Hansford Bell’s Dickensian Window Display
Hansford Bell’s Dickensian Window Display
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1. JULY 2024 – Several Tornado-like “Funnel Clouds” seen over Devon.
2. AUGUST 2024 – New animal murals by Banksy appeared across London.
3. Horse-drawn lifeboat to mark the 200th Anniversary of the RNLI in 2024.
4. NOVEMBER 2024 – Donald Trump won the US Presidential election (there is a Groundhog next to him .. .)
5. SEPTEMBER 2024 – Billionaire Jared Isaacman (hence the astronaut with a top hat … ) made the firstever private commercial spacewalk from SpaceX Polaris Dawn capsule.
6. Tavistock’s roads suffered from an alarming proliferation of pot-holes.
7. JULY 2024 – First postbox with the Charles III cipher was set up in England.
8. JULY -AUGUST 2024 – Paris hosted the Olympics and Paralympics.
Plymouth’s Tom Daley won silver in synchronised diving at the Olympics.
Totnes’ Krysten Coombs won silver in Badminton at the Paralympics.
9. JUNE 2024 – Events were held locally and nationally to mark the 80th Anniversary ofD-Day.
10. 30th November – 8th December – The annual Christmas Tree Festival in St Eustachius parish church.
11. The vicar ofTavistock, Rev’d Matt Godfrey, and his team – incl. Rev Dr Hazel Buckland, Rev Judith Blowey, Rev Mike Loader and Rev. Sue Tucker.
12. AUGUST/ NOVEMBER 2024 – Scenes for the new series of the BBC’s “Beyond Paradise” were filmed at various locations in Tavistock.
13. MARCH 2024 – seedlings from the illegally-felled Sycamore Gap tree were successfully grown.
14. MAY 2024 – Wayne Rooney appointed Manager of Plymouth Argyle.
15. Pine Martens were re-introduced to Dartmoor during the year.
16. In recognition of Dickensian Evening, Charles Dickens himself is here giving a public reading of his “Christmas Carol”. Dickens gave public readings of his works from 1853 onwards, throughout the country and in the USA, which were hugely popular with the public.
1. Bedford Hotel – transformed from Inn to Hotel by architect Jeffry Wyatt by 1822 (Wyatt also worked on Windsor Castle!)
2. Former Bedford Estate Office
3. Duke of Bedford Cottages
4. Sir Francis Drake’s Statue
5. Former Grammar School (built 1895, now the Alexander Centre) in Plymouth Road
6. Plymouth Road ‘villas’
7. Tavistock Methodist Church
8. United Reformed Church
9. Catholic Church
10. St Eustachius Church
11. Dartmoor hills, including tors and ponies
12. Dartmoor Stone circle
13. Dartmoor Stone cross
14. Moorland shepherd and his flock of sheep
15. Dartmoor Inn at Merrivale
16. Dartmoor Prison and an escaping prisoner!
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1. Gemma and Matt (who made several long journeys to the North in heavy traffic this year!)
2. Emma and Marc with their baby boy, Reg, who took his first steps this year.
3. Steve and Nikki
4. Chris and Janine with their son and daughters.
5. Ross and Claire with Claire’s children and new puppy, Molly.
6. Becky and her whippet Ian.
7. David with his wife – and their beagles.
2. Tavistock Town Council’s team with their annual task of setting up the town’s Christmas lights.
3. mLY 2024 – UK General Election saw Keir Starmer become Prime Minister and Rishi Sunak forced out of office. During the campaign, Lib-Dern leader Ed Davey undertook a series of publicity stunts, and is here bungee jumping off the town hall.
4. 2024 is the 50th anniversary of Abba’s breakthrough appearance in the Eurovision Song Contest.
5. 2024 is the 100th anniversary of the first publication of “Winnie the Pooh”.
6. MARCH 2024 -The Museum of Policing in Devon and Cornwall opened in Court Gate, Tavistock.
7. MAY 2024 – the annual Ten Tors challenge.
8. AUGUST 2024 -New animal murals by Banksy appeared across London.
9. AUGUST 2024 -An astonishingly well-preserved Bronze Age cist grave discovered on Dartmoor at Cut Hill.
10. Switching on the Tavistock Christmas lights on Dickensian Evening -the town crier, David Turner, BI D manager Janna Sanders, and Mayor Paul Ward (with his mace-bearers) watch local schoolchildren prepare to press the “on” button!
11. A nod to Goose Fair – a boy herding his geese to market.
2. Spire of the Congregational Church which was in Brook Street built in 1873 and demolished 1966
3. Court Gate – now used by Tavis tock Museum
4. The Guildhall – now open to the public as a visitor centre
6. Cox Tor (with the Hound of the Baskerville – or the Dartmoor Beast – on top!)
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2. Lee (back from his trip to Marrakech, with purchases from the souks)
3. Hannah and her son
4. Tori and Chris
5. Caitlin (with parasol for promenading along the beach-front)
6. Paula and family
1. Dom and Spence setting up the Hansford Bell Christmas lights.
2. 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the RAF’s Red Arrows aerobatic display team.
3. JUNE 2024 -Taylor Swift played concerts in the UK on her tour.
4. AUGUST 2024 – New animal murals by Banksy appeared across London.
5. 30th OCTOBER-Tavistock BID organised a Hallowe’en “Zombie Crawl” through the town.
6. FEBRUARY – A huge 500kg World War II bomb was discovered in Keyham, resulting in a major evacuation of local residents, before it was taken away by the bomb disposal team for detonation at sea.
7. A pot hole in Tavistock being inspected by a council team …
8. SEPTEMBER- for a few weeks Earth had a “second moon” when a small asteroid was captured by the Earth’s gravity.
main street.
2. Hansford Bell offices!
3. The former Com Market building, erected by the Duke of Bedford in 1835 (now FatFace)
4. 22 Market St – a 17th century timber framed building with 19th century shop front.
Grade II listed, (now Taylor’s Restaurant)
5. The former “Sweets” department store building (now Sue Ryder charity shop and
Odds & Sun)
6. Tavistock Viaduct – dated 1889. Eight stone round-headed arches. Carried the London and South Western Railway, which ran from London Waterloo to Okehampton and on to Tavistock North Station
(now the site of the West Devon Council offices). It then continued on towards Bere Alston and thence to Plymouth.
7. Former coaching Inn, the Queen’s Head, and now Weatherspoons (with bouncers outside!).
