Ashburton is a little town on the fringes of Dartmoor, lying adjacent to the A38 Devon Expressway.

It was formerly important as a stannary town (a centre for the administration of tin-mining), and remains the largest town within the National Park. During the English Civil War, Ashburton was a temporary refuge for Royalist troops fleeing after their defeat by General Fairfax at nearby Bovey Tracey.

The town was the terminus of the Buckfastleigh, Totnes and South Devon Railway that opened on 1 May 1872. Ashburton railway station closed to passengers in November 1958 although goods traffic on the line continued until 7 September 1962.

Buckfastleigh is a small market town on the A38 at the edge of Dartmoor National Park. It is part of Teignbridge District Council and (for ecclesiastical purposes) lies within the Totnes Deanery. It is a centre of tourism, and is home to Buckfast Abbey, the South Devon Railway, and the Buckfastleigh Butterfly Farm and Otter Sanctuary.

Geographically, Buckfastleigh straddles the confluence of two small streams from Dartmoor which feed into the River Dart just to the east of the town. About one mile to the north lies Buckfast, home of Buckfast Abbey. To the northwest lie Holne and Scorriton on the southern ramparts of the Dartmoor massif. Pridhamsleigh Cavern is nearby.

Key Stats

• The population of the market town area has risen by about 13% since 1991. This is a lower rate of growth than that experienced by the Teignbridge district and the county but higher than the South Hams comparison. The population of Ashburton is around 4,100 and Buckfastleigh 3,800.
• The level of households occupied by individuals in the market town area is similar to the districts and county averages with no significant difference between the urban centre and surrounding rural area.
• Unemployment levels in the market town area are noticeably higher than the two districts. Rates in the urban centres are nearly twice that of the remaining ward.
• Claim rates in Ashburton and Buckfastleigh for Income Support are more similar to the national comparison compared to the county and district comparisons. Claim rates for Job Seekers Allowance are similar across the profile area.
• The proportion of households with an income of £20,000 or less is significantly higher in the market town area than those for the two comparative districts. Buckfastleigh has significantly more household in this category than Ashburton.
• The industry sectors that people work in are similar to the district and county averages. Most businesses are in the wholesale & retail and real estate, renting & business activities sectors.
• Children living in the rural parishes achieve better grades, at both Key Stage 2 level 4 and GCSE than those living in Ashburton and Buckfastleigh parish. However, the proportion of children in Ashburton and Buckfastleigh achieving five or more GCSEs grades at A* to C and A* to G is still above the national average.
• Select here for more statistics about Ashburton and Buckfastleigh and surrounding area. (997KB - pdf help)