Hopes £500k restoration can reveal abbey's secrets
BBCRestoring a medieval tower could offer a "once-in-a-century opportunity" to learn about the site and its surrounding area, the team behind a £500,000 project said.
Betsy Grimbal's Tower, which has been derelict for centuries, is believed to have been the great western gateway to Tavistock Abbey, much of which was destroyed in 1539 during the dissolution of the monasteries.
The restoration forms part of the wider Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey project set up by Tavistock Heritage Trust and Tavistock Town Council.
Organisers hope the work will be the first step in a wider effort to uncover more of the abbey's hidden history and how the monastery shaped the Devon town's development.
Founded in 974, the abbey was a Benedictine monastery which Tavistock Heritage Trust said became "one of the most influential" in south-west England.
How the tower got its name remains a matter of debate, with trust chairman David Conn saying one theory was linked to a local woman called Betsy Grimbal who was murdered in the gateway.
Another theory has suggested it was named after the Blessed Grimbald, a Benedictine saint.
Conn said restoring the building could unlock the site's secrets.
"The county archaeologist said this was a once-in-a-century opportunity to find out about the sequencing and layout of the abbey buildings," Conn added.
The project includes archaeological investigations, community digs and historical research to help reveal more about the medieval monastery.
The conservation work is being carried out by specialists from DBR, who have carried out other high-profile restoration projects at Big Ben, Nelson's Column, Hampton Court Palace and Canterbury Cathedral.
Funding for the project has come from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England, alongside contributions from the town council and Tavistock Heritage Trust.
Conn said the tower restoration was the culmination of years of research, fundraising and work to explore Tavistock's past.
Work is due to be completed in October and the site is expected to reopen to visitors next spring with new interpretation boards explaining its history.
"The beauty of doing these conservation projects is that you're opening up a building that has just been going to waste," he said.
"People long after I've gone will be able to come in and understand, with some research, what this building was and what was happening in it."
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