Bideford
-
As the summer season approaches, it is good to recall that the quays, wharves and banks of the river Torridge have always been the focus for regattas, galas, markets and celebrations. Generations of children learned to swim by Bideford Bridge and there was even horse racing on the sand exposed at low tide along the…
-
With disputes about funding for North Devon District Hospital in the news, and a proposal to create a community health and wellbeing hub at Bideford Hospital, it is interesting to remember that hospital provision in the past was not free of controversy. Volunteers from Bideford Community Archive write that Bideford Isolation Hospital was first established…
-
When the Bideford Manor Court met in the Town Hall in March 2024 there were a number of ‘presentments’ considered by the jury. These included cleaning the Kingsley statue by Victoria Park (completed within a couple of months) and celebrating the recognition, by the Maritime Heritage Trust in January of that year, of Bideford and…
-
We are all aware of Bideford’s outstanding pottery heritage, but it is not very evident in the town or celebrated publicly. A Millenium project a generation ago sought to remedy this by constructing a replica bottle kiln in Victoria Park, next to the Burton Art Gallery. Although it was somewhat smaller than the many kilns…
-
Regeneration of our town centres is high on everyone’s wish list, so it was interesting to see a new report just published that sets out twelve principles for reviving our town centres. It is of particular interest to the River Torridge Heritage Group as it strongly advocates celebrating local history and culture. The report is entitled…
-
Picture the scene, the date is late 1855, a young married couple in their 20s are heading purposefully up Market St towards their new business. It is the Bideford Gazette newspaper. The couple are soberly dressed as befits members of the Wesleyan Church community. The Honeys, for this is who they are, Thomas and Eliza, are newly…
-
Not so long ago, Bideford had a reputation for being one of the best places in the country to celebrate New Year’s Eve. When 1997 became 1998, a couple of thousand people gathered on the quay in fancy dress, and a letter in the local paper said that, after Trafalgar Square and Edinburgh, it was…
Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour 