Ottery St. Mary is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Devon; and is steeped in folklore and traditions that influenced and shaped the mind of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 -1834). It is the birthplace of the poet and philosopher, drawing thousands of visitors each year to explore Coleridge's early surroundings and to see his home. Coleridge's father was a well known vicar of St. Mary's Church as well as The Master of The King's School, both of which have been part of this historic town for hundreds of years. The school has changed through the centuries; and the church has been in use for nearly 700 years. St. Mary's Church is both beautiful and historic with many interesting features including the Astronomical Clock, one of the oldest mechanical clocks to survive in the country. It is based on Ptolemaic cosmology which ascribed to the theory that the Earth is the centre of the solar system.

One of the most well-known events at Ottery St Mary occurs every year on November 5th (Guy Fawkes Day). On this day the Flaming Tar Barrels are carried through the streets, and the town has a bonfire that burns Guy Fawkes in a fire reaching more than 30 feet high. Ottery St. Mary is one of the last towns to host the Flaming Tar Barrels, which brings numerous visitors despite the somewhat dangerous aspect associated with this event. In recent years the town has initiated safeguards in the hope of offsetting the possibility of serious problems during the event. It is interesting to note that Guy Fawkes died a pariah, but is now listed as one of the fifty greatest people from Yorkshire, and was ranked 30th in the 2002 list of the 100 Greatest Britons, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public. Fawkes is also personified by the mask, in the film "V" for Vendetta. Here he is considered a man who cherished his right to independent, democratic thought, not only as a man who fought for his religious freedom.

Another old tradition in Ottery St. Mary is Pixie Day, which is a re-enactment of a medieval tale concerning the pixies who stole the bells from the church, only to be recovered by the friars who "accidentally" broke the pixie spell. The mischievous pixies were banished from the town to the local caves known as the "Pixie's Parlour". Today the celebration takes place in the Town Square usually on a Saturday in June; and the legend is re-enacted by school children who "capture" the town's bell ringers (and some years the parish council) and imprison them in a construction of the Pixie's Parlour and only the Vicar of Ottery St Mary can rescue them.

It is easy to see that Ottery St. Mary is a place where you can find whatever you are seeking, whether it is the pastoral panorama, historic buildings, legends and folklore, or the immersion into the life of the poet and philosopher Samuel Coleridge. Whatever you are seeking, here you can find a bit of everything, including the hymn tune called "Ottery St Mary" and the tradition of the daily playing of the Old Ottery Song at the Church of St. Mary, which is played after the midday peal of the church bells. By the way, an inhabitant of the town is referred to as an "Ottregian".