Bideford
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2008-07-13T21:07:59Z
SoWhy
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/86.112.236.165|86.112.236.165]] to last version by Oneblackline (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
{{infobox UK place|
|country = England
|static_image= [[Image:Bideford-Devon.jpg|240px]]
|official_name= Bideford
|latitude= 51.0162
|longitude= -4.2171
|population = 14,599 (2001 est.)<ref>[http://www.devon.gov.uk/dris/demog/tr_aa01.html devon.gov.uk]</ref>
|shire_district= [[Torridge]]
|shire_county = [[Devon]]
|region= South West England
|post_town= BIDEFORD
|postcode_district= EX39
|postcode_area= EX
|dial_code= 01237
|os_grid_reference= SS4426
|constituency_westminster=[[Torridge and West Devon (UK Parliament constituency)|Torridge and West Devon]]
}}
'''Bideford''' is a small [[port]] [[town]] on the estuary of the [[River Torridge]] in north [[Devon]], [[South West England|south-west]] [[England]]. It is also the main town of the [[Torridge]] [[Districts of England|local government district]].
==History==
The [[River Torridge]] is spanned at Bideford by the [[13th century]] Long Bridge, which has 24 [[arch]]es all of different sizes.
In the [[16th century]] Bideford was Britain's third largest port. It was rumoured that Sir [[Walter Raleigh]] landed the first shipment of [[tobacco]] there, although this is a myth, as Raleigh was not, contrary to popular belief, the first to bring [[tobacco]] to England. In honour of Raleigh, several roads and a hill have been named after him in Bideford. Today the narrow town centre [[street]]s lead down to a tree-lined quay, which bustles with fishing [[Ship|vessels]], cargo and pleasure [[boat]]s. [[Clay]] is the principal [[export]] loaded onto boats at Bideford. The quay was refurbished, with completion in 2006, to provide [[flood defence]] and also to incorporate large fountains and modern public toilets.
This area of North Devon was home to the author [[Charles Kingsley]], and is where he based his novel ''[[Westward Ho! (novel)|Westward Ho!]]''. A small seaside town, named after the book, was built after the book's publication. [[Westward Ho!]], which is the only town in the [[United Kingdom]] that officially contains an [[exclamation mark]] in its name, is approximately 5 kilometres (3 miles) from Bideford. A statue has been erected in honour of Kingsley by the town park's car park.
The city of [[Biddeford, Maine]], USA, was named after the English town, adding the letter "d" in the process. Also, the town of Bideford in the province of Prince Edward Island, Canada, is named after the English town.
==Transport==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:arms-bideford.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Arms of Bideford Town Council|{{deletable image-caption|1=Wednesday, 5 March 2008}}]] -->
Bideford is served by the [[A39 road|Atlantic Highway]] and [[A386 road]]s. The nearest railway station is at [[Barnstaple]] {{mi to km | 7.5}} away.
A [[ferry]] operates between Bideford quay and [[Lundy]], which lies about {{mi to km| 22}} away in the [[Bristol Channel]]. The same ship also provides evening cruises from Bideford along the River Torridge.
[[Bus]] services linking Bideford with other local towns and villages are provided by a number of firms: the main bus companies operating in the area are [[First Devon and Cornwall]], [[Stagecoach Devon]] and Beacon Bus. Many services are subsidised by Devon County Council.
=== Railways ===
[[Image:Bidefordmap 1937.jpg|thumb|left|Map of Bideford from 1937]]
In 1855 the Bideford Extension [[Rail Transport|Railway]] opened, linking the town with [[Fremington, Devon|Fremington]], [[Barnstaple]] and beyond. In 1872 the railway was extended to [[Great Torrington]] and Bideford's [[railway station]] was replaced with a new one nearer the town centre. Bideford's passenger train services ceased in 1965 and freight trains ceased in 1982<ref>[http://www.semgonline.com/location/bideford_01.html SEMG.org]</ref> Much of the course of the former railway has been re-used as part of the popular [[Tarka Trail]] footpath and cycleway. Parts of the route are also shared by the long-distance [[South West Coast Path]] footpath.
The [[Bideford and Instow Railway]] Group plans to reopen the railway between Bideford and Barnstaple. It currently operates the [[heritage railway]] Torridge Train along a short length of track at Bideford. The new [[Barnstaple Western Bypass]] is designed to allow the Barnstaple to Bideford section to be restored.
=== Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway ===
The [[Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway]] was an unusual and short-lived railway built entirely on this peninsula with no direct connection to the rest of the British railway network. The locomotives were fitted with skirts to protect pedestrians as at one point the line ran along the quay at Bideford. The line had eleven halts which largely served visitors wishing to enjoy the bracing air along the coast or the fine beaches around Westward Ho!. The railway, although authorised in 1896 was opened only as far as Northam by 1901 and finally opened to Appledore in 1908.
The railway fell into financial difficulties until in the [[First World War]] the [[War Department (UK)|War Department]] requisitioned all of its equipment for use in [[France]]. Bideford's [[13th century]] Long Bridge was temporarily converted into a railway bridge to carry the locomotives and rolling stock onto the main line railway near Bideford Station.<ref name="stuckey">Stuckey, Douglas (1962). The Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway 1901-1917. Pub. West Country Publications.</ref>
[[Image:Bideford long bridge pan 1200.jpg|thumb|500px|centre|A view of Bideford long bridge]]
==East-the-Water==
The town of Bideford has grown to cover land on both sides of the [[River Torridge]]; the area located east of the river is known as ''East-the-Water'' . Much of the land that has been built on is drained [[marshland]].
