The village of Ilsington set in glorious farmland

The village school provides primary education for the children of local families and a hall provides amenities for social occasions, dances, art exhibitions and such like.

A remarkable event occurred in 1639 when a woman passing through the west gate of the church, allowed the very heavy gate to slam shut, causing the building to collapse. Fortunately no lives were lost in this incident!

A row of thatched cottages in the village of Ilsington

Many picturesque thatched cottages can still be seen in the village. In the churchyard is the 17th Century tomb of Thomas Ford from nearby Sigford.

The Ford family, settled very early in the Parish of Ilsington, which is now one of the largest in the country. One of the family was John Ford the dramatist, and another was Sir Henry ford who was knighted by King Charles the Second.

Royalist soldiers sought refuge from Cromwell's forces in the church after their defeat at Bovey in 1646. A hoof print on the floor of the church is supposed to be from these Royalist soldiers.

So you can see why Sadie and I feel that Ilsington, with its historical background and plenty of modern facilities, is indeed a very good place to live.

Do you have anything you could add to this tour of Ilsington? What else do YOU know about the quarry and Haytor? Email us at devon.online@bbc.co.uk

If you would like to extol the virtues of your Home Town drop us a line and tell us why.
E-mail us at devon.online@bbc.co.uk

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