Barnstaple | Everything Exmoor National Park

Barnstaple

Barnstaple is a town in the county of Devon. It is the main town in the local government district of North Devon and claims to be the oldest borough in the United Kingdom, with a population of 24,500. It was founded as the lowest crossing point of the River Taw.

It was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Reform Act 1835. Since 1974, it has been a civil parish with a town council.

Barnstaple is sometimes refered to, both locally and further afield, as Barum. The origin of this name is obscure, but has, like many local place-names derivations, been accepted as being in use since pre-Saxon times. Mentioned by Shakespeare, the name was revived and popularised in Victorian times, featuring in several novels of the time. The name is retained in the names of a football team, brewery, and several other local businesses.

Barnstaple Long Bridge

The Pannier Market dates back to Saxon times and runs the length of Butchers Row. Market days are Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. According to the UK newspaper 'The Independent' the Pannier market is voted one of the top ten food markets in Britain.

Butchers Row was built around the same time as the market, Butchers Row consists of 33 shops with pilasters of bath stone, and wrought iron supports to an overhanging roof. Very few of the shops remain as butchers although the new shops still continue to sell some form of agricultural goods, from bakers and delicatessens to florists.

The ceremonial opening of the Barnstaple Fair survives from very ancient times. The Town Council meets in the Guildhall, where various toasts are honoured with a spiced ale which, according to tradition, is made from a jealously guarded recipe handed on from generation to generation. Whilst the toasts are being honoured, "fairings". (a form of sweetmeat) are handed around. On the reading of the Proclamation a large stuffed gloved hand "garlanded" with flowers is hung from a window of the Guildhall. The gloved hand represents the hand of friendship and the hand of welcome to the thousands that come to the fair. At 12 o’clock, a civic procession forms at the entrance to the Guildhall and the proclamation is read.

Barnstaple Clock Tower

The fair begins on the Wednesday before the 20th September each year.

www.barnstaple.co.uk

The North Devon Museum and the Queen Anne's Heritage Centre are in the town.

Alongside the railway station, there is an entry point where walkers and cyclists may join the Tarka Trail.

Barnstaple, the country's oldest borough, is the region's largest retail, commercial, and leisure centre. As well as the usual highstreet names, however, there is the unique Butchers Row, and the adjacent nineteenth century pannier market, selling local produce. The North Devon Museum and the Queen Anne's Heritage Centre are in the town. Alongside the railway station, there is an entry point where walkers and cyclists may join the Tarka Trail.

Pannier market and butchers row

After the completion of the Guildhall in 1827, the Borough Council undertook a major redevelopment of the area behind it. The proposals included the construction of a Pannier Market to replace the existing vegetable market and the formation of a new road, "Butchers Row", linking the High Street with Boutport Street. On one side of the road would be the Pannier Market and on the other would have 33 Butchers' Shops. The scheme, which was completed in 1855, was designed by R. D. Gould, the Borough Surveyor, who was also responsible for the design (A the Albert Clock, Bridge Buildings and Briage Chambers.

Barnstaple Pannier Market

Before the Pannier Market was built, those with produce or goods to sell would bring them to Barnstaple in baskets or panniers and line the side of the High Street between Cross Street and lQwer Boutport Street. The construction of the Market eased congestion that this practice caused, yet maintained the tradition of people selling excess produce whilst providing a purpose built market hall to protect the buyers and sellers from the worst of the elements. Today, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays of each week, the Pannier Market is full of stalls which display a great range of goods. It is a thriving market with a good atmosphere which is well worth a visit. The unique row of butchers' shops still exists, although fish and vegetable shops and a delicatessen have replaced some of the butchers' businesses.

Marwood Hill, Barnstaple - open all year, this is a beautiful valley garden well worth a visit. The many rare trees and shrubs have resulted in a 20 acre garden with an exuberance of colour and masses of flowers. It houses the National Collection of astilbes and in summer these flower in profusion along the damp margins of the lakes and streams.These lakes, linked by the biggest bog garden in the West, are alive with ducks and multicoloured carp.

Castle Hill, Near Barnstaple - the Palladian House is set in an 18th century parkland landscape with grass terraces and statues leading down to the river and lakes. Many of the paths are punctuated with follies and temples and the final path takes you to the Castle with splendid views to Exmoor, Dartmoor and Lundy Island. Gardens open daily, except Saturday, from April to August.

The name of Barnstaple probably derives from the Old English "Beardan Stapol" meaning the post (perhaps a trading post) of a man called Bearda. The first settlement was located on the east bank of the River Taw at the point where the estuary narrowed to a fordable width. By the 9th and 10th centuries, the settlement had become more important than the original hilltop dwellings and defences first created against the invading Danes at nearby Pilton.

