A Dartmoor-edge town on the River Erme
Ivybridge is a town in the South Hams district of Devon. It sits at the southern edge of Dartmoor National Park, along the A38 Devon Expressway. Its built-up area had 12,490 residents at the 2021 census.
The town takes its name from a small 13th-century hump-backed bridge over the River Erme. For centuries it was an important crossing on the road from Exeter to Plymouth. However, a new bridge joining Fore Street and Exeter Road opened in the 1830s. After that, the Ivy Bridge was no longer the only crossing.
Stowford Paper Mill was built in 1787 and rebuilt in the 1860s. It was the town’s largest employer until it closed in 2013, after 226 years. Since then, work has been under way to turn its buildings into homes and shops. Meanwhile, the railway arrived in 1848, crossing the Erme on a viaduct about 104 feet high.
A town that grew fast
Ivybridge became a town in 1977. Through the 1980s and 1990s it grew rapidly, helped by the new A38 beside it. In fact, it earned the title of fastest-growing town in Europe during that period.
The railway runs along the north of the town and the A38 along the south. As a result, most new housing has spread east and west rather than north or south. The main shopping area runs along Fore Street, close to the river. Many residents commute into Plymouth along the A38.
The town is also a starting point for walks onto southern Dartmoor. For instance, one route follows the old china clay railway up to Redlake. Another follows the Erme through Longtimber Woods, and the Two Moors Way begins here too.
What an installation here tends to involve
The town is hilly, because the River Erme runs right through its centre. Homes on higher or more open ground can be more exposed to wind than those in the valley. Therefore, an installer will usually look for a sheltered wall for the outdoor unit.
Newer homes on the east and west sides often have straightforward access, which keeps pipe runs short. In contrast, older properties near the river can have thicker walls and less space around them. Either way, the job follows the same split-system process our installation page sets out. What installation typically costs is worth checking beforehand.
UK law requires an F-Gas certified engineer to carry out any refrigerant work. It is worth asking to see that certificate before the fit begins. Similarly, it helps to note on the enquiry form where the outdoor unit could go. What happens on installation day explains how many days that tends to take.
Coverage from Plymouth
Ivybridge is about 11.4 miles by road from Plymouth, around 20 minutes’ drive. Plymouth air conditioning installation covers the city end of that route. In a straight line, it is just under 10 miles. The A38 carries most of that journey.
Plympton, a Plymouth district, sits on the same corridor, and the 20 and 20A buses run between the two via Lee Mill. Efford, another Plymouth district, falls in the same coverage area. Kingsbridge lies further south in the South Hams, and our coverage reaches it as well.
Getting matched in Ivybridge
Send one enquiry and we match your address with one pre-qualified installer who works here. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Get in touch through the contact page. The installation page explains what a typical split-system fit involves before you send your enquiry.