Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England on the River Teign, with a population of 25,556. Newton Abbot holds a historic Cheese and Onion Fayre in honour of Saint Leonard; it was originally held from 5 to 7 November, but is now celebrated at the beginning of September. The town grew very rapidly in the Victorian era as it was home to the South Devon Railway locomotive works. This later became a major steam engine shed and was retained to service British Railways diesel locomotives, although it closed in 1981 and is now the site of an industrial estate. The town has a racecourse nearby, the most westerly racecourse in Britain, and has a country park, Decoy.