Coordinates: 51°12′29″N 4°07′12″W / 51.208°N 4.120°W
| Ilfracombe | |
 Ilfracombe coat of arms |
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 Ilfracombe seen from Hillsborough |
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  Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe shown within Devon |
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| Population | 10,840 (2001 parish census)[1] |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | North Devon |
| Shire county | Devon |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ILFRACOMBE |
| Postcode district | EX34 |
| Dialling code | 01271 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | North Devon |
| Website | http://www.theilfracombecentre.co.uk |
| List of places: UK • England • Devon | |
Ilfracombe (pronounced /ˈɪlfrəkuːm/) is a seaside resort and civil parish on the north coast of Devon, England with a small harbour, surrounded by cliffs.
The parish, which includes a significant rural area and other villages outside the town of Ilfracombe, stretches along the coast from 'The Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay toward the east and 6 km along The Torrs to Lee Bay toward the west. The resort is hilly and the highest point within the parish boundary is at 'Hore Down Gate', 3 km inland and 270 m (860 ft) above sea level.
The landmark of Hillsborough Hill dominates the harbour and is the site of an Iron Age Celtic fortress. The award-winning Landmark Theatre (known locally as "Madonna's bra"[citation needed]) is either loved or hated for its unusual double-conical design; it is distinctive and, with the St Nicholas's Chapel on Lantern Hill, a major landmark in the town.
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Ilfracombe has been settled since the Iron Age, when the Dumnonii Celts established a hill fort on the dominant hill, Hillsborough (formerly Hele's Barrow). The town's name is a derivative of the Anglo-Saxon Alfreinscoma - by which name it was noted in the Exon or Exeter Domesday Book of 1086. The translation of this name (from Walter William Skeat of the department of Anglo Saxon at Cambridge University) means the "Valley of the sons of Alfred". The manor house at Chambercombe in east Ilfracombe, was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as being built by a Norman knight Champernon (from Chambernon in France) who landed with William of Normandy. It is also said to be haunted.[2]
Ilfracombe was two distinct communities; a farming community around the parish church called Holy Trinity, parts of which date from the 12th century, and a fishing community around the natural harbour formed between Capstone, Compass and Lantern Torrs. It is recorded that the lands by the church were part of the estate owned by Champernowne family those by the harbour to the Bouchiers, Earls of Bath.
Ilfracombe was a significant port on the Bristol Channel. This is because of the natural layout of the harbour, which provides a safe port on a stormy Bristol Channel. It also had trade routes between Kinsale and Tenby, which made the port stronger. In 1208 it was listed as having provided King John with ships and men to invade Ireland; in 1247 it supplied a ship to the fleet that was sent to conquer the Western Isles of Scotland; ships were sent to support the siege of Calais, and it was the last disembarkation point for two large forces sent to subdue the Irish. The building which sits on Lantern Hill by the harbour, known as St Nicholas's Chapel (built 1361) is reputed to be the oldest working lighthouse in the UK; a light/beacon has been there for over 650 years.[3] The town was home to the Bowen family. Rear Admiral Bowen was master of the HMS Queen Charlotte, the flagship of Richard, Earl Howe at the Glorious First of June, 1794. Captain Richard Bowen(1761–1797), James Bowen's younger brother, a British naval commander, ship HMS Terpsichore, served under Lord Nelson, killed at the battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. John Bowen (1780 – 1827), son of James Bowen, a naval officer and colonial administrator;in 1803 founded the first settlement of Tasmania at Risdon Cove, later named Hobart.[4]
There was a wooden fortress overlooking the harbour, of this nothing remains except contemporary records and the area designated Castle Hill off Portland St/Montepellier terrace.
The novelist Fanny Burney stayed in Ilfracombe in 1817. Her diary[5] entries (July 31 - October 5) record early 19th century life in Ilfracombe: a captured Spanish ship; two ships in distress in a storm; the visit of Thomas Bowdler; and her lucky escape after being cut-off by the tide.
