Heritage Harbour Blog

North Devon Journal

The River Torridge Heritage Group has been contributing this column in the North Devon Journal since December 2023. The column was previously written by the late Peter Christie, who did so much to research and promote the history and heritage of Bideford and North Devon.

The column follows a similar style with historical themed stories mixed with local politics and community interest.

The River Torridge Heritage Group is a partnership of local heritage organisations led by Way of the Wharves

Columns are copied here after publication

  • Symposium NDJ 29/01/2026

    From Sir Richard Grenville’s ill-fated attempts to set up a colony in the New World to the participation of North Devon ships in defending England against the Spanish Armada, Bideford’s role in key historical events of the sixteenth century is well recognised. But how much do we really know about what it was like to…

  • Libraries NDJ 22/02/26

    Among the most significant changes the switch to digital has brought in recent years is the change in use of libraries. Once focussed only on book lending, they are now hubs for everything from baby weigh ins to memory cafés. Now Devon County Council has put out a consultation on the best ways to maintain…

  • John Andrew’s Dole NDJ 15/01/2026

    Bideford Archive tells us of a curious custom dating back more than four hundred years which celebrated in Bideford every year on New Year’s Day: the distribution of John Andrew’s Dole. John Andrews was a 16th century Bideford merchant and Mayor. In 1942, it was reported that he had made a ‘goodly pile by importing salt…

  • Bideford to Westward Ho! Railway NDJ 08/01/2026

    The late Peter Christie, who contributed so much to this newspaper over many years, was a longstanding advocate of reinstating the old railway line between Bideford and Westward Ho! as a footpath and cycleway.  The Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore railway opened in 1901 but did not reach Appledore until 1908. It was built to…

  • Loneliness NDJ 01/01/2026

    It is usually assumed that young people in their early 20s have full and varied social lives and that it is the elderly who suffer most from the loneliness that is especially acute at Christmas time. That some older people in our community do suffer loneliness is sadly true. Reduced mobility, rural living, poor public…

  • Pirates NDJ 24/12/2025

    What is it about pirates that we see as attractive? Despite them being models of male violence and lawlessness, we encourage our children to dress up in pirate costume.  Our association with pirates is used to attract visitors and even to define our local identity.  The North Devon and Torridge Place Story, recently published to uphold…

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