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
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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…
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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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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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