A few years later in the 1820s a set of four tunnels were hand carved by Welsh miners to permit access to the beaches by horsedrawn carriage as well as by foot. Previously access was gained by climbing the cliffs, rounding the point by boat, swimming or at the lowest tides clambering around the rocks of the point. These tunnels led to a pair of tidal pools, which in accordance with Victorian morals, were used for segregated male and female bathing. Whereas women were constrained to a strict dress code covering up the whole body, men generally swam naked. The tunnels are still viewable and are signposted as Tunnels Beaches.
The song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, was written by Jane Taylor whilst staying in Braunton, only a few miles away, during the early 19th century at The George Hotel.[citation needed]
In 1911, the Irish nationalist Anna Catherine Parnell (sister of Charles Stewart Parnell) drowned at Ilfracombe.
The actor Peter Sellers first set foot on stage here, and the Collins sisters (Joan and Jackie) went to school in the town whilst evacuees from The Blitz.
The town lies within the Parliamentary constituency of North Devon, and the European Region of South West England.
The three councils which govern activities in the town are Devon County Council, North Devon District Council, and Ilfracombe Town Council. The councils cover different areas of responsibility:
Ilfracombe is twinned with Herxheim in Germany, and Ifs, in France.
Ilfracombe overlies slates formed from sedimentary rock that underwent geological stress (creating faults and folds), towards the end of the Carboniferous era, around 300 million years ago. These are known as the Ilfracombe slates. Ilfracombe lies within the North Devon Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is renowned for its dramatic coastal cliffs and landscape. Hillsborough, lying close to the town centre is a local nature reserve and around the town are many other havens for wildlife. The coast itself is part of the North Devon Voluntary Marine Conservation area because of its diverse and rare species.
When the tourism market faltered at the end of the Victorian era hoteliers invited people living in major urban areas to the town with the prospect of seasonal employment. Later, as unemployment levels rose, this 'inward migration' caused social problems and friction between these people and those with a long history of residence. In 2001, Ilfracombe Central Ward was designated the most deprived super output area in Devon.[citation needed]
These problems are now being addressed by the implementation of local government schemes e.g. Sure Start now known as Mystart covering the Ilfracombe Learning area - a project to help support families with young children - and, since 2004, the Neighbourhood Management Transform programme: both were the first such government sponsored social development schemes covering rural areas in England. Better policing, the use of neighbourhood wardens and CCTV have led to a reduction in crime rates as reported monthly to the town council by the police toward the North Devon regional average (a fraction of those nationally).[citation needed].
Things have started to change - a MOSAIC Study published in mid 2007 by Devon County Council, Economic Intelligence Unit, showed within Ilfracombe parish, Ilfracombe Central, East and West wards have higher proportion of people "who live in close knit communities, majority of working age, own their own homes, cars and hold down responsible jobs than the average for the area as a whole. There are also higher proportions of pensioners who own their own homes and have some source of income beyond the state pension, and of residents who are typically in white collar occupations and predominately married, have had children and are beginning to think about retirement".
Until the mid-19th century the economy was based around the sea - trade mostly importing lime and coal from Wales and herring fishing. The town gradually developed into a tourist resort served by ferries along the Bristol Channel. The provision of the railway accelerated this development. The population grew until the First World War, then stabilised at 9,200, now 11,000. The economy suffered throughout the 1960s as UK holiday patterns changed, and suffered further through the closure of the railway line in 1970.
In the last twenty-five years, major investment by private 'light engineering' companies has added to the economy. These companies include: Pall Europe - a filtration manufacturers with 700 employees on site[citation needed]; a Tesco superstore; and TDK-Lambda UK Ltd. - a manufacturer of industrial & medical power supplies a subsidiary of the TDK Corporation. The Ilfracombe site is European HQ of TDK-Lambda EMEA with almost 300 employees.[6] A large Co-Operative supermarket store sited on the sea front opened December 2006.
A number of light engineering firms provide additional employment and operate within a couple of miles of the town centre at Mullacott Cross.
Employment Research conducted by MORI in 2005 for the Transform (UK government neighbourhood management project), and by Roger Tym & Partners for the Ilfracombe Community Alliance showed :-The service sector (includes hotel and catering) at 76% is 2 x higher than the North Devon (40.1%) or Devon average (33.7%). 51% of businesses by number are within the distribution, hotels and restaurants sector.12.8% are within the banking, finance and insurance sector.11.9% are within public administration, health and education. [7]
Despite the arrival of non High St supermarket stores by large retailers such as Tesco, Lidl, and the former Somerfield, now Co-operative Group the High Street thrives. The High St businesses in 2010 - include all the major banks and building societies and small branches of chains like Lloyds Chemist, Superdrug, a bookmaker, and Subway, but it still has local butchers, bakers, florists, hardware stores and opticians which to some extent maintain its traditional individual character.
Ilfracombe is at the southern end of the A361, the longest 3-digit A-road in England. The A361 finishes on the A5 at Kilsby on the Northamptonshire-Warwickshire border near Rugby. This road is the town's main connection with the South West England motorway, the M5.
From 1874, Ilfracombe was served by the Ilfracombe railway line that ran from Barnstaple, but this closed in 1970. Now, the nearest National Rail railway station is in Barnstaple and buses provide the public transport link from there to Ilfracombe. Regular bus services to Barnstaple are operated by First Bus. There are several smaller routes around the town run by Roy Filer Coaches. A twice-daily national coach service operated by National Express route 502 connects Ilfracombe to London Victoria via Heathrow Airport. Seasonal route 300 – operated by Filers – connects at Ilfracombe to Lynton and there connects with a bus operated by Quantock, to Minehead and Taunton in Somerset.
A seasonal passenger ferry, operated by MS Oldenburg, runs from the harbour to Lundy Island. Pleasure boats, including MV Balmoral and PS Waverley, operate cruises from Ilfracombe, including crossings to Porthcawl. A new catamaran-based ferry service from Ilfracombe to Swansea is scheduled to begin in Easter 2010. The service will be operated by Severn Link and will provide two return trips a day taking around 50 minutes each way.[8]
The town's educational needs are served by three schools: the Infants, the Junior and the Comprehensive school - Ilfracombe Arts College. Each of these schools are amongst the largest of their type in Devon. The college serves the needs of Ilfracombe residents and those across the coastal North Devon area as far as Lynton and Lynmouth on the Somerset county border. It is a nationally recognised centre for Media Studies and was in 2004 awarded Media Arts Status. Upon completion of a new Art block in 2007, the college's specialist status became simply Arts. Further educational courses and vocational courses are run by Ilfracombe Arts College.
Ilfracombe Museum was opened in 1932 in Ilfracombe Hotel's Victorian laundry and contains attractions from around the world including pickled bats and the two-headed kitten.[9] It also contains items and photographs of local railway interest including one of the concrete name boards from the now closed Ilfracombe railway station, which can be seen on the front wall of the museum; and a collection of pieces of Victorian wedding cakes.
Ilfracombe also has a library located on the Residential Candar Retirement Development.[10]
There are churches in the town serving denominations of the Christian faith. The main Anglican church is the parish church 'Holy Trinity' which is the mother church to St Peter's on Highfield Road. Several other churches identify themselves as Evangelical but differ in denominational background, these include: St Philip and St James Church (known locally as 'Pip & Jims') whose background is Anglican; two Free churches - Brookdale Evangelical Churchand Ilfracombe Christian Fellowship Church, of which the latter is the more charismatic; and Ilfracombe Baptist Church of the Baptist tradition. There is also a Roman Catholic church, 'Our Lady Star of the Sea Church', (in Runnacleave Road), the Methodist/United Reformed Emmanuel Church (on Wilder Road) and a Salvation Army Corps (church) (on Torrs Park, by Bath Place). Other faiths are represented by a Jehovah's Witness meeting place (in Victoria Road) and a Spiritualist meeting house on Greenclose Road .
Ilfracombe Rugby Union, established for over a century, boasts high calibre players such as Kai Adair and former England Under-18 player Adam Squires
Ilfracombe Town Football Club,who play at Marlborough Park near Ilfracombe Arts College, compete in the Premier Division of the Western League, having gained promotion in the 2006-07 season.
There is a High Street gym, however, the rural and hilly nature of the local terrain provide plenty of opportunities to exercise. A tennis club is based at Bicclescombe Park which contains several tennis courts, bookable for a small fee by both tourists and locals.
Ilfracombe Golf Club (located just beyond Hele Bay) was founded in 1892. Other active sport facilities include: cricket club, formed in 1923 and play at Killacleave Playing Fields and swimming club in the suburb of Chambercombe and in Fore St a table tennis centre with teams ranging in age from junior to veteran. There are, by the harbour, a yacht club, a sub-aqua club, a Gig boat club, and a kayak and canoeing club. Other sports teams in the town include Hash Harriers Running Club and many skittles and darts teams operated by the numerous licensed premises in the town. There are during the winter a local Euchre league, and quiz leagues both vigorously contested. There is also a flat green bowling club located in Highfield road. In 2008, the town council owned building at Slade aka the Slade community centre, but operated by an independent local group, was renamed the "Vision", it is the home of the boxing club, the Akido club, the kick boxing club, and many smaller activities. Jonathan Edwards the World and Olympic Champion triple jump athlete lived in the town whilst his father was the vicar of St Philip & St James Church. He is commemorated in a mosaic on the seafront near the Landmark Theatre, which demonstrates the length of his record-breaking jump. Jason Twist, twice World Champion at 8-ball pool still lives in the town.
Despite the hilly terrain, Ilfracombe is at the northern end of National Cycle Network route 27, known as the Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route, which starts from the pier (clock-in station at the Pier Tavern) and ends in Plymouth. There is another coastal trail suitable for cycling which starts at the pier which heads eastwards towards Minehead (defined as 'arduous').
The South West Coast Path connecting Minehead (Somerset) to Dorset, via Land's End, passes through the town from Hele Bay to Lee Bay via Ilfracombe Harbour.
Since 2001 there has been an economic regeneration programme led by the Ilfracombe & District Community Alliance MCTI, a community interest company designed to encourage social entrepreneurship. After community consultation this programme developed a community economic strategy for the next twenty years.
The South West of England Regional Development Agency is working with the Alliance and North Devon District Council formulating plans for the town's economic and physical structures. Proposed developments are: the enhancement of the harbour area[citation needed]; the implementation of regular all year foot passenger ferry service to the Mumbles near Swansea which is only 21 miles away across the Bristol Channel;[11] the re-development of the derelict bus station site based on plans developed by Terence O'Rourke;[12] and the creation of better youth support and recreation facilities at the Larkstone Brimland area on the eastern side of the harbour area[citation needed].
The town council - working with GOSW, SWRDA and NDDC, supported by the Alliance and Transform - has developed the council offices into a community training resource in the town centre: 'The Ilfracombe Centre'.[13] In 2006, major leisure industry developments by John Fowler, a local holiday camp operator, are expected to help shift the local economy back to tourism. This combined with investment by patrons such as Damien Hirst (who with his partner Mia recently funded a restaurant owned by Simon Brown, No 11 The Quay, on Harbour Quay Road, is developing a boutique guest house on the Torrs, as well owning other properties within the town) and the introduction of high quality accommodation should make Ilfracombe a more attractive destination for food lovers and tourists.
Each year, the residents and school children of Ilfracombe celebrate their heritage. These celebrations include six carnivals - a May Day walking celebration (dating from 2000, this is sometimes confused with an earlier tradition suppressed by the church in the 19th century); Ilfracombe Victorian Celebration [2], a week-long programme of events held annually in June to celebrate the time of the town's greatest prosperity; a large street carnival procession during August, organised by the St John's Ambulance service; the Lighting of the Lights held during November; and at Christmas, a Christingle.
A farmers' market is held regularly in The Lantern Community Centre on High Street. By the Landmark Theatre there is a small museum, housed in the buildings of the laundry of the former Ilfracombe Hotel. For those of literary intent there is an Ilfracombe authors'/writers' group.
