Coordinates: 51°04′56″N 4°02′56″W / 51.0823°N 4.0489°W
| Barnstaple | |
 Butchers Row |
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  Barnstaple
Barnstaple shown within Devon |
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| Population | 20,724 (2001) |
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| OS grid reference | |
| Parish | Barnstaple |
| District | North Devon |
| Shire county | Devon |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BARNSTAPLE |
| Postcode district | EX31 EX32 |
| Dialling code | 01271 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | North Devon |
| List of places: UK • England • Devon | |
Barnstaple (pronounced /ˈbɑrnstəbəl/ (
listen)) is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon in England. It lies 68 miles (109 km) west southwest of Bristol, 50 miles (80 km) north of Plymouth and 34 miles (55 km) northwest of the county town of Exeter.
It is the main town of the district and claims to be the oldest borough in the United Kingdom. It was founded at the lowest crossing point of the River Taw, about 3 miles (5 km) from the Taw's seafall at the Bristol Channel. By the time of the Domesday Book, Barnstaple had its own mint. Its size and wealth in the Middle Ages was based on it being within the staple, a staple port licensed to export wool, and its importance is still obvious in the town's name. The wool trade was further aided by the town's excellent port, with five ships being sent in 1588 to aid the fight against the Spanish Armada.
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.[1] It has a population of 20,724.[2]
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Barnstaple's population in the 1801 census was 3,748, in the 1901 census 9,698, and in the 2001 census, the population was 20,724.[2] The town has swallowed the villages of Pilton, Newport, and Roundswell through ribbon development between the 1930s and the 1950s.
In 1989, the A361 North Devon Link Road was constructed, linking Barnstaple with the M5 motorway, approximately 40 miles (65 km) to the east. Because Barnstaple is the main shopping area for North Devon, retail work is a contributor to the economy. Many chain stores are located in the town centre and on the Roundswell Business Park located on the western fringe of the town.
Traffic congestion in the town used to be quite severe, but in May 2007, the Barnstaple Western Bypass was opened so traffic heading towards Braunton and Ilfracombe avoids travelling through the town centre. The bypass consists of 1.6 miles (2.6 km) of new road and a 447 yards (409 m) long, five-span bridge. It was expected to have cost £42 million.[citation needed]
As part of this work, the town's main square is receiving a facelift as the entrance to the town centre, and it is planned to pedestrianise The Strand[citation needed] Following this scheme, plans are also being formulated for a regeneration of the town centre, due to commence in 2012[citation needed] and scheduled to cost around £300 million. The regeneration will centre on the Queen's Theatre and surrounding areas, with new shopping complexes, houses, flats and communal areas.
Barnstaple is still sometimes referred to as Barum. The origin of this name is obscure, but has been in use since pre-Saxon times[citation needed] and is probably of Roman origin. Mentioned by Shakespeare, the name Barum 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.
Built in 1855, Butchers Row consists of ten shops with pilasters of Bath Stone, and wrought iron supports to an overhanging roof. Only two of the shops remain as butchers although the new shops still sell local agricultural goods. There is one baker, one delicatessen, two Fishmongers, a florist and a greengrocer.
Barnstaple has been the major market for North Devon since Saxon times. Demands for health regulation of its food market in Victorian times saw the construction in 1855-56 of the town's Pannier Market, originally known as the Vegetable Market and designed by R D Gould. The building has a high glass and timber roof on iron columns. At 107 yards (98 m) long, it 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.
Barnstaple railway station is near the end of the Long Bridge but on the opposite bank of the River Taw to the town centre. The town used to have several other stations but these have all closed since the publication of the Reshaping of British Railways report in the 1960s.
The surviving station was opened on 1 August 1854 by the North Devon Railway (later the London and South Western Railway), although a service had operated from Fremington since 1848 for goods traffic only. The station became "Barnstaple Junction" on 20 July 1874 when the railway opened the branch line through to Ilfracombe, reverting to just plain "Barnstaple" again when this was closed on 5 October 1970. It is now a terminus and much reduced in size as part of the site is now to be used for the Barnstaple Western Bypass.
The Ilfracombe branch line brought the railway across the river into the town centre. Barnstaple Quay was situated close by the Castle Mound. It was closed in 1898 and replaced by a nearby Barnstaple Town station at North Walk which was also the terminus of the narrow gauge Lynton and Barnstaple Railway until this closed in 1935. The narrow gauge line's main depot and operating centre was at nearby Pilton. The station building still exists, and can be viewed on-line from a webcam mounted on Barnstaple Civic Centre.[3]
A separate "Barnstaple" station, renamed Barnstaple (Victoria Road) in 1949, was opened to the east of the town in 1873 as the terminus of the Devon and Somerset Railway, eventually a part of the Great Western Railway. A junction was later provided to allow trains access to Barnstaple Junction and these ran through to Ilfracombe. It was closed in 1970.
