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We have had some hot weather recently which has given great pleasure to locals and holidaymakers. But it’s not only the weather that has been steaming. One of the visitors who came from Kent was returning to Bideford for the first time in some 80 years. In the 1930s, when the builders merchant Devon Trading…
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Sole, Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea, Shannon Southwest 6 to gale 8, increasing severe gale 9 at times, occasionally storm 10 later in Shannon. Rough or very rough in Lundy and Irish Sea, otherwise very rough or high, occasionally very high in Shannon. Occasional rain. Moderate or good, occasionally poor. If you are an insomniac then…
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The last Estuary Strategy document was published by Torridge District Council in 2014 and is described as ‘lapsed’ due to significant changes that have happened since then: two changes of ownership of Appledore Shipyard, the development of the Clean Maritime Innovation Centre and a new Economic Strategy. Seaweed farming started in Bideford Bay, there are…
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The recent planning application by the owners of Richmond Dock, Appledore has understandably generated a lot of discussion locally. The Wheatcroft Collection, claiming to be the largest collection of Second World War vehicles and artefacts in private hands, purchased Richmond Dock in 2020 in order to house their collection of boats and maritime artefacts, including…
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A photograph that turned up in the Bideford and District Community Archive shows a man and a fish. The man has a late 1960s hairstyle, with a fringe and his hair growing over his ears. It’s reminiscent of the early Beatles and he’s wearing an arran pattern sweater – very fashionable at the time. The…
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Climate change brings many challenges and Rosemoor Gardens, Torrington have found a way to reduce their use of mains water for irrigation by working with heritage. The Rolle Canal may not be the oldest heritage site locally, but at seven miles length it can lay claim to being the longest. The canal was built by…
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From the coast path between Bideford and Appledore, you can see the remains of four wooden vessels. Some are just a few pieces of wood sticking out of the mud, and what is visible varies as the tide and currents move the sediment about. Others, with the hull and superstructure still present, were clearly once…
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When British Summer Time began at 1am on Sunday 30 March, news stories mentioned not only that evenings would be longer but that the time of daybreak would vary across the United Kingdom. It is some twenty-five minutes earlier in London to the east than Londonderry in the west. The Bideford dawn occurs eight minutes…
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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…
Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour 