ABSTRACT
Since 1970, the population geography of Britain has undergone a profound change, during a sustained period of minimal natural growth. The basic patterns of counter-urbanisation within the UK have been well described at the regional and sub-regional scales. This chapter provides information on recent demographic, social and economic change with reference to a remote rural area in Devon. Such changes will be interpreted with reference to current theories of counter-urbanisation. The chapter focuses on a remote rural area that demonstrated a recent reversal of depopulation, a locality was required which exhibited a high degree of rurality and remoteness in 1971; that had a history of depopulation prior to 1971. The small number of declining parishes (five) makes generalisation about decline difficult, but there is some evidence to suggest that it tends to be found in parishes which are small, remote, and characterised by a highly dispersed settlement pattern.