East-the-Water has its own primary school, local shops, a few factories, approximately 6 bars and pubs, a small health centre and a small industrial area consisting largely of locally owned businesses. The community also has its own community centre and association, both of which are self funding and run by a committee of local residents. A key historical feature is [[Chudleigh Fort]], built by the [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]] [[Major-General]] Chudleigh during the [[English Civil War]].<ref> J. Murray. (1879) [http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Bideford/BidefordMurray1879.html ''A Handbook for Travellers in Devonshire (9th edition)'']</ref> The area is surrounded by [[agriculture|agricultural]] land.
There are many pubs in East-the-Water which include The Blacksmiths and The Swan which is well known for its award winning food.
==Governance==
Bideford Town Council <ref>[http://www.bidefordtown.co.uk bidefordtown.co.uk]</ref> has 16 members representing four unequal wards, North, South, East and South Outer. There is a mayor and Town Clerk.
Torridge District Council<ref>[http://www.torridge.gov.uk torridge.gov.uk]</ref> is the next level of [[local government]] and most decisions are made by Devon County Council <ref>[http://www.devon.gov.uk devon.gov.uk]</ref> .
The local [[Member of Parliament|MP]] is the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Geoffrey Cox]] and the [[MEP]] local aristocrat Tory [[Giles Chichester]].
===Youth Council===
Bideford has an official youth council. The council is run like the [[town council]] with voters and candidates of less than 18 years of age, who live in Bideford.
The current Chairperson of Bideford Town Youth Council is Shane Farrant.
==Bideford College==
Bideford College, lead by principle Mrs Veronica Mathews, <ref>[http://www.bideford.devon.sch.uk bideford.devon.sch.uk]</ref> is the local community secondary [[state school]] and is a specialist science college. Because of its specialist status, it gets extra funding from the government for extending its wide varitety of scientific activities.
==Sport and recreation==
Bideford has two [[List of King George V Playing Fields (Devon)|King George's Field]]s, which are memorials to [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]]. One field is used primarily as the home ground of the main local [[rugby union]] club, Bideford RFC (Chiefs) who currently play in Cornwall/Devon League. <ref>[http://www.bidefordrfc.co.uk bidefordrfc.co.uk]</ref>. The other field, commonly referred to as ''The Sports Ground'', is the home to [[Bideford AFC]], the town's main local [[football (soccer)]] club. East-the-Water also has its own football club, Shamwickshire Rovers FC, which plays at Pollyfield.
Bideford is renowned for its [[New Year's Eve]] celebrations, when thousands of people from surrounding towns, [[village]]s and around the world gather on the quay for revelries and a [[fireworks display]].<ref>McCurrach, 2002.</ref><ref>Prince, 2005.</ref>
The [[South West Coast Path]] National Trail runs through the town, and gives access to walks along the rugged North Devon coast.
==Local media==
Local radio is provided by [[Lantern FM]], a station broadcasting across north Devon, originally based in Bideford in a building named "the Lighthouse", but now situated on an industrial estate in nearby Barnstaple.
Bideford has two main local newspapers, both published weekly: the [[North Devon Gazette]] and the [[North Devon Journal]]. The ''Gazette'' was founded in Bideford, and was originally known as the ''Bideford Gazette''. It is now a free newspaper, delivered to most local homes, and is now based in Barnstaple. The regional daily paper, the [[Western Morning News]], is also available. A local newsletter, the Bideford Buzz, is published monthly by a team of volunteers.
==Notable people==
[[Bideford witch trial|Temperance Lloyd, Mary Trembles and Susanna Edwards]] of the town were the last people to be hanged for [[witchcraft]] in England.
Stuart Anstis, one time lead guitarist with black metal band [[Cradle of Filth]] went to School in Bideford, and now runs a guitar shop there. Derry Brownson, formerly of the band [[EMF]] is frequently seen around town. Celebrated actor [[Joss Ackland]], star of one of the Miss Marple mysteries ([[They Do It With Mirrors]]), also lives hereabouts. [[T. V. Smith]] and [[Gaye Advert]], from the punk band [[The Adverts]], hail from this town. Crime fiction author [[Hilary Bonner]] was also born and raised in the town.
[[Rudyard Kipling]], in [[Stalky & Co.]], makes several references to Bideford as being near the boys' academy.
In a memorable [[Monty Python]] sketch John Cleese (playing the role of Hitler) is heard to say " Ah yes, ve make a little hike for, for Bideford." to which Eric Idle (playing the role of typical tourist Mr. Johnson) replies "Oh well, you'll want the A39 then...no, no, you've got the wrong map there, this is Stalingrad, you want the [[Ilfracombe]] and [[Barnstaple]] section."
Numerous mentions of Bideford have been made in episodes of 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks'.
==Twinning==
The town is [[Twin towns|twinned]] with [[Landivisiau]] in [[France]].
On [[20 October]], [[2006]] British [[ex-pat]] David Riley came to mark the “20-year link” between [[Manteo, North Carolina]] on [[Roanoke Island]] and Bideford. Bideford town clerk George McLauchlan, told him locals had never heard of Manteo and the only town Bideford was twinned with was in France. Mr Riley handed over a clock to "celebrate" the twenty year link, while Manteo Town manager Kermit Skinner said the link started in the [[1980]]s during the 400th anniversary of [[Walter Raleigh]]’s voyages to America.
It turns out the 'twinning' of Bideford with [[Manteo]] was established 20 years ago. But the story goes back much further, 500 years, to the mysterious disappearance of a colony of more than 100 people on Roanoke Island, many