The town hosts eight small art galleries, including the exhibitions displayed by the Art Society in the crypt of Emmanual Church on the seafront, the foyer of the Landmark Theatre, The Quay and in "Number Eleven, The Quay" within which there are many Damien Hirst works, including butterflies, pharmacy, small statues and wallpaper designs.
Two charitable events are organised each summer by Ilfracombe Round Table[3]. Both make use of Ilfracombe Pier as a display area. The first of these is the annual "South West Birdman" contest which involves entrants seeking to 'fly' from the pier in home-made flying machines and silly costumes. This event has grown to become a music festival and, in 2009, had the headline act The Wurzels. The second event is "Rescue Day", an opportunity for members of the public to learn about the activities of the emergency services. The highlight of the day is a simulated air-sea rescue involving the launch of the Ilfracombe RNLI lifeboat, a Sea King helicopter from RAF 22 Squadron, Exmoor Search and Rescue team and local Fire, Ambulance and HM Coastguard services.
Most Monday and Thursday's the local Ilfracombe Sea Cadets meet near the harbour, in what was the old rope making factory on Ropery Rd.
The Aerial Studio, situated near Mullacott on the approach toward Ilfracombe, provides recording facilities and practice rooms for local musicians. The marching band Blazing Sounds (one of several in the town), came third at the year 2000 World Marching Band Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and 2nd the following year in Germany.
Studio Theatre is a community theatre group, established in 1984, which stages a wide variety of classic, musical, comedy and variety theatrical productions throughout the year at venues in Ilfracombe, including The Landmark Theatre, and throughout North Devon. Studio Theatre will be staging its 100th production, The Heiress, in May 2008. Through the 1990s, the town was also host to the now defunct National Youth Arts Festival.
During the early 1990s, the team of the popular English reality TV show Challenge Anneka relocated the redundant old wooden library from the Hermitage site, to 'Burnside' in the heart of the Slade Valley estate for use as a community owned centre. To bely the popular northern Devon mis-conception of Ilfracombe, crime rate in the community is not high and factually is 1/3rd of the crime rate in Barnstaple town centre see http://maps.police.uk/view/devon-cornwall/ which covers the official statistics for the two counties - even the "high" rate for Barnstaple is low compared with national averages demonstrating again that we live in a safe close knit community.
Partly as a consequence of the crowded building development during the Victorian age, the face of the town has been changed in recent years by several major fires. Two of the largest blazes were towards the eastern end of the High Street, firstly when the south side of Portland Street was razed, and again in the 1980s when the Candar Hotel and Arcade burnt down. The Portland Street site was later used for a road widening scheme, while the Candar Arcade site became the Candar sheltered residential apartments (the opening of Candar apartments were the last public engagement performed by Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales).
Other major conflagrations include the former Mount, Castle, Cliffe Hydro (several times), Arcade and the Montebello Hotels as well as a sizeable part of the Grade 2* listed Hillsborough Terrace. In all these only one life was reported as lost, that in the Arcade.
Shortly before 19:00 BST on Wednesday, 8 August 2006, a fire broke out at the derelict Montebello Hotel in Fore Street, Ilfracombe. Twenty fire engines were required to put out the blaze including a number rushed to the scene from Woolacombe, Barnstaple and the bordering county of Somerset. Specialist equipment was brought in from as far afield as Exeter, and according to the local radio news 85 firemen were involved at the fire.
The fire spread to three neighbouring properties and showered debris over a wide area. The six-storey hotel was completely gutted, with only the front wall, chimney stacks and remains of the lift shaft frame surviving the blaze, and the fire was still being damped-down the following day. Fore Street was closed for some period due to the difficulties of demolition.[14]
The building was eventually demolished when it was determined that the fire had left it structurally unsound. This caused additional headaches for the emergency services as curious members of the public ignored safety barriers in an attempt to see the remains more clearly.[15] The site is to be redeveloped as residential accommodation, although, as of August 2009, no work has been started on the site.
On the evening of 3 April 2008 the Blazing Sounds band hut in the grounds of Ilfracombe College was gutted in a blaze.[16] The wooden structure was destroyed, along with many instruments, music and trophies. This was attributed to arson at the time, but the culprit(s) were never caught.