The Barnstaple bus network is privatised and run by many bus operators including FirstGroup and the Stagecoach Bus Group. The main bus station is located on the junction with Summerland Street and Silver Street. National Express also run services from here.
Barnstaple's nearest motorway is Junction 27 of the M5. 35 miles (56.3 km) away along the A361.
The nearest airport is Exeter
The ceremonial opening of the fair survives from 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.
The fair begins on the Wednesday before 20 September each year.
Today the fair consists of rides and amusements located in the car park of the leisure centre.
Barnstaple is twinned with Barnstable, Massachusetts in the USA, Uelzen in Germany, Trouville-sur-Mer in France, and Susa in Italy.
Barnstaple, as of 2005 estimates has grown little since the 2001 census. The estimated racial makeup of the town is as follows:
North Devon has an under-developed economy for a number of reasons. It is situated at a distance from the UK's traditional areas of industrial activity and population. Whilst the 1989 opening of the improved A361 (then "trunk") road connection to the motorway network has helped in some ways (notably weekend tourism), it had a detrimental effect on a number of distribution businesses. The latter previously viewed the town as a base for local distribution networks, a need that was removed with an approximate halving of travelling time to the M5.
Barnstaple gained a number of industrial companies in the late 1970s due to the availability of central government grants for the construction of factories and their operation on low or zero levels of local taxation. This was only partially successful, with few of these lasting more than the few years that grants were available. One success was the manufacturing of generic medicines by Cox Pharmaceuticals (now branded Actavis), who moved in 1980 from their traditional site in Brighton, Sussex. The most lasting consequence for the town was the development of, or increase to, the industrial estates at Seven Brethren, Whiddon Valley and Pottington.
Unemployment in North Devon is 1.8–2.4%, and the median per capita wage for North Devon is 73% of the UK national average (2005 data). The level of work in the informal/casual sector is high, partly due to the impact of seasonal tourism like much of the South West of England.
The largest employer in the region by far is local and central Government. The two main central government-owned employers in the area are the Royal Marines Base Chivenor, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the town, and North Devon District Hospital, 1 mile (1.6 km) to the north.
Barnstaple is well served by all types of education. There are a selection of well-regarded primary and secondary state schools, independent schools and a tertiary college in the Barnstaple area.
In 2007 the county of Devon 46.6%[4] of students achieved 5 GCSEs grade A* to C. The UK average is 46.7%.[4]
| School Name | Type | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Park Community School | State | 37% | 38% | 44% | 41% | 38% | [5] |
| Pilton Community College [2] | State | 50% | 50% | 48% | 46% | 47% | [6] |
| West Buckland School, 8 miles (12.9 km) | Independent | 75% | 84% | 89% | 78% | 87% | [7] |
| Grenville College, 9 miles (14.5 km) | Independent | 48% | 63% | 59% | 66% | 54% | [8] |
North Devon College is a large tertiary college providing a wide range of vocational and academic further education for more than 3,000 young people over 16. The college was due to spend £100m on a new campus, to be opened on Seven Brethren in 2011,[9][10] but this fell through when the LSC removed its £75m funding in January 2009.[11]
Cricket is played at Barnstaple and Pilton.[12]
Senior rugby union is available in the town at Barnstaple RFC[13] whose first team play in the National 3 South West league. This is sixth tier of rugby union in England
Many sports are available at the North Devon Leisure Centre.[14] It is the home of Barnstaple Squash Club.[15] There are numerous bowling greens and tennis courts.[16]
| Key | |
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Abbey/Priory/Cathedral |
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Accessible open space |
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Amusement/Theme Park |
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Castle |
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Country Park |
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English Heritage |
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Forestry Commission |
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Heritage railway |
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Historic House |
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Museum (free/not free) |
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National Trust |
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Zoo |
* Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon | Open Monday - Saturday 0930-1700 Tarka Trail – The cycling and walking trails were established by Devon County Council, to celebrate Henry Williamson's 1927 novel Tarka the Otter. The book depicts Tarka's adventure travelling through North Devon's countryside.
