Bideford
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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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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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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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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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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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Last year we reported on the planned demolition of Bideford’s first collar factory on the site of the old Littlejohns Coal Yard. Sadly, that historic building has been demolished, but a recent donation of 14 different styles of collars to Bideford and Community Archive provides another opportunity to reflect on an industry that contributed so…
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The number of ships using Bideford as a port has much reduced over the years. Ships queuing up to cross the bar and double moored on the quays to discharge cargoes are just memories. Of course, it didn’t just stop overnight there were a series of changes which impacted port operations. Improvements to roads and…
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We hear that Navantia, Appledore will shortly start cutting steel for the bow sections of the first new Fleet Solid Support Ships. A massive 100 x 30-metre barge will transport them to Belfast. It should be something to watch as it comes in and going out of the estuary fully laden. When we hear about…
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Few people look upstream of Bideford Long Bridge and imagine industry and shipping. However, vessels transited up as far as Weare Gifford. The arches of Bideford Long Bridge dictated all activity upstream, even the size of the sea lock at Rolle Canal: the widest arch on the bridge is 20 feet and so is the…
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One hundred years ago, on 23 September 1925, a new hospital was opened on Abbotsham Road. Bideford & District Community Archive has researched the background to the Bideford Community Hospital, which is still a key element of our community. Although there was a public dispensary in Bideford, the need for hospital beds became evident and…
Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour 