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Mentioned in documents as early as the 13th century, Ivybridge's early history is marked by its status as an important crossing-point over the River Erme on the Exeter-to-Plymouth route. In the 16th century mills were built using the River Erme's power. The parish of Saint John was formed in 1836. Ivybridge became a civil parish in 1894 and a town in 1977. The early urbanisation and development of Ivybridge largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution. When the South Devon Railway Company built its train route through Ivybridge in the 19th century a paper mill was constructed alongside it and this led to an increase in housing nearby. The paper mill, now French owned, still provides local jobs. Although some people think of Ivybridge as a dormitory town, many people work in the town itself, and agriculture continues to play an economic role for Ivybridge. The area surrounding Ivybridge is almost completely farmland. It holds a farmers' market every month, though most of the sellers come from outside of the immediate area. When heavy industry diminished during the latter half of the 20th century, the population has boomed (400% in 30 years) to grow as a dormitory town, supported by its position between Plymouth, Torbay and Exeter, from 1,574 people in 1921 to 12,056 in 2001. |
