Haunted Hosts

The hotel stands on the grounds of the former Tavistock Abbey, founded in 974 by Ordwulf and dissolved in 1539 during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. The abbey was the second-wealthiest religious house in Devon, with an annual income of £902. The site was granted to John Russell, 1st Baron Russell (later 1st Earl of Bedford) in 1540, beginning a 371-year association between the Russell family and Tavistock. The current hotel building was constructed during the 1800s as a retreat for the Dukes of Bedford, coinciding with their extensive redevelopment of Tavistock town centre. The area underwent significant renovation around 1818-1822, when the elegant Plymouth Road was constructed and the former abbey precinct was transformed into Georgian residential and commercial buildings. A monks' tower from the original abbey remains visible in the hotel's walled garden, and the site is connected to the invention of the Devon cream tea - created by Tavistock Abbey monks in 997 AD to reward workers rebuilding the abbey after Viking raids.