Barnstaple, situated some seven miles from the mouth of the River Taw, is one of the oldest boroughs in Britain having received its first charter from King Athelstan, the grandson of Alfred the Great. By Doomsday, in 1086, Barnstaple had a regular market and a coin mint. During the 12th Century, Barnstaple was walled and fortified against intruders, the castle mound, about 12 metres across, may still be seen opposite the Civic Centre. Further charters were granted in the reigns of Henry I, John, Henry VI, Mary and James I. During the Middle and Elizabethan Ages, the town was a major shipbuilding port with a thriving textile industry. Exeter, Plymouth and then Barnstaple were the richest and most important towns in Devon throughout medieval times. In the thirteenth century, much of the town belonged to the Tracey family, whose infamous ancestor was one of the four Knights who murdered Thomas Beckett in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.

Barnstaple Heritage Centre

The first bridge was built across the Taw in 1437, with sixteen arches and a length of 213 metres, it has been renewed and widened many times since then. The stone piers supporting today's bridge are largely original. Legend tells that Tom Faggus, the Exmoor Highwayman who features in Lorna Doone, was trapped in the centre of the bridge by his assailants closing in from both ends, with a whispered command to his strawberry mare, they cleared the bridge parapet and both rider and horse swam safely away escaping their pursuers. For many years, until 1961, the bridge was managed by Trustees known as the Feoffees ('feoff' is an old English word meaning 'landlord' or a 'person in the possession of land'). With the onset of motor traffic, the trustees were obliged to apply a speed limit to the bridge in 1905, "No locomotive should exceed 2 miles per hour, any vehicle taking longer than 4 minutes and 19 seconds to cross the 253 yard length of the bridge would be liable to a fine of £10.00"! Eventually, new regulations, and the prospect of expenditure far beyond the Feoffees means saw the end of the long history of bridge trustees in Barnstaple.

In Elizabethan times, the town was prosperous through its textile industry and bustling port. In the 17th Century, the Great Quay was built to facilitate cargo handling from merchant ships, around the same period land was drained at the end of the bridge and, in due course, the formal square was created. Tobacco was imported from the New World, pottery, textiles and tools were exported. Such prosperity led to Barnstaple having its own theatre, one of very few in the West Country, in which William Shakespeare and his company played in 1605, for which he received a gift of ten shillings.

At the outbreak of Civil War in 1642, the town sided with Parliament, but was to change sides four times during the ensuing battles. The final battle for Barnstaple was commenced in April 1646, when a large detachment of Parliamentary forces laid siege to the town for five weeks before gaining a surrender from the Barnstaple Royalists, the rest of Devon was already occupied by Cromwell's Parliamentarians.

Pottery has been an important industry for the area since the 13th century, notably Barum Ware and Brannams pottery. For centuries, Barnstaple was the centre of a thriving woollen industry. By the eighteenth century, the manufacturing had diminished to make way for importing Irish wool and yarns, which were manufactured into goods in the towns of mid-Devon. As the estuary silted up and became shallower, a lot of this sea borne trade passed to the port at nearby Bideford. A brief revival in foreign trade took place in the 1800's when bonded warehouses were established in Barnstaple trading with the Baltic, France, Spain, Portugal and North America. In the 18th Century, Queen Anne's Walk was built as a merchant's exchange.

There is still much evidence of historic buildings and fine architecture to be seen in the centre of Barnstaple. The Penrose Almshouses (1627) in Lichdon Street, Boutport Street, Queen Anne's Walk (1796), Butchers Row, originally built to house the town's 33 butchers in separate cubicles. The Pannier Market (1855) covers some 4200 square metres and is to be found between the High Street and Boutport Street, open Tuesdays and Fridays. For further insight into the fascinating history of this town, you will find a museum housed in the North Devon Athenaeum (1870) situated at the North end of the Long Bridge opposite the square. This fine private house, along with the land known as Rock Park, was given to the town by William Rock in 1888.

The arrival of the railways brought increased prosperity to the town which was once the meeting place of five different railway lines. The first to open was the London & South Western from Barnstaple to Exeter line in 1854.

The oldest church in Barnstaple is the Church of St Peter and St Paul. The nave, chancel and tower represent the original church dedicated 1318 by Bishop Stapledon. There is clear evidence of earlier stonework, the north and south aisles, constructed in 1670, probably replaced earlier buildings. The oddly twisted spire is attributed to a lightning strike in the early 1800's.

