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

  • Activity on the River Torridge NDJ 10/10/24

    Upstream of Bideford Long Bridge, the river has seen a lot of activity in the last few weeks. Each year Skern Lodge takes around six thousand young people to canoe and raft from the steps at Little America and travel downstream through the Long Bridge and Bideford Harbour – they are the largest annual number…

  • The potential of heritage tourism NDJ 19/09/24

    Apparently the 2024 tourist season has not been a good one locally. National press reports have quoted a Bideford business as ‘hanging on by a thread’. The Director of Visit Devon says there have been ‘serious declines’ in tourist numbers throughout the county. Inflation has put pressure on family budgets while poor UK weather and…

  • A trip up the River Torridge 2 NDJ 12/09/24

     Continuing our trip up the River Torridge, we start at Bideford Quay this time. The quay has developed over many years and used to be much closer to the buildings which line the road. Within recent memory, it was not unusual to see shops and pubs flooded on high tides. However, there is now a…

  • A trip up the River Torridge NDJ 12/09/24

     Continuing our trip up the River Torridge, we start at Bideford Quay this time. The quay has developed over many years and used to be much closer to the buildings which line the road. Within recent memory, it was not unusual to see shops and pubs flooded on high tides. However, there is now a…

  • Learning about our heritage NDJ 5/09/24

    This week, pupils in Devon return to school. A new school year usually means a new teacher. For some it will be the first day at school, for others a transition to a new school, preparing for exams, and maybe the first steps toward higher qualifications. For all of them, their experiences at school will…

  • Devon Rivers Manifesto NDJ 29/08/24

    What can be done about the quality of our river water? We have written before about how important clean water is to us here in Torridge, not just to safeguard the health of rowers, paddleboarders and others – human and animal – who use the river, but because the Torridge underpins our identity and our…

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