A delightful hub nestled on the River Barle which welcomes visitors and locals into its charming cafes, foodie hotspots and independent shops. Think unspoilt charm and a pride in its place as it sits on the southern boundary of Exmoor National Park.
A THRIVING COMMUNITY
Regarded as the year-round destination, shopping centre and general HQ for the south-east quarter of Exmoor, this is no new-found importance as far as Dulverton is concerned; it’s probably had this kind of prominence since the 13th century. A delightful architectural jumble, it’s a place of character and characters, a delight in its bowl of thickly wooded hillsides close to the meeting place of Exmoor’s two main rivers, the Exe and Barle, the latter flowing through Dulverton and especially beautiful just above the town where it ‘rapids’ amidst tall trees. Both rivers are famed for salmon and trout.
Dulverton was mentioned in the Domesday Book where it was recorded as ‘Dolvertune’, the name first recorded a couple of years earlier in 1084 when it was ‘Dieglaford-tun’ or ‘the settlement at the hidden ford’. The 13th century church tower of All Saints is overshadowed by a prodigiously tall sycamore which is very old at some 300 years. A pleasant vista of the town opens up from beside it. The church itself has survived the inevitable Victorian ‘restorers’. Barle Bridge is a five-span, stone structure over the Barle which is of medieval origin and was built on the site of an earlier ford. The bridge was widened in 1819, the work of the aptly-named John Stone.
The Market House in Fore Street (c.1760) was remodelled to become Dulverton’s Town Hall in 1866. The Grade II Listed building was a school for evacuated children during WW2 when the upper hall became a cinema to entertain United States Air Force personnel. Exmoor House, by the bridge, was originally a mid-19th century workhouse but was converted in the early-20th century into council offices and in 1974 became the Exmoor National Park Authority’s HQ. The building has had other uses including as a maternity home during WW2. Dulverton station was once a stop on the cross-country Devon and Somerset Railway that connected Barnstaple with Taunton. The station, which was actually 1½-2 miles south of Dulverton in the village of Brushford, opened in 1873 but became a Beeching closure with the line in 1966. The former station is today a private house.
Locals are known as ‘Dulvertonians’. Past Dulvertonians have included author/journalist and native Auberon Waugh (1939-2001), the son of ‘Brideshead Revisited’ author Evelyn Waugh, and diplomat, traveller and intelligence officer Col. Aubrey Herbert (1880-1923), who was gifted Pixton Park and was twice offered the throne of Albania.
NEARBY
Pixton Park, ¾ mile south-east of Dulverton, was the base in the 18th century of Sir Thomas Acland, who owned Exmoor’s first resident pack of stag-hounds. The estate has not only been associated with the Aclands, among the largest of west-country landowners, but also the Herberts (politicians and diplomats) and the Waughs (the writing dynasty). The present Grade II* Listed mansion was built c.1760.
The ruins of Barlynch (or Barlich) Priory can be found about 1½ miles north-east. Only fragments of wall remain of an Augustinian priory founded in the 12th century and dissolved during Henry VIII’'s Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Grade I Listed Tarr Steps, about four miles north-west, is a famous clapper bridge across the Barle which is 180 feet long with 17 spans and stone slabs weighing up to two tons. The name ‘clapper’ comes from the Latin ‘claperius’ (pile of stones). The bridge could be medieval or perhaps of ancient, Bronze Age origin.
A little further away, 4½ miles south-east, is Bampton, where the late-October fair is held (last Thursday in October). Herds of Exmoor ponies, rounded-up at the Autumn drift, were sold here until 1985.
DULVERTON HOSTEL
Sir George Williams (1821-1905), founder of the YMCA in 1844, was born in Dulverton. The Dulverton Hostel, part of the YMCA Dulverton Group, provides hostel-style accommodation for up to 36.
dulvertonhostel.org
With two luxury, dog-friendly, self-catering holiday cottages in the heart of the National Park, Stockham Farm is ideal for those wanting a home from home on a 35-acre farm.
stockhamfarmexmoor.co.uk
NUTSFORD HOUSE
Built in the 1920s, peaceful and tranquil Nutsford House B&B has two double rooms refurbished just last year, and is set in ten acres of landscaped gardens and private woodland.
nutsfordhouse.co.uk
A charming dog-friendly pub with hand-built wooden interior, natural stone fireplaces and small courtyard garden, Woods Bar and Dining Room offers an award-winning wine list and locally-sourced produce, including ‘cuts’ from the owner’s Exmoor farm.
woodsdulverton.co.uk
TONGDAM THAI RESTAURANT
Offering an extensive a la carte menu of traditional Thai food and an innovative fusion of Thai and European cuisine, Tongdam Thai also has a new vegan menu and an extremely popular takeaway menu.
tongdamthai.co.uk
