Did You Know?

Devon County Council is responsible for the UK's longest road network, You maybe thought it was London, or Birmingham. Nope. Devon County Council is responsible for 8,000 miles of road - the longest network in the country.

Totnes’ Guildhall was once a prominent location in the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell used it as a base to plan the closing stages of the Civil War in 1646.

Devon just doesn’t have more roads than anyone else, it also takes longer to use. A survey by international travel experts Inrix, who provide live traffic information to people like the BBC, this year named Exeter the slowest city in the country during rush-hour.

Torbay Picture House was opened on 16 March 1914, and is believed to be the oldest surviving purpose-built cinema in Europe. In its early days it featured a 21-piece orchestra, with each member paid a guinea to perform.

The Jack Russell Terrier was created by the Reverend John Russell - born in Dartmouth, went to school in Plympton, rector of Black Torrington, Devon.

The last ever castle to be built in England was done so in Devon in the 1930s – which does seem rather late in the game to be building castles. People had actual houses and things by then. The castle in question is Castle Drogo which you’ll find outside the village of Drewsteignton. It was built after the ground’s owner brought the land in 1910 and asked for a castle to be built there.

Witch Trails might be more famous over the pond, but there was a pretty big movement against witches, or people thought to be witches, in the UK too. It was the last county to execute alleged witches. The trail and execution took place in Exeter in the 1600s

Devon boasts the UK's narrowest street, Parliament Street in Exeter, measuring just 0.64 meters at its narrowest point. Exeter is famed for its streets as Gandy Street is said to have inspired Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley. 

Witch Trails might be more famous over the pond, but there was a pretty big movement against witches, or people thought to be witches, in the UK too. Devon was the last county to execute alleged witches. The trail and execution took place in Exeter in the 1600s, the women (Temperance Lloyd, Susannah Edwards, Mary Trembles and Alice Molland) were accused of causing illness and death by casting spells on people.

It is home to the oldest bakery, the oldest hotel and the oldest cinema. You’ll find it in Torbay and is believed to be the oldest surviving purpose built cinema left in Europe. It first opened in 1914 and was big enough to have a whole orchestra perform!