Bideford
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The horrific detonation of nuclear bombs over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945 killed between 150 and 246 thousand people, mainly civilians. Soon after, Japan announced its surrender and 15 August was made the official V-J Day in the UK, commemorating the end of the Second World War. Bideford…
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Now that the Government has awarded nearly £1.5 million for ‘modernisation and improvements’ to Bideford Pannier Market, we are all looking forward to seeing what the plans are. The Town Council, who will be responsible for managing the project, has said that it will be ‘a community hub’, with ‘updated facilities’, offering ‘modern workspaces, high…
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Informal discussions continue about suggestions for a sculpture of a woman in Cooper Street to add to those commemorating Bideford’s (male) history. One contender is a formidable woman about whom we have already written in this column. Eliza Honey, who took over the running of the Bideford Gazette after the death of her husband and…
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Continuing the story of the MS Oldenburg’s arrival in Bideford. The year is 1985; the ship has just arrived at Poole from Wilhelmshaven, in Germany. She had been having problems with her fuel filters, so on arrival, the crew cleaned out the fuel tanks. One foot of sludge was found, and it was evil smelling,…
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On 4 May Appledore hosted the 200-year celebration of the RNLI. The day was fine and in the morning sunshine everyone could visit the Mollie Hunt, Appledore’s Tamar class all-weather lifeboat, brought along the quay while the tides were high. As people stood looking at the modern boat, all technology gleaming, leaflets were handed out to…
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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…
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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…
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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…
Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour 