Mid Devon
Mid Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Tiverton.
Mid Devon District | |
|---|---|
 Mid Devon shown within Devon | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South West England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Devon |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Tiverton |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Mid Devon District Council |
| • Leadership | Alternative - Sec.31 (Conservative) |
| • MPs | Neil Parish Mel Stride |
| Area | |
| • Total | 222.8 sq mi (577.1 km2) |
| Area rank | 36th (of 317) |
| Population (mid-2019 est.) | |
| • Total | 82,311 |
| • Rank | 285th (of 317) |
| • Density | 370/sq mi (140/km2) |
| • Ethnicity | 99.2% White |
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 18UD (ONS) E07000042 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SS9523512287 |
| Website | www |
The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Tiverton and Crediton urban district together with Tiverton Rural District, and Crediton Rural District.[1] It was originally called Tiverton District, but was renamed in 1978 by resolution of the district council.[2]
Geography
Mid Devon shares borders with several other Devon districts as well as the county of Somerset. Neighbouring districts include Exeter, East Devon, North Devon, Teignbridge, West Devon and Torridge.
Rivers
The Exe, the Culm, the Yeo, the Dalch, the Little Dart, the Taw, the Dart, the Brockley, the Creedy and the Spratford Stream flow through the district.
Raddon Top
Raddon Top (772 ft.) is the highest point of the Raddon Hills. Excavations at the summit in 1994 uncovered traces of Early Iron Age settlement.[3]
Politics
Elections to Mid Devon council are held every four years. There are 41 councillors representing 23 wards. After the 2019 election, the council is now run by an Liberal Democrat-Independent-Green coalition.
| Date | Conservative | +/- | Liberal Democrat | +/- | UKIP | +/- | Greens | +/- | Independent | +/- | Control | |||||
| 2015[4][5] | 29 | - | 5 | -- | 2 | - | 0 | - | 6 | - | Conservative | |||||
| 2019 | 18 | -11 | 12 | +7 | 0 | -2 | 2 | +2 | 10 | +4 | Lib Dem-Ind-Green | |||||
Tourism
Grand Western Canal
The Grand Western Canal stretches from Canal Hill in Tiverton to just outside Greenham in Somerset. It no longer operates for trade purposes, but is a popular tourist location. Visitors are able to walk along its banks or take a trip down the canal in a horse drawn barge. A static barge at the Canal Hill end of the canal offers refreshments. The site is one of two tourism spots owned by Devon County Council.
Exmoor
Exmoor National Park is a national park situated in Mid Devon and Somerset in South West England. The park covers 267 square miles (692 km²) of hilly open moorland. Exmoor is one of the first British National Parks, designated in 1954, and is named after its main river, the River Exe. Several areas of the moor have been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Devon Railway Centre
The Devon Railway Centre is located at Bickleigh in Mid Devon, in a restored Victorian railway station on the closed Great Western Railway branch from Exeter to Dulverton. The Centre operates a 2 ft (610mm) gauge passenger railway and has a large collection of narrow gauge rolling stock, a miniature railway and a collection of model railways.
Coldharbour Working Wool Museum
Coldharbour Mill is a Grade II* listed Georgian mill complex in Uffculme, close to junction 27 (Tiverton turnoff) of the M5. The mill has the largest working waterwheel in the south west, and steams up its stationary steam engines most Bank Holidays. It has a number of other collections, such as dolls' houses, a large tapestry showing five local parishes, and a wide range of worsted wool spinning and weaving machines.
Major settlements
The major town of the district is Tiverton; other towns include Cullompton and Crediton.
References
- The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972 (SI 1972/2039)
- "No. 47488". The London Gazette. 14 March 1978. p. 3251.
- "Devon Libraries Local Studies Shobroke Community Page, 22 February 2005". Archived from the original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
- "Declaration of Result of Poll 2015" (PDF). Mid Devon Council. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- "Uncontested Election Results 2015" (PDF). Mid Devon Council. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
External links
