Avonwick
{{Short description|Village in Devon, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| region = South West England
| shire_county = Devon
| shire_district = South Hams
| civil_parish = North Huish
| official_name = Avonwick
| type = Village
| os_grid_reference = SX715584
| label_position = bottom
| coordinates = {{coord|50.409|-3.814|display=inline,title}}
| post_town =
| postcode_area = TQ
| postcode_district = TQ10
| dial_code = 01364
| constituency_westminster =
| static_image_name = St James Church, Avonwick - geograph.org.uk - 1067227.jpg
| static_image_caption = St James's Church, Avonwick
}}
Avonwick is a village in the civil parish of North Huish, in the South Hams district, in the county of Devon, England. The River Avon runs through the settlement and the village's name derives from avon meaning river, and wick an old word for village,[https://web.archive.org/web/20160516230613/http://www.cornishsurname.matthewcornish.info/articles/132.htm St James' Church Avonwick on the Society of Cornishes website] but it was not so named until the 1870s, previously being known as Newhouse.Gover, J.E.B., Mawer, A. & Stenton, F.M. (1931). The Place-Names of Devon. English Place-Names Society. Vol viii. Part I. Cambridge University Press. P.303.
Avonwick has about 120 houses in the main village and has rapidly grown in size over the last few years, with three developments adding 17 houses in the late 1990s,{{Cite web|url=http://apps.southhams.gov.uk/PlanningSearchMVC/Home/Details/890230|title=Planning Application Details 38/0250/89/1|website=South Hams District Council}} 7 houses in 2000{{Cite web|url=http://apps.southhams.gov.uk/PlanningSearchMVC/Home/Details/020416|title=Planning Application Details 38/0509/00/F|website=South Hams District Council}} and 33 houses in 2012.{{Cite web|url=http://apps.southhams.gov.uk/PlanningSearchMVC/Home/Details/110767|title=Planning Application Details 38/0793/11/F|website=South Hams District Council}}
The village church, dedicated to St James in 1878,{{Cite web|url=http://www.avonwickchurch.co.uk/About|title=About the church - St James's Church, Avonwick|website=www.avonwickchurch.co.uk|access-date=2020-04-26}} is one of only a few proprietary chapels remaining in the country. The village also has a pub,{{Cite web|url=https://avon-inn.org.uk/|title=Welcome to The Avon Inn|website=Avon Inn|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-04-26}} one of the oldest lawn tennis clubs in the world[http://www.socialtennis.com/avonwick / Avon Vale Tennis and Croquet Club] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130202123925/http://www.socialtennis.com/avonwick |date=2013-02-02 }} and a garage, with a further restaurant on the road to South Brent.[http://www.turtleycornmill.com/ The Turtley Corn Mill] The village had a succession of shops from 1871, but the last village shop closed in 2018.
The village has one of the oldest walkways in Devon: known as the Cobbly Way or Cobbly Walk, the cobbled track alongside the river shows traces of ancient cart ruts over its 400-yard length.{{Cite book|title=A story of North Huish and Avonwick|last=Scott|first=Christine|publisher=Short Run Press Limited|year=2010|location=Exeter|pages=8}}
Avonwick railway station opened about {{convert|0.5|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} outside the village in 1893, on the branch line between South Brent and Kingsbridge. The station and line closed in 1963.