Totnes
| Totnes | |
|---|---|
The Eastgate over High Street in 2019 | |
Totnes Location within Devon | |
| Population | 8,241 (2021 census) |
| OS grid reference | SX805605 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Totnes |
| Postcode district | TQ9 |
| Dialling code | 01803 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Totnes (/ˈtɒtnəs/ TOT-nuhss or /tɒtˈnɛs/ tot-NESS) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England. It is about 5 miles (8 km) west of Paignton, about 7 miles (11 km) west-southwest of Torquay and about 20 miles (32 km) east-northeast of Plymouth, adjacent to the South Devon National Landscape. It is the administrative centre of the South Hams District Council. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 8,241.
Totnes has a long recorded history, dating back to 907, when its first castle was built. By the twelfth century it was already an important market town, and its former wealth and importance may be seen from the number of merchants' houses built in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Today, the town has a sizeable alternative and New Age community, known as a place where one can live a bohemian lifestyle, though has in recent times also gained a reputation as being a hotspot for conspiracy theorists within the UK.