Ottery St Mary is situated on the River Otter in East Devon 11 miles from Exeter. It is another small Devon town with a long history with its Parish boundary first being documented during the reign of Edward the Confessor, prior to the Norman invasion.
Ottery St Mary is also noted as the birthplace of Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1772, the well known Poet and one of the founders of the Romantic movement in England. The town's Church of St Mary was mostly rebuilt in the 14th century and slightly resembles Exeter cathedral. Another notable feature of the town is the Tumbling Weir which is a circular weir that was built in the late 18th century as part of building a new wool processing plant.
The town has an interesting clebration on Guy Fawkes night when tar filled barrels are set alight and carried through the streets.
Other attractions include Cadhay, a classic tudor mansion which was built by John Haydon in 1550, but remodelled in Georgian times. It has a Courtyard with statues of various monarchs and is available to be hired out for special occasions. Also nearby is the Escot aquatic centre. Ottery St Mary is also a good base to explore the Jurassic coast.