Bideford

Bideford Quay & Bridge

Bideford was granted a Market Charter in 1272. Commercial prosperity was derived by trading with the Americas in the eighteenth century, with imports of tobacco and timber for shipbuilding. Originally built in 1663, Bideford Quay is the last remaining stretch of riverside workings, that reached from above the old bridge to past Appledore. It was one of the first secure landfalls for vessels from the new American colonies. Today the quay supports local fishing boats, coasters and is home to MS Oldenburg, the Lundy Island supply vessel. The Bideford bridge we see today is the result of many changes made to the original Saxon bridge, constructed in the twelfth century to allow the passage of traffic regardless of the state of the tide. Most recently, the bridge was widened in 1925 and strengthened in 1968, but the basic structure remains to this day. The new bridge was opened in 1989.

Restoration Plans for Three Buildings
Adapted from an article in the North Devon Journal, December 2004

Three of Bideford's historically important buildings will be restored thanks to a £66,723 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Torridge District Council and Devon County Council. They will be renovated and the buildings will create new living accommodation, offices and a shop.

The funding was made available to the building owners as part of Bideford's new Townscape Heritage Initiative and the buildings, which occupy prominent positions in the town's conservation area, will provide seven flats, three business suites and a shop. Torridge District Council officers said they hoped the scheme would help to regenerate the town's commercial centre by improving the appearance of the buildings and bringing redundant floor-space back into use. The buildings to be renovated are:

• Bridge Chambers (corner of Bridge Street car park) - repair work to the roof of this building already underway.
• Also earmarked for work is 3 Cooper Street - next to Crabby Dicks - which will house the new shop.
• And the third building to receive the special treatment is the block which houses 2, 3 and 4 Grenville Street.

Bideford Tidal Defence Scheme
Adapted from an article in the Bideford Buzz, September 2002

Work on the 400 metre tidal defence is well underway. To date, 75% of the piling is complete and good progress has been made on the temporary berth for clay ships at the northern end of the quay. The ground anchors - each designed to take a load of up to 80 tonnes - are ready. The 160 concrete cladding wall panels have been made in Barnstaple and installation of the masonry facing, using local stone, is underway.

Numerous items have been received as suggestions for inclusion in the transparent resin blocks that are to be built into the scheme as part of the "secrets of Bideford" public art project. A booklet listing the items, who suggested them and where they came from, is available for inspection in the Tourist Centre.

The Tarka Trail

The Tarka Trail is a 180 mile circular North Devon footpath system, which follows the path of the river Torridge to Landcross and then cuts across country to rejoin the river before Torrington. It is named after Henry Williamson's book Tarka The Otter, which described the adventures of a North Devon otter. Visit the Tarka Country Trust website for further information.

Attractions

Pannier Market
Bideford Pannier Market is a historic covered market built in 1883. It is the best surviving building of its kind and consists of a large hall and a row of shops called Butchers Row. There are more shops on the lower level outside of the building. In 1272 Henry 111 granted a license for a market to be held and succeeding monarchs have renewed it. The market has been in different locations in Bideford over this period. The name Pannier comes from the baskets (panniers), which were brought to the market with goods to be sold – mostly perishable goods from the town, outlying villages and farms.

Today a wide variety of goods can be bought in the Market including fruit and vegetables, plants, garden planters and sundries, plus a lot of local hand-made goods including pottery, cakes, jams, pickles and soaps. There is also a café. In Butchers Row there is a delicatessen, fresh fish shop, leather goods shop and hairdressers among many others – and there is one butcher. The Market Hall is open 8am-3pm in the summer months and 8am-2pm in the winter months. Butchers Row is open every day. On Market days, Tuesday and Saturday, there is a free bus from Lloyds Bank (near the bottom of the High Street). A list of traders is shown on the Bideford website. Telephone 01237 478777 for further information.

Atlantic Village
Visit the Atlantic Village shopping mall on Clovelly Road, Bideford. Telephone 01237 422544 for details.

Chudleigh Fort
Housed in a small park in East-The-Water, Chudleigh Fort is a reconstruction of a fort built during the civil war.

Open Air Market
Every Wednesday on the Sports Ground, with a regular free bus service to/from Northam, Westward Ho!

St Mary's Church & Stella Maris Church
St Mary's Church in Bideford was reconstructed in the nineteenth century, encompassing the perpendicular style tower. The Roman catholic Stella Maris Church holds Mass each Sunday. Telephone 01237 472519 for details.

The Big Sheep, Abbotsham
In Abbotsham, near Bideford, visitors will find The Big Sheep, a working farm turned tourist attraction. It combines traditional rural crafts (cheese making, shearing) with novelties such as sheep racing and duck trialing. There are twelve shows a day, live entertainment for adults and children, and Ewetopia Indoor Adventure Zones and a Wool Centre. It is open from April until the end of October 10am - 6pm. Telephone 01237 477916 or email mike@thebigsheep.co.uk for further information.

Torridge Auctions
Torridge Auctions is located at The Lion Store on Barnstaple Street. For details telephone 01237 471955.

Wildlife Reserve
Marked nature trails with many species of birds and animals and a hide for serious bird watchers.

Local businesses

• Bideford Bicycle & Canoe Hire
  Open all year, direct access to the Tarka Trail. Tandems, trailors and trikes available. Telephone 01237 424123.
• Jennets Fishery
  Located near Bideford, Jennets has a national reputation for carp fishing. Open all year, 6.30am - 10.00pm.
• Melbury Fishery
  Near Bideford, open since 1990. Mirror and common carp are stocked, mixed bags of roach, rudd, bream and pole are taken. Open all year, 6.30am - 10.00pm. Telephone 01837 871565 or visit the SW Lakes Trust website for details.

Bideford Long Bridge - an endangered species?
September 2002

Bideford Long Bridge has once more been saved. The threat of the juggernaut has at least been temporarily removed. With a new era approaching in the life of the bridge is it time to reflect on its past sometimes chequered history. This ancient bridge, as all quizzers know, consists of 24 arches and is 677 feet in length. Built originally as a wooden bridge in around 1280, it was a perilous structure, vulnerable as it was to rain and fast flowing tides. A local priest, Sir Thomas Gurney collected funds to have it rebuilt in stone, in the 15th century. And was responsible for what was to become one of the finest medieval bridges in the country.

It has been improved and widened on numerous occasions notably in 1796, 1807 and 1867 with major widening in 1925. In 1968 the most westerly pier number 23 collapsed - leaving the deck unsupported. This was apparently due to a combination of high tide and unusually heavy rainfall. It became clear after this that the upkeep was going to be a costly business and it passed out of the hands of the 'Bridge Trust'- the Keepers of the Bridge - and into the hands of the Ministry of Transport and finally to Devon County Council. A part of the original wooden structure of the Bridge can be seen at the Burton Art Gallery upstairs.

Bideford Carnival

Bideford Tourist Information Centre

Bideford Tourist Information Centre Victoria Park, The Quay, Kingsley Road, Bideford, Devon
Tel. 01237 477676, fax 01237 421853, email bidefordtic@visit.org.uk

Page last updated: 30 December 2004