Lydford
| Lydford | |
|---|---|
 St Petrock's Church, Lydford |
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 Lydford
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| Lydford shown within Devon | |
| Population | 394 (2001 Census) |
| OS grid reference | SX512850 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | EX20 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Lydford, sometimes spelled Lidford, is a village, once an important town, in Devon situated 7 miles (11 km) north of on the western fringe of Dartmoor in the West Devon district. There is an electoral ward with the same name which includes Princetown. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 2,047.
The village has a population of 458. The village stands on the small River Lyd, which traverses a deep narrow chasm, crossed by a bridge of single span; and at a little distance a tributary stream forms a cascade in an exquisite glen.
The village is noted for its history and surrounding countryside and is popular with tourists. From its Perpendicular church of St Petrock fine views of the Dartmoor tors are seen. The parish of Lydford is immense, embracing some 50,000 acres (200 km²) of land. Close to the church are slight remains of the castle of Lydford.
Running south west from the village is Lydford Gorge, a 1.5-mile (2.4-km) wooded gorge which has been cut through the slate rock by the River Lyd. The gorge area is owned by the National Trust. The gorge is noted for its 30-metre (100 ft) waterfall.
The original Anglo-Saxon names for the village were Hlidaford or Hlidan, from hlid, meaning a cover or lid, referring to the almost perfect concealment of the river beneath the chasm at the bridge, and ford (crossing). Over the years the name mutated via Lyghatford, Lidefort and Lideford to the contemporary spelling.
Historically Lydford was an economic powerhouse, not the peaceful village which it is today.
The village was established as one of the four Saxon burhs of Devon by king Alfred the Great. It first appears in recorded history in 997, when the Danes made a plundering expedition up the Tamar and Tavy as far as Hlidaforda (i.e. Lydford). The attack is described in the following passage from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:
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Wikipedia