Modbury is a very attractive small country market town, rich in character with many fine buildings. Its steep streets with close knit frontages give the town a pleasant and dignified air. Much of it contained within a conservation area.
It is by virtue of its ancient charter that Modbury calls itself a town, and although small, it has all the attributes of a thriving village with a strong sense of community.
Overlooked by the 13th century St George's Church, Modbury's many Georgian buildings lend the town an air of quiet elegance. Take time to explore the numerous interesting craft and small friendly shops clustered around the Exeter Inn, formerly a coaching house in use since Elizabethan times.
Dating back to the 8th Century, Modbury boasts a rich and colourful history, traces of which can be detected in and around the town. The eight-day fair, held each May, dates back to 1329. Two battles were fought here in the Civil War and some say the ghosts of fleeing Royalists haunt "Runaway Lane". A wealthy local family, the Champerknownes, gained power in the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Katherine Champerknowne was mother to three famous sons:- Sir Humphrey Gilbert, who established the colony of Newfoundland, Adrian Gilbert who discovered the North West Passage and Sir Walter Raleigh (by her second marriage). The fine church (built in 1300) houses the effigy of Sir John Champerknowne while a carved granite fireplace lintel set in the pavement outside the old White Hart Inn is all that remains of their fine estates.
Modbury is a town that feels like a village, where you'll find service with a genuine smile, discover a superb range of small, independent shops selling everyday essentials to most unusual specialties. Modbury is still making history today. The town received international attention when it became the first 'carier bag free' town in the UK.
Modbury Tourist Information Centre
4 Modbury Court
Church Street
Modbury
PL21 0QR
