15/09/2026
Tucked away in Stapledon Lane, Ashburton, stands this lovely old stone building, quietly carrying a piece of the town’s policing history.
From 1856 until 1899, this was Ashburton’s police station — and it was also the home of the local constable. Behind the innocent-looking windows were, at one time, cells for prisoners.
Imagine Ashburton in the second half of the 19th century. The sound of horses and carts along the lanes, the town busy with its markets and tradesmen, and the local constable living and working in this very building.
1856 is an especially significant date, as it was the year the Devon Constabulary was established. So this little station belonged to the very early days of organised county policing in Devon.
By 1900, the old station had been replaced by a larger police station in St Lawrence Lane, and this building returned to the quieter life of a Devon home.
Today, you'd probably walk past without giving it a second thought.
But look closely at the old stonework and those windows, and you can almost imagine the constable stepping out into Stapledon Lane.
Another little Devon story hiding in plain sight.