Today, Barnstaple is very much the shopping centre for North Devon and the administrative centre for North Devon District Council. There is a wide range of shops in the town, and at the Green Lanes shopping Centre, there are also other well known shops situated on the outskirts of the town. Traditional shopping may be experienced at the Victorian Pannier Market or Butchers Row with its open fronted shops.

From June until September, "Barnstaple in Bloom" is a marvellous spectacle to behold, a riot of floral colour. Baskets and stands tend to go on display in early June, followed by the major floral displays in mid-July. The town has an impressive list of wins to its credit since the inception of "Barnstaple in Bloom" in 1990.

The town is at the very heart of North Devon, with roads leading to Ilfracombe, Lynton, Taunton, Tiverton, Exeter and Bideford. The town's recent expansion has been aided by easy access from the M5 Junction 27 via the North Devon Link Road. From the Portmore Roundabout, on the outskirts of Barnstaple, the Atlantic Highway, A39, gives speedy access to the towns and villages beyond Barnstaple as you approach the border with Cornwall. These include Bideford, Great Torrington, Appledore, Westward Ho!, Clovelly and Hartland.

The Barnstaple Heritage Centre is housed in the listed Queen Anne's Walk building. Opened in 1998, the Centre tells the visitor much of the history of this ancient and prominent North Devon town. The Heritage Centre is open Monday to Saturday from 10am - 5pm from April to October, and Monday to Friday 10am - 4.30pm, Saturdays 3.30pm, from November to March.

Further insight into the history of this area can be gained by visiting The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon, which is situated in The Square at the end of the Long Bridge. The museum is open all year from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm, with free admission.

Barnstaple Alms Houses

Pannier Market: Tuesday, Friday & Saturday

North Devon Leisure Centre

Barnstaple is an ideal base when discovering the picturesque Tarka Trail.

The Tarka Line running through the scenic Taw valley, 39 miles from Barnstaple to Exeter. For further information go to www.wessextrains.co.uk

Famous Barnstaple People
John Wilson, a ship's captain taken prisoner by the Spanish prior to the "Armada". He was ordered to act as pilot for the Armada, but refused despite threats to his life. Eventually, he was freed by the King of Spain who was impressed by his staunch patriotism.

John Gay, born 1685, author of The Beggars Opera.

Sir Francis Chichester (1901 - 1972):

In 1929, he became only the second person to fly solo to Australia in a Gypsy Moth plane.
1960. Winner of the first Single-Handed Trans-Atlantic Race in Gipsy Moth III, Plymouth to New York, June 11th-July 21st. His time of 40½ days was 16 days faster than the previous record crossing.
1962. In June, broke his own single-handed trans-Atlantic record by 7 days, crossing from east to west in 33 days 15 hours from Plymouth to New York
1967. 28th May 19.56 GMT completed voyage round the world at Plymouth Breakwater. 119 days from Sydney and a total of 226 days sailing time.

Barnstaple is the commercial centre of the region, combining sophisticated shopping with the bustling atmosphere of markets and speciality shops. The modern Green Lanes shopping Centre compliments the traditional Pannier and craft markets held since 1855 in the Pannier Market Hall. Around every corner there are pretty little alleys and courtyards, as well as the unusual Butchers Row, a line of open fronted shops selling speciality foods from meat and fish to laver and traditional clotted cream.

This attractive market town is the oldest and largest town in North Devon, nestling in the Taw valley on the other side of the estuary which the Saxons first settled in Barnstaple (Barum) over 1000 years ago.

The town centre is wheelchair friendly with the main street pedestrianised during shopping hours and with drop down kerbs enabling easy access. There is also a shopmobility centre located near the Bus Station which provides the loan of manual and powered wheelchairs.

The Long Bridge, crossing the tidal River Taw was thought to have been built in the 12th and 13th centuries and in Litchdon Street are located the Penrose Almshouses built in the early 17th century. The Merchants" Walk and the bottom of Cross Street is believed to have been built during the reign Charles II. The recommended way to explore historic Barnstaple is to follow the Heritage Trail starting at the Barnstaple Heritage Centre. Many significant buildings along the trail are each marked with commemorative plaques.

The town has a rich historical heritage which can be seen on the Heritage Trail - conducted during the summer season by the local tourist information centre.This takes in the many historic places including the Norman Motte situated next to the library, the Long bridge, Queen Anne's Walk, the Almshouses, Pannier Market and Guildhall, Butchers Row along with many others.

