Barnstaple
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Barnstaple is a town in the county of Devon in the South West of England. It is the main town in the local government district of North Devon and claims to be the oldest borough in the United Kingdom. It was founded at the lowest crossing point of the River Taw. By the Domesday Book, Barnstaple had its own mint. Its size and wealth in the Middle Ages was based on it being 'wool staple', a town licensed to export wool, the link still being obvious. The wool trade was further aided by the excellent port available to the town, with five ships being sent in 1588 to aid the fight on 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. [link]
Barnstaple past and present
Barnstaple's population has steadily risen through the progression of the UK census: 3748 in 1801, 9698 in 1901, 30,765 in 2001. Over the previous 70 years the town has become merged surrounding villages, namely Pilton, Newport and Bickington. A large amount of this came through ribbon development of the 1930s–1950s. At April 2006 the population is 34,000.In 1989 the A361 North Devon link road was constructed, linking Barnstaple with the M5 motorway. Because Barnstaple is the main shopping area for North Devon, retail work is another 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 can be severe, especially at peak times and in the summer. To relieve this congestion, a new bypass is due to be completed in Spring 2007. The project consists of 2.7km of new road and a 409 metre long five-span Downstream Bridge, and is projected to cost £42 million.
Barum
Barnstaple is still sometimes referred to, both locally and further afield, as Barum. The origin of this name is obscure, but has, like the derivation of many local place-names, been accepted as being in use since pre-Saxon times, and probably of Roman origin. 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.Butchers Row
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.Pannier Market
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 1855-6 of the town's Pannier Market. The building has a high glass and timber roof sitting on iron columns. At 320 ft 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.Railways
Barnstaple was once home to three mainline railway stations, although since the Beeching Axe fell in the 1960s, only one of these is still in use:
- Barnstaple railway station was opened on 1 August 1854 by the North Devon Railway (later the London and South Western Railway), although a goods service had operated from Fremington since 1848 for goods traffic only. The station became Barnstaple Junction on 20 July 1874 when the railway opened through to Ilfracombe, reverting to just plain Barnstaple again when it closed on 5 October 1970. Located to the South of the town and the River Taw, now a terminus, the station is much reduced in size, and part of the site is now to be used for the bypass.
- Barnstaple Town railway station (1847–1970), situated close by the Castle Mound was a through station on the Ilfracombe line, running along the north bank of the Taw. Between 1898 and 1935, it was also the terminus of the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway, with the narrow gauge line's main depot and operating centre at nearby Pilton.
- Barnstaple Victoria Road railway station (1873–1970) (just Barnstaple until 1949) was built to broad gauge standards as a terminus of the Devon and Somerset Railway (later the Great Western Railway) to the east of the town, with a connection to Barnstaple Junction.
Britain in Bloom
Barnstaple is a regular winner of the Britain in Bloom competition, in the category of 'Town', winning in 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2003. The town also won the Abbis Cup in 1996 and 1998 for Regional Supreme Champion (any size town), the Nations in Bloom — Best Town in the World in 1996, the Entente Florale — Best Town in Europe in 1996, and World in Bloom in 1998.Barnstaple Fair
The ceremonial opening of the 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.
The fair begins on the Wednesday before 20 September each year.
Twin towns
Barnstaple is twinned with Barnstable, Massachusetts, USA ; Uelzen, Germany; and Trouville, France.Economy
North Devon's economy struggles due to a number of reasons. Firstly it is situated at a distance from the UK's traditional areas of industrial activity. Whilst the 1989 opening of the improved A361 road connection to the motorway network has helped in some ways (notably weekend tourism), it had a detrimental effect on a number of supply-side 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.In the county of Devon as a whole 48% of students achieve 5 GCSEs grade A* to C, compared to UK average of 53.4%. 8.1 % of working age population of North Devon have no qualifications.
Unemployment in Devon is 1.5%, 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.
The largest employer in the region by far is the Government. The two main government-owned employers in the area are the Royal Marines Base Chivenor, 5 km west of the town, and North Devon District Hospital, 1.5 km north of the town.
Around Barnstaple
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.External links
- [Barnstaple map on Google Maps]
- [Barnstaple (DMOZ.org)]
- [Barnstaple Town Council and Town Centre Management]
- [North Devon District Council]
- [Barnstaple Webcam (from Civic Centre)]
- [Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple]
- [Barnstaple's History]
- [Museum of Barnstaple & North Devon]
- [State of Devon's economy 2006]
- [Pannier Market's History]
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