Of Dartmoor and its Borderland. 31 around him, ere entering upon the commons, and bestow some notice upon the old structure thrown over the river. And now he will bid adieu to the fields and the woods, for the moor is before him. As he passes into its recesses he will meet with much that will afford him delight. Nature will be seen in her ruder form, while the cairn and the stone circle- will speak of those who in the early days dwelt in the silent valley through which flows the beautiful stream. Ivybridge Church is a modem building, having been opening in 1882, and it possesses but little to interest. The ruins of the old church close by are, however, very pic- turesque, being almost entirely covered with ivy, but can boast of no great antiquity, the original edifice only dating back to 1789, while some portion of what is now seen are the remains of additions made to it so late as 1835. Previous to an ecclesiastical district being formed out of the parishes of Ugborough, Ermington, and Corn wood, it was called St. John*s Chapel, and was enlarged in the year just named, in consequence of the increase in the number of inhabitants. When the present church was built the old one was dis- mantled, but the tower and the walls were suffered to remain intact, adding much to the attractivness of the surroimdings of the new edifice. Near the lower end of the town, and lying considerably back from the road, is Highlands, the seat of Mr. William Coryton, and where formerly resided Mr. William Cotton,, the founder of the Cottonian Library at Plymouth. Below it on the other side of the way, is the chapel of the Wesleyans^ a remarkably fine building, and nearly opposite to this was formerly the chief hotel of the place. This is shown in an engraving in Moore's History of Devon, with the stage-coach ready to start at the door. A road runs from Ivybridge to the town of Tavistock^ passing through the village of Cornwood, where it is crossed by the one which we have already pointed out as the ancient track between Buckfast and Plympton. At the Plym the Tavistock road joins another, which is also very ancient, and which we shall notice later on, but for the present shall confine our attention to the road from Ivybridge to the stream named. Leaving the old bridge over the Erme, we make our way up the hill by the side of the churchyard, and passing the
