Ivybridge

Coordinates: 50°23′20″N 3°55′16″W / 50.389°N 3.921°W / 50.389; -3.921

Ivybridge ⁱ/ˈaɪvibrɪdʒ/ is a small town and civil parish in the South Hams, in Devon, England. It lies about 9 miles (14.5 km) east of Plymouth. It is at the southern extremity of Dartmoor, a National Park of England and Wales and lies along the A38 "Devon Expressway" road. There are three electoral wards in Ivybridge (Central, Filham & Woodlands) with a total population of 11,851.

Mentioned in documents as early as the 13th century, Ivybridge's early history is marked by its status as an important crossing-point over the River Erme on the Exeter-to-Plymouth route. In the 16th century mills were built using the River Erme's power. The parish of Saint John was formed in 1836. Ivybridge became a civil parish in 1894 and a town in 1977.

The early urbanisation and development of Ivybridge largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution. When the South Devon Railway Company built its train route through Ivybridge in the 19th century a paper mill was constructed alongside it and this led to an increase in housing nearby. The paper mill recently closed, after over 150 years in the town, and the buildings are being converted to homes and shops. Although occasionally referred to as a dormitory town, many people work in the town itself, and agriculture continues to play an economic role for Ivybridge's hinterland. The area surrounding Ivybridge is almost completely farmland.

Ivybridge (Isleworth)

Ivybridge, formerly Mogden, is a locality in the southern part of Isleworth in west London. Formerly agricultural, it was the site of Mogden Isolation Hospital, later South Middlesex Hospital, from 1897 to 1991, and since 1936 has been the location of Mogden Sewage Treatment Works. It has the highest level of poverty in Isleworth.

The area is usually now called Ivybridge rather than Mogden. The Ivybridge estate is a council development with four tower blocks, with one of the highest levels of poverty in the Borough of Hounslow; many refugees have been placed there.

History

The area was formerly agricultural. In the early 19th century, Michael Keens developed two commercially important varieties of strawberry, Keens' Imperial and Keens' Seedling, on Worton Lane. In the 1890s, George Tebbutt was growing prize-winning damsons and lilies at Mogden House. The 18th-century house survives in Bankside Close.

River

The Duke of Northumberland's River flows through Ivybridge and was diverted to provide coolant for the sewage treatment plant. It is aboveground except for a small section near the main works buildings. The public footpath alongside it forms part of the Crane Walk.