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The ancient borough of Totnes enjoys a prominent position above the River dart. The town is one of Devon's gems; full of both colour and character, that stems from a rich cultural, historical and archaeological heritage. It is the second oldest borough in England, and is full of interesting diversions for the visitor - museums, a riverside with steamer quay, an ancient Guildhall and Church, a Norman Castle and the North and East Gates. The town is an architectural feast to those interested in historic buildings - with fine examples of properties dating back to Norman, Medieval and Tudor times. The name Totnes derives from the Saxon for a fort or lookout on a ridge. The town is known to have been a fortified Saxon settlement, built to protect the upper reaches of the river from Viking raiding parties.

Totnes has a long history; it was one of the five Devonshire towns originally mentioned in the Doomsday Book. It was one of the wealthiest towns in medieval and Tudor Devon (second only to Exeter) - the town's wealth, and prosperity, built upon the export of wool from sheep reared on nearby Dartmoor and the export of locally mined tin. The town's location helped contribute to this success - being both the highest port navigable, and the lowest bridging place on the river Dart.

Key Stats

• The population of the Totnes Devon Town area for 2009 is 23258
• In the last 10 years, the population has grown by 4.53%
• Claimant counts for November 2008 were approximately 155 people
• Job Seekers Allowance for the area reached 1.04% of the working age population in November 2008
• District claimant count figures for 2008 showed a claimant count of 1.33% of the working age population
• The Average income in 2008 for the Totnes Devon Town area is £31774.04 per household
• Average house price for the area in 2007 was recorded as £300,112.15
• There were 210 year 11 pupils in this area in 2007
• 65.24% of year 11 pupils attained 5 A*-C grades at GCSE in 2007
• There are 186 year 6 pupils throughout the Totnes Devon Town area in 2007
• 84.9% of pupils attained KS2 Level 4+ in 2007
• For statistical profiles of the Totnes please click here