This history of Ilfracombe's large fires has to be taken in the context of the number and antiquity of many early Victorian jerry built hotels. A comprehensive display in the museum shows whilst the size of buildings may be large, the frequency of such conflagrations is low and the justification as to why Devon and Somerset fire and rescue authority transferred the large extension ladder from the Ilfracombe station to Barnstaple.
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Ilfracombe is a small town on the North Devon coast in the west of England. It has a plethora of bed and breakfast accommodation but not very much in the way of anything to actually do or see, what you can see is not particularly attractive and in the worst cases very run-down. For a much better example of a pretty Devon seaside town, try Woolacombe or Croyde Bay which are in this area and are immeasurably more pleasant places to stay and visit.
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ILFRACOMBE, a seaport and watering-place in the Barnstaple parliamentary division of Devonshire, England, on the Bristol Channel, 225 m. W. by S. of London by the London & SouthWestern railway. Pop. of urban district (1901) 8557. The picturesque old town, built on the cliffs above its harbour, consists of one street stretching for about a mile through a network of lanes. Behind it rise the terraces of a more modern town, commanding a fine view across the Channel. With its beautiful scenery and temperate climate, Ilfracombe is frequented by visitors both in summer and winter. Grand rugged cliffs line the coast; while, inland, the country is celebrated for the rich colouring of its woods and glens. Wooded heights form a semicircle round the town, which is protected from sea winds by Capstone Hill. Along the inner face of this rock has been cut the Victoria Promenade, a long walk roofed with glass and used for concerts. The restored church ofHoly Trinity dates originally from the 12th century. Sea-bathing is insecure, and is confined to a few small coves, approached by tunnels hewn through the rock. The harbour, a natural recess among the cliffs, is sheltered on the east by Hilsborough Head, where there are some alleged Celtic remains; on the west by Lantern Hill, where the ancient chapel of St Nicholas has been transformed into a lighthouse. In summer, passenger steamers run to and from Ilfracombe pier; but the shipping trade generally has declined, though herring fisheries are carried on with success. In the latter part of the 13th century Ilfracombe obtained a grant for holding a fair and market, and in the reign of Edward III. it was a place of such importance as to supply him with six ships and ninetysix men for his armament against Calais. During the Civil War, being garrisoned for the Roundheads, it was in 1644 captured by the Royalists, but in 1646 it fell into the hands of Fairfax.
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Categories: I-IOL | South West England
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| | Ilfracombe Christian Fellowship Church - Christian Fellowship Church - Ilfracombe |
| | BBC News - BBC NEWS | UK | England | Devon | Derelict hotel destroyed by fire |
| | BBC News - Report update - 12 Aug 2006 - BBC NEWS | UK | England | Devon | People ignore fire hotel warnings |
| | Ilfracombe Town Council - Default PLESK Page |
| | The South West Coast Path National Trail - The Official Guide to the South West Coast Path |
| | BBC News - BBC NEWS | UK | England | Devon | Plans for new car ferry service |
| | Ilfracombe Golf Club - Ilfracombe Golf Club - Home |
| | The Aerial Studio - Ariel Music Centre |
| | The Studio Theatre - Studio Theatre - drama, musicals, plays, comedy, entertainment - Ilfracombe, North Devon |
| | Channel School of English - Country Cousins - Premier English Educational Holidays since 1951. Quality tuition, exceptional activities & sports Programmes + welcoming accommodation |
| | Ilfracombe (DMOZ.org) - Open Directory - Regional: Europe: United Kingdom: England: Devon: Ilfracombe |
| | Ilfracombe College website - Welcome To Ilfracombe Arts College | Ilfracombe Arts College |
| | Coutant Lambda - :: TDK-Lambda UK :: |
| | Pall Corporation - Pall Corporation: The World's Filter, Filtration, and Separations Corporation. |
| | Transform - Transform – the Neighbourhood Management Programme in Devon |
| | No 11 the Quay - 11 The Quay, Ilfracombe |
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