman in ‘The Canterbury Tales’.
8. From Criminals to Cherubs: From the church door, look left down Church Close with its 17th century houses. Turn right past the Seven Stars Inn into Smith Street, with Higher Street at right angles to it. This was the commercial centre of the town from medieval times. The pillory stood in the square. The three fine timbered 17th century houses to your left were, until Victorian times, the shambles, or butchers’ shops. Turn right along Higher Street. Further on is the Cherub Inn, which still retains its 14th century timbers and an original window. Once a row of similar houses stood opposite, but only one remains to show the original width of the street. The Dartmouth Community Bookshop on your right was first established in Lower
©Gordon Griffiths The Cherub Inn
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