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Bideford welcomed in the spring with a special History Day, held at the Amateur Athletic Centre on The Pill, organised in conjunction with the South West Maritime History Society. Ninety people packed into the hall, some from as far away as Birmingham, Bristol, and Gloucester, to hear a programme of talks focusing on the Tudor…
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Today at midnight the Government’s consultation on Local Government Reorganisation will close. The Government is seeking views on proposals that will see the end of district councils like Torridge and North Devon, as well as Devon County Council. Instead of two tiers of local government, with a different council responsible for collecting the rubbish from the one that…
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Bideford Regeneration Board’s Masterplan makes much of the town’s built heritage as well as our maritime history. But there is another aspect to our urban heritage which perhaps receives less attention: our arboreal heritage. From the ‘wonky conker’ on the Quay to the Monterrey pines at Chudleigh Fort, our town is rich in trees which…
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From Sir Richard Grenville’s ill-fated attempts to set up a colony in the New World to the participation of North Devon ships in defending England against the Spanish Armada, Bideford’s role in key historical events of the sixteenth century is well recognised. But how much do we really know about what it was like to…
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Among the most significant changes the switch to digital has brought in recent years is the change in use of libraries. Once focussed only on book lending, they are now hubs for everything from baby weigh ins to memory cafés. Now Devon County Council has put out a consultation on the best ways to maintain…
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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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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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The Appledore Book Festival has long provided a showcase for local history and this year’s exciting programme is no exception. What is exceptional is the quality and variety of the new research which has been brought together, and what are sure to be some compelling stories of north Devon folk who inhabited these shores in…
Bideford and River Torridge Heritage Harbour 