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

  • 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…

  • Heritage at Christmas NDJ 18/12/2025

    When you were young was there always a satsuma or clementine at the bottom of your Christmas stocking? Did you ever wonder why or just put it down to some strange whim of Father Christmas? When Devon ports became seriously involved in the cod fishery off Newfoundland in the 1600s there was no permanent European…

  • Christmas Shopping NDJ 11/12/2025

    It is a shame that last year’s highly successful Frost Fair in Bideford is not going to be repeated this year. However, the good folks at Bideford Archive had a search through their collection of the Bideford Gazette newspapers and found some interesting snippets from Christmas past. It is interesting to note that some successful…

  • Challenges for the Voluntary Sector NDJ 04/12/25

    Heritage organisations like ours are vitally dependent on the voluntary sector but, like everyone else, they are finding the current economic environment very tough.  The heritage voluntary sector is a diverse ecosystem dominated by large charities like National Trust and an enormous number of smaller community groups where volunteers contribute to a wide range of activities. In…

  • Sir William Reardon Smith NDJ 27/11/2025

    Bideford Community Hospital opened in 1925 and is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a major feature of the town this year. The building of the hospital was made possible thanks to a generous donation from Sir William Reardon Smith, a wealthy shipowner who was born in Appledore in 1856. He made major contributions to hospitals in…

  • Solar panels and heritage NDJ 20/11/2025

    How best to look after our heritage when funds are short and there is a pressing need to reduce carbon emissions? This is a dilemma confronting all local councils across the country, but it is particularly difficult to solve here because we have so much heritage to look after – in both the built and…

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