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Continuing the story of the MS Oldenburg’s arrival in Bideford. The year is 1985; the ship has just arrived at Poole from Wilhelmshaven, in Germany. She had been having problems with her fuel filters, so on arrival, the crew cleaned out the fuel tanks. One foot of sludge was found, and it was evil smelling,…
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With the Wimbledon season upon us, the good folk at Bideford and District Community Archive have been looking into the origins of the Atlantic Racquet Centre. From 1946, friends and enthusiasts played as a Tennis Club on the Council owned courts in Golf Links Road in Westward Ho! but as time went on it was…
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One of the most distinctive features of the creative heritage of our part of the world is the ornamental plasterwork dating from the seventeenth century which decorates some of our historic houses. One of the masterworks is the magnificent barrel-vaulted ceiling at Lanhydrock House, recently restored, in which scenes from the Old Testament are intermingled…
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The MS Oldenburg is a regular sight in Bideford, but how much is known about her history? She started out in 1958 as a Friesian Island cargo/passenger ferry operated by the German Railway Company Deutz Bundesbahn. She was very strongly built to withstand winter ice and able to carry an amazing 370 passengers. Her next role was…
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The last Estuary Strategy document was published by Torridge District Council in 2014 and is described as ‘lapsed’ due to significant changes that have happened since then: two changes of ownership of Appledore Shipyard, the development of the Clean Maritime Innovation Centre and a new Economic Strategy. Seaweed farming started in Bideford Bay, there are…
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On 4 May Appledore hosted the 200-year celebration of the RNLI. The day was fine and in the morning sunshine everyone could visit the Mollie Hunt, Appledore’s Tamar class all-weather lifeboat, brought along the quay while the tides were high. As people stood looking at the modern boat, all technology gleaming, leaflets were handed out to…
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The recent planning application by the owners of Richmond Dock, Appledore has understandably generated a lot of discussion locally. The Wheatcroft Collection, claiming to be the largest collection of Second World War vehicles and artefacts in private hands, purchased Richmond Dock in 2020 in order to house their collection of boats and maritime artefacts, including…
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The announcement that WW2 has ended in Europe was broadcast to the British people over the radio late on 7 May 1945. The BBC interrupted its scheduled programming with a news flash announcing that Victory in Europe Day would be a national holiday, taking place on 8 May. Bideford & District Community Archive has…
Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour 