We use our funds to enable members and local residents to publish works of interest on the history of the area. We sell other publications deemed to be of value to those with an interest in local history. Any returns are ploughed into further publications by the Society. Most of these publications and those below are available for purchase at Society meetings, by enquiring via our contact form, or from the museum shop, visitor information centre, or Book Stop in Tavistock.
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Tavistock’s Yesterdays (1985-2016) by Gerry Woodcock
There are 27 of these wonderfully entertaining and informative books to collect; a rich mosaic of Tavistock's past over more than a thousand years.
Tavistock’s Yesterdays 1 -27 Index & Guide (2019)
The Guide contains an exhaustive index to volumes 1 – 27 plus a guide to each of the chapters. It was produced as the Society’s tribute to Gerry Woodcock, one of its founders and former president.
About Tavistock (2019)
An excellent resource for local people and visitors; there is a brief history of the town included, followed by descriptions of seven walks through the town. Now in its 4th edition, this is the Society’s best-selling publication.
Walking Around Tavistock (2014)
The historically rich topography of the area around Tavistock is explored in this book of five walks around the town from 3½ to 10½ miles (but which can be done in shorter stretches).
Whitchurch Parish (2002) by Ken Cook
Now a thriving community adjacent to, and part of, an expanding Tavistock, Whitchurch parish, stretching high onto Dartmoor, has its own very individual history, well chronicled in this lively and highly readable account.
Whitchurch Down (2000) edited by Helen Harris
A well-known stretch of moorland, accessible by foot from the centre of Tavistock, Whitchurch Down has a rich and varied past, stretching from its uses in modern wartime back into prehistory. This book, by a team of local historians, helps you find the clues.
Tavistock’s Methodist Chapels (2007) by Brian Giles
You would be hard put to make sense of the history of Devon and Cornwall over the last couple of hundred years without an understanding of the role of Methodism. The significance of Methodism for Tavistock is discussed here with great clarity by someone with unique insights and sources of information.
We Will Remember Them – The Men of Tavistock who died in the First World War (2003) by Gerry Woodcock and Alex Mettler (Hardback)
The stories are told here of the 119 men whose names are on the Tavistock memorial to the dead of the First World War. This is a poignant and fascinating microcosm of English social history.
Lest We Forget – The Tavistock Fallen of the Second World War (2007) by Gerry Woodcock and Alex Mettler (Hardback)
This book incorporates a brief history of Tavistock during the Second World War and an account of the forty people who lost their lives between 1939 and 1945; an excellent sequel to the authors' book on the First World War.
Tavistock in Parliament – The History of a Constituency (2014) by Gerry Woodcock
This book describes the period from 1295, when Tavistock became a parliamentary borough, until 1974, when there were no longer MPs for Tavistock.
Devon Country Town Brewers and Public Houses – Tavistock 1752 to 2020 (2020) by Alex Mettler (Hardback or Softback)
As well as the history of individual pubs and brewers of Tavistock, the book also contains a short history of brewing, including a note on “Devon White Ale”. Under each of the 87 public houses is much information about those who owned and ran them, including their origins and later lives, making it a great source for both local and family history. Also included are copious photographs and plans, as well as an index of Brewers and Innkeepers.