Bickleigh East Devon Tony Howell Heart of Devon ImagesPicturesque Bickleigh draws visitors to its riverside setting © Tony Howell, Heart of Devon Images 

Mid Devon was shaped by the wool industry. Mills were built, the great churches were financed from wool wealth, and inconsequential villages became important market towns through this white gold.

We generally know it as the M5 Corridor but this region is actually part of Mid Devon, though too rewarding to leave out of a guide to East Devon. Mid Devon was shaped by the wool industry. Mills were built, the great churches were financed from wool wealth, and inconsequential villages became important market towns through this white gold. Industry needs power, and the wool industry needed water to drive the mills. Before the arrival of the motorway, the area was defined by two great rivers, the Culm and the Exe, which provided this power.

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