Arlington Court | Open March–October | 8 miles (12.9 km) Lundy Island | Ferry sails from Bideford, 10 miles (16.1 km) | Costs and Time table Watersmeet House | Open March–October, Walks are open all year round | 20 miles (32.2 km) The South West Coast Path National Trail runs through the town, and gives access to walks along the spectacular North Devon coast. Lynton & Barnstaple Railway | Open Easter – end of December (Daily June to September) | 15 miles (24.1 km)
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BARNSTAPLE, a seaport, market town and municipal borough, in the Barnstaple parliamentary division of Devonshire, England, on the river Taw, near the north coast. Pop. (Igo') 14,137. It is served by the London & South-Western, the Great Western, and the Lynton & Barnstaple railways. The Taw is here crossed by a stone bridge of sixteen arches, said to have been built in the 12th or 13th century. The town manufactures lace, gloves, sail-cloth and fishing-nets, and has extensive potteries, tanneries, sawmills and foundries, while shipbuilding is also carried on. The harbour admits only small coasting vessels. The public buildings and institutions include a guildhall (1826), a free grammar school and a large market-place. The poet John Gay was born in the vicinity, and received his education at the grammar school, which at an earlier period had numbered Bishop Jewel among its pupils. It was founded in the Iq. th century, in connexion with a chantry. There are also some curious Jacobean almshouses. The borough is under a mayor, six aldermen and eighteen councillors. Area, 2236 acres.
Barnstaple (Berdestaple, Barnstapol, Barstaple, also Barum) ranks among the most ancient of royal boroughs. As early as Domesday, where it is several times mentioned, there were forty burgesses within the town and nine without, who rendered 40s. Tradition claims that King Athelstan threw up defensive earthworks here, but the existing castle is attributed to Joel of Totnes, who held the manor during the reign of William the Conqueror, and also founded a Cluniac priory, dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. From this date the borough and priory grew up side by side, but each preserving its independent privileges and rights of government until the dissolution of the latter in 1535. In Edward II.'s reign the burgesses petitioned for the restoration of rights bestowed by a pretended charter from Athelstan. The existence of this charter was denied, but the desired privileges were conceded, including the right to elect a mayor. The earliest authenticated charter is that of Henry I., which was confirmed in a charter of Henry II. The later charter states that the burgesses should have customs similar to those granted to London, and further charters confirmed the same right. A charter of Queen Mary in 1556 added some new privileges, and specified that the common council should consist of a mayor, two aldermen and twenty-four chief burgesses. James I., by a charter dated 1610, increased the number of chief burgesses to twenty-five and instituted a recorder, a clerk of the market, justices of the peace and other officers. This charter was confirmed in 1611 and 1689, and held force until the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835, which established six aldermen and eighteen councillors. The borough sent two members to parliament in 1295, and so continued to do until the Redistribution of Seats Act of 1885, when the representation was merged in that of the county. Barnstaple was once famous for its woollen trade, now entirely declined, and as early as the reign of Edward III. was an important naval port, with an extensive shipping trade. That this prosperity was not altogether uninterrupted is testified by the fact that, at the time of the Armada, the mayor pleaded inability to contribute three ships, on account of injuries to trade consequent on the war with Spain. The Friday market and the annual four days' fair in September are held by immemorial prescription.
See J. B. Gribble, Memorials of Barnstaple (Barnstaple, 1830).
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Categories: BAR-BAR | South West England
Barnstaple
[[File:|thumb|right|250px|A view of Barnstaple Long Bridge]] Barnstaple is a town in Devon, a county in England. 34,000 people live there. It is found 68 miles (109 km) west southwest of Bristol, 50 miles (80 km) north of Plymouth and 34 miles (55 km) northwest of the county town of Exeter.
   | Barnstaple Town Council and Town Centre Management - Barnstaple Town Centre Management : the online guide to businesses and events in Barnstaple, North Devon |
| | Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple - North Devon Theatres |
| | Barnstaple (DMOZ.org) - Open Directory - Regional: Europe: United Kingdom: England: Devon: Barnstaple |
| | Arlington Court - National Trust | Arlington Court |
| | Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon - Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon | Culture24 |
| | Barnstaple Town Council Website - Welcome to Barnstaple |
| | Barnstaple Town Centre website - Barnstaple Town Centre :: Welcome to the Barnstaple Town Centre Web Site |
| | North Devon Gazette - free local newspaper for the Barnstaple, Bideford and Ilfracombe area. All the latest news, sport, leisure, property, jobs and motors - North Devon Gazette | News, sport, what's on, jobs, homes & cars from your local newspaper |
| | Barnstaple map on Google Maps - barnstaple - Google Maps |
| | Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon - Intro - Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon - Devon Museums Net - Devon Museums Net |
| | Tapeley Park - Tapeley Park and Gardens |
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