Crediton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Crediton
Church of the Holy Cross, Crediton
Crediton
Population	8,304 (2021)
OS grid reference	SS837005
Civil parish	Crediton
District	Mid Devon
Shire county	Devon
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CREDITON
Postcode district	EX17
Dialling code	01363
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Central Devon
List of places UK England Devon 50°47′28″N 3°39′22″W / 50.79111°N 3.65611°W / 50.79111; -3.65611

Crediton is a town located in the Mid Devon area of Devon, England. It sits on the A377 road, which connects Exeter and Barnstaple. The town is about 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Exeter. Crediton has a population of around 8,304 people (as of 2021).

The town is nestled in a narrow valley by the River Creedy, surrounded by two steep hills. It is often thought of as having two parts: the older, northern part and the newer, southern and eastern part.

History of Crediton

The Old Town Hall, Crediton

Crediton has a long and interesting history. It is believed that Saint Boniface, an important Christian missionary, was born here around the year 672. He helped spread Christianity in Europe during the 700s and is now the patron saint of Germany and the Netherlands.

In 909, Crediton became the home of a bishop, a leader in the church. The first bishop was named Edwulf. Nine more bishops lived and worked here until 1050. At that time, the church decided to move the bishop's seat to Exeter, which was a larger and more protected city.

However, Crediton still has a connection to the church today. Since 1897, it has been the seat of a "suffragan bishopric" within the Diocese of Exeter. This means there's a special bishop for Crediton who helps the main bishop of Exeter. The current bishop of Crediton is Jackie Searle, who started in 2018.

During the Domesday Book survey in 1086, much of the land around Crediton was still wild. But the town grew and became more successful. By 1269, the local church had twelve special priests, and each had a house and farmland in the area.

Crediton even sent two representatives to the English Parliament for a short time around 1306–1307, but it never did so again.

Wool Trade and Fires

The town was well-known for its wool trade as early as 1249. Making and selling woollen cloth, especially a type called serge, was very important to Crediton's economy. This trade was at its peak in the 1500s, which was a very prosperous time for the town. However, the wool trade started to decline after the mid-1700s.

During the English Civil War in the 1640s, Crediton saw some military activity. Important leaders like the Earl of Essex and King Charles I passed through the town. Later, in 1645 and 1646, the town was used as a base by Thomas Fairfax and his New Model Army. They used Crediton to plan their attacks against the Royalist forces.

A terrible event happened on August 14, 1743, when a huge fire broke out in Crediton. It completely destroyed High Street and many other buildings. This was the second-largest fire in England at the time, only smaller than the Great Fire of London. Sixteen people died, over 2,000 people lost their homes, and 450 houses were destroyed. Other large fires also happened in the town in 1766, 1769, and 1772. The Old Town Hall was built later, in 1852.

Today, Crediton is twinned with the town of Avranches in France.

Geography

Climate

Crediton has an oceanic climate, which means it has mild temperatures and rain throughout the year.

Economy

Storage silos at the Milk Link creamery, which produces UHT milk

In the early 1900s, Crediton's main industries changed. Instead of wool, the town focused on making shoes, tanning leather, farming, tin-plating, and producing sweets and cider.

The town's creamery (a place where dairy products are made) has always been important. It's located next to the church. For many years, special trains carried milk from Crediton to London. In 2002, the creamery was sold to Milk Link, which made UHT milk (milk that lasts a long time). In 2013, the creamery became a new company called Crediton Dairy Limited.

Today, Crediton has several industrial areas, including Lords Meadow and Fordton. It's a central place for shopping and business for the nearby communities. Industries in Crediton now include graphics and pharmaceuticals.

Bristow's of Devon, a sweet company founded in 1932, was once a major employer in the town. It closed in 2011 but was later reopened by Crediton Confectionery, which continues to make Bristow's sweets.

Sport and Leisure

Crediton has a Football Club called Crediton United A.F.C.. It has teams for both men and women, as well as junior teams, that play in local leagues.

The town also has a Rugby Club with three senior teams, a colts team (for younger players), and strong sections for girls and junior players.

For those who enjoy running, there's the Crediton Running Network, which meets at the Lords Meadow Leisure Centre.

Media

If you live in Crediton, you can watch local TV news from BBC South West and ITV West Country.

For radio, you can listen to local stations like BBC Radio Devon, Heart West, Greatest Hits Radio South West, East Devon Radio, and Radio Exe.

The town also has its own local newspaper, the Crediton Courier, which comes out every Friday.

Transport

Crediton sign on the A3072

Crediton railway station was designed by the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It opened in 1851. Today, it's a junction for two railway lines: the Tarka Line and the Dartmoor Railway. Trains from Crediton can take you to Barnstaple, Okehampton, and Exeter. At Exeter St Davids station, you can connect to trains that go to other parts of the UK.

There are plans to reopen a railway line from Tavistock to Bere Alston. This would allow trains to go all the way to Plymouth.

In 2014, a big storm damaged the railway line at Dawlish, which is on the coast. This caused major problems for trains in the area. Because of this, railway officials are thinking about reopening the line from Tavistock to Okehampton and Exeter as another way for trains to travel, in case the coastal route is damaged again.

The closest airport to Crediton is Exeter International Airport.

Crediton is also about 14 miles (23 km) from the M5 motorway, which connects Exeter to Bristol. It's also close to the A30 and A38 roads.

Education

Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School is a well-known school in Crediton. It was first started by King Edward VI and then restarted by Queen Elizabeth I. Today, it's a state-run academy that gets good results for its students in exams like GCSEs and A levels.

Crediton also has two primary schools: Hayward's Primary School and Landscore Primary School. There are also ten other partner primary schools in nearby villages, like Sandford School.

Landmarks

• The Crediton Parish Church is a beautiful old building. It's built in the Perpendicular Gothic style, which is a type of architecture from the late Middle Ages. It has parts that are even older, from the Early English Period.
• Southeast of the town, on a hill overlooking the river, is a large country house called Downes. It was built around 1692. This house was the birthplace of Sir Redvers Buller, whose family owned much of the land in Crediton.
• The northwest side of the town once had a large wall built in 1276. Parts of this old wall can still be seen today, though they now look like regular garden walls.

See also

In Spanish: Crediton para niños