Yelverton, Devon

Yelverton is a large village on the south-western edge of Dartmoor, Devon, in England.

When the village's railway station (on the Great Western Railway (GWR) line from Plymouth to Tavistock) opened in the 19th century, the village became a popular residence for Plymouth commuters. The railway is now closed, but the Plym Valley Railway has reopened a section of it.

Yelverton is well known for "the rock" - a prominent mass of stone close to the Plymouth road on the fringe of nearby Roborough Down. It gave its name to the Rock Hotel, built as a farm during the Elizabethan period, but converted in the 1850s to cater for growing tourism in the area. The area to the south and west of the roundabout at the centre of the village was settled in late Victorian and Edwardian times, with many grand and opulent villas. An area developed at about the same time on an odd shaped piece of land to the south of the Tavistock road is known as Leg o' Mutton Corner.

At the beginning of the Second World War, an airfield (RAF Harrowbeer) was constructed at adjacent Harrowbeer as a fighter station for the air defence of Devonport Dockyard and the Western Approaches. A 19th century terrace of houses, then mostly converted into shops, had to have its upper storey removed to provide an easier approach. One tall building which was not altered was Yelverton Church, but unfortunately the tower was hit by a plane, resulting in a warning light being fitted. The layout of the runways is still...
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