Ipplepen is a village and civil parish located within the Teignbridge district of the county of Devon in south-west England. A priory was located there. There is an electoral ward with the same name. The population at the 2011 census was 2,469.

Location

Ipplepen is situated about 6 km to the southwest of the market town of Newton Abbot, 9 km from the southern edge of Dartmoor and about 11 km to the northwest of Torquay. Other nearby villages include Torbryan, Broadhempston, Denbury, Marldon and Abbotskerswell.

Amenities

Ipplepen now has only one public house, The Wellington, situated close to the heart of the village on the main road. The Plough Inn, adjacent to the Conservative Club, closed in January 2009 and was then put up for sale. The village has a primary school, park, bowling club, village hall, post office, general store, two churches and a medical centre. The football club has a very good youth section. The village library closed temporarily in 2008, while a new library building was being built. The main transport link is the A381 road to Newton Abbot and Totnes. St Andrew’s Anglican parish church is a Grade I listed building.

Population

The population of Ipplepen during 1801 and 1901 was 821 and 813 respectively. By the time of the 1991 Census in the United Kingdom, the population of 'Ipplepen with Torbryan' had increased to 2446. The average age was 42 years and 68.9% were described as being in 'good health'.

Archaeology

Archaeological excavations in Ipplepen have found Roman coins, a portion of a Roman road, a Roman-era butcher’s shop, and various broken ceramics of Mediterranean and Gallic origin which once contained wine, olive oil and garum (fish sauce). In 2015 an important Roman cemetery was uncovered by a team from the University of Exeter. Tests on a skeleton demonstrated continuing activity at the site for 350 years after the end of the Roman occupation of Britain in about 410 AD. Archaeologists said that "the discoveries were both nationally and regionally important." The site was originally discovered by metal detectorists.

Notable residents

Notable residents of the past and present include: