Best Kept Village Competition Judges Report
North Bovey lies on the east side of the Dartmoor National Park near to Moretonhampstead. It is a small, ancient village centred on the Village Green. It is very well kept, with no evidence of litter or dog fouling. Hedges look well grown and full of a most beautiful range of wild flowers in the village and along the lanes. Walls here are mainly of granite. They are well maintained overall. Wild flowers, nettles and ferns, seem to spill from walls, banks, crevices, the edge of roads and paths, in May. This seems completely beautiful in this woodland setting, which has many mature trees. The lanes and hedges were in good order later in July. The village and surroundings were alive with birds, insects and other wildlife. Gardens are varied, attractive and show a variety of plantings. Some cottages had attractive planters in front. One cottage on the green had planters with dead remains. This was rectified later.
The Village Green is of a good size-the site for the Fair in July. !t has well grown grass, which looked appropriate, and 6 or 7 oaks. Some planted fairly recently and some much older. The village centre has several well positioned seats. One needs a rub down. There is no play area or sports facility. Judging from the horses seen, riding is very important here! The pub is also a focal point for the village. It has been sensitively renovated and the front yard was tidy and had attractive planters. It serves locally sourced food and local beers. The village car park is very neat and tidy, well signed and with a useful notice board with heritage information and Dartmoor National Park public service information. The river area at Bovey Bridge and Blackaller was clean and beautiful. Paths through the village were in good order – a bit muddy by the church on a rainy day. Gates and stiles were good. Some village signs need cleaning and some areas of the village – frontages and verges were weedy by July.
Houses and cottages are universally maintained to very high standards. Many are granite and thatch in construction and have been very well renovated. There are examples of more modern development or sensitive additions to old houses which have blended in well. It was felt that some of the garage areas along by Greenaway Close were a bit scruffy compared with the rest of the village. In front of some cottages there are large attractive wicker containers obviously being used for storage for fuel or wheelie bins. The allotments are well managed and productive. There is a bee hive whose residents hopefully profit from all the flowers in this area as well as beyond. The grass areas are very neat. There is a splendid composting scheme and also collection of water from cottage roofs into very large tanks. Very impressive!
The Village Hall, a heritage building, is immaculate, both inside and out. The woodwork is painted in an attractive “heritage” colour. The Village Hall windows serve as the notice board. There was recent information about the Parish Council, how to access the hall and the Village Blog. The nearby telephone kiosk was unfortunately in need of paint, a sweep-out and the windows were filthy.
The church yard is very tidy; grass well mown. Grass had been left to fill the gulley round the base of the church walls, which looked messy. This had rotted down later. Graves are well trimmed; a bank of wild flowers left to grow. An attractive heart shape of long grasses in flower was appreciated in the cemetery, on a later visit. Seats needed a clean. The Lych Gate is a memorial to the dead of World War One. This is in good condition and an imposing
entrance. The church porch has notices about services etc and we were pleased to see it is open for swallows to nest. The steep side steps from the road into the churchyard are quite weedy and looked slippery on one visit.
The residents of North Bovey take care of the heritage and natural environment in which they live. It is a small village, which has an annual Fair, which seems well supported. The WI is an active group, along with the Conservation Group which has undertaken much repair work due to flooding. The PC seems about to embark on a Parish Plan. The Fair appears to be the main community fund raising effort for the upkeep of the church, the Village Hall and the Devon Air Ambulance. The main up-coming -event in June was the Military Wives Concert in the church, with Hog Roast and raffle. This is obviously a big event organised by the Friends of St John’s Church. This seems to indicate a good interaction between the church community and the wider village residents. There is clearly community spirit here, although there does not seem to be provision for young people.
We discovered the North Bovey blog, which enables residents and local businesses to advertise and communicate across the community. The Parish Council and PCC keeps people informed through the parish magazine. The profile was adequate. The map was reasonably functional. The BKV poster and aims of the competition were displayed in the Village Hall; BKV was mentioned briefly in the March Parish Magazine. We felt there was little evidence of what is coming up next on notice boards when we visited in late July, viewing the village from the perspective of a new visitor.
This is a very well kept village and we highly commend it for its care and stewardship of its ancient buildings and the surrounding natural environment. The standard of the villages in the New Entry category of the Best Kept Village Competition was very high this year. North Bovey was a very strong contender and displayed the village to good effect.