Postbridge Visitor Centre is about to embark on a new chapter in its history as it undergoes a £500,000 extension.
Dartmoor National Park Authority is taking the next steps in its ambitious vision to transform the centre and tell the Dartmoor Bronze Age story in greater detail. The centre will close its doors from Monday 23 September for preparation work. Construction will start on 21 October and will last 32 weeks. Dartmoor is the most important area for Bronze Age archaeology in Western Europe with iconic sites such as the prehistoric settlement of Grimspound and the double stone rows at Merrivale.
The large, single-storey extension at Postbridge will create a new accessible exhibition space with interactive displays celebrating the internationally significant archaeological finds at Whitehorse Hill. This is the next step in a long-term project to reimagine and improve the offer at Postbridge, led by Dartmoor National Park Authority and has been made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported Moor than meets the eye [MTMTE] Landscape Partnership Scheme.
The National Park Authority also successfully secured £500,000 in funding from the Rural Development Programme for England to fund the building works, enhancing the work already undertaken through the MTMTE partnership. Pamela Woods, Chair of Dartmoor National Park Authority, said: “These are very exciting times for Dartmoor.
The transformation from start to finish is a complex project but one that will be handled as sensitively as possible. “The redevelopment of Postbridge will give us a wonderful opportunity to tell Dartmoor’s story in greater detail, offering visitors a fascinating insight into the people who once lived in this wild and special place. We hope it will encourage people to stay in the area for longer, something that will benefit the local economy too.”
The plans for the extended centre will be in display on the 17 September. Members of the public are invited to come and see them and also look at some of the new interactive interpretation already in place at the centre, before it closes.
Inevitably, work of this nature will mean there will be some disruption but every effort will be made to keep this to a minimum. Part of the car park and the toilets will remain open during this period. During the Postbridge closure, the nearest visitor centre will be Princetown. Donate for Dartmoor supports a variety of projects across Dartmoor. Donations of time and money are essential for us to be able to look after the heritage and wildlife of Dartmoor and to make it a place for everyone to enjoy today, tomorrow and for the future.