Tourist Information Centre: 01271 375000

markets: Monday & Thursday - craft Tuesday, Friday & Saturday - Pannier Wednesday - Antique & Collectors

Places to visit:-Brannams Pottery, Marwood Hill Gardens, Newport Pottery, St Anne's Chapel and Old Grammar School Museum, Museum of North Devon, Barnstaple Heritage Centre. Tarka Trail. Walk by estuary.

Barnstaple, the oldest borough in the country, is rich in history and has much to offer the visitor. Well known for its success as a Britain in Bloom winner, the imaginative floral displays, particularly during the summer months, make Barnstaple one of Devon's prettiest towns.

Barnstaple Heritage Centre brings the past to life with its displays from medieval times to the modern day. A Grade 1 listed building; situated in Queen Anne's Walk, the centre looks over the river Taw and the Strand, a pleasant public area complete with a fountain, established to commemorate the Millennium.

The museum of North Devon, close to Barnstaple long bridge, houses a wealth of information about the area and fascinating exhibitions are displayed here throughout the year.

The museum also houses the Tarka Centre with a superb reconstruction of waterside life in a Devon river. The Tourist Information Centre is also housed in the museum.

The Queen's Theatre provides entertainment all year round with a programme to suit all ages. Barnstaple is host to the North Devon Festival that takes place over the month of June and brings a feast of fun and entertainment featuring many international stars. For a full programme of events contact the box office on 01271 324242 or visit www.northdevonfestival.org

The Central Cinema in Boutport Street, Barnstaple has been the subject of a major refurbishment and the latest releases can be enjoyed here in comfort. For more details call 01271 342288.

The main street is traffic-free during shopping hours and is wheelchair friendly. Many of the well-known High Street names can be found here as well as independent family run stores.

The modern Green Lanes Shopping Centre contrasts with the traditional pannier market, where local produce and goods can be bought.

Opposite the pannier market is the delightful Butchers Row, open fronted shops selling specialities such as clotted cream and the local delicacy of laver made from seaweed.

The North Devon Leisure Centre provides a swimming pool, sports hall and much more.

The delightful Rock Park, on the banks of the River Taw opposite the Leisure Centre has tennis courts, football and cricket pitches and a play area. Bowls, both indoor and outdoor, are available and there is a parkland golf course on the outskirts of the town. There are also several riding stables located close to the town.

For those interested in fishing, coarse fishing is available on the River Taw and there are several fishing lakes in the area

For cyclists, the Tarka Trail provides safe off road cycling for all ages; bikes can be hired from a number of locations including Barnstaple Station.

Walkers can take advantage of the bus services from Barnstaple.

The Tarka Line is a regular train service between Barnstaple and Exeter through the beautiful Taw and Yeo valleys. This is one of the prettiest rail journeys in the country and some tickets allow passengers to break their journey and explore the surrounding area on foot or by bicycle.

River Taw looking upstream from The Long Bridge

Details of the Barnstaple Heritage Trail, maps and information regarding the many places of interest close to the town can be obtained from the Tourist Information Office in The Square (01271 375000).

take a trip on the Tarka Line, one of the most scenic railways in the country. It runs from Barnstaple to Exeter, a total of 39 miles that takes just over an hour.

The new downstream Bridge completed in Spring 2007 is a five span structure and over 400 metres in length, which link the A361 at Braunton Road with the A39 Atlantic Highway. Barnstaple Town Centre will benefit, as a great deal of the heavy traffic congestion it has experienced over many years will be removed. The first turf was cut on 1st February 2005, (the turf itself making £40 for charity at auction at the Mayor's Ball!) and the project .

Barnstaple is situated in the Valley of the River Taw and is surrounded by stunning countryside. The beaches of Saunton, Croyde, Putsborough, Woolacombe, and Westward Ho! are within easy reach, as are the wide-open spaces of Exmoor.

The Town, said to be one of the oldest Boroughs in England, is the commercial heart of North Devon. Shopping Centres and National Stores sit easily beside family businesses and traditional markets.

The Pannier Market in Barnstaple celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 2005. The general market is held throughout the year on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, while seasonal markets on Mondays and Thursdays specialise in Local Crafts. The popular Antiques Market takes place every Wednesday.

This historic town has much to interest the visitor. The Parish Church of St Peter stands in the Centre of the Town with its twisted spire attributed to lightning strike in the early 1800s. Next-door isl St Anne's Chapel, one ofj the oldest buildings Barnstaple, where the poet and playwright John Gay, author of the Beggar's Opera, attended school. To find out more a Heritage Trail booklet is available as an excellent guide to over a thousand years of the Town's History, and visit the Barnstaple Heritage Centre, on the riverside at Queen Anne's Walk, where the town's past comes to life in a fascinating hands-on exhibition.

Barnstaple