The village is 6 miles south-west of Okehampton on the edge of Dartmoor and on the A30 main road. It has a primary school, pre-school, village stores and post office,[2] a number of public houses and accommodation providers, Methodist chapel and village hall.
Landmarks
The parish church, St Bridget's Church, is mostly 13th and 15th century, with a west tower and some fragments of Norman work.[3] It is dedicated to the Irish Saint Bride or Bridget, who is depicted in one of the stained glass windows, and from whom the place-name is derived.[4] The church's distinctive gateway is described in White's Directories as "a fine Norman arch".[5]
The village contains the Georgian mansion Millaton House, the childhood home of Lord Carrington which served as a hospital run by American soldiers during the Second World War.[6][7] Also within the parish are an Elizabethan mansion Great Bidlake, the seat of the Bidlake family since 1268, and disused mine-workings which once produced lead and copper.
The town has a parish council which meets monthly.[8] The local paper is the Bridestowe and Sourton Extra.[9]
In 2001 the population of the parish was 552, compared with 457 in 1901.[10] There is an electoral ward with the same name; its population at the 2011 census was 1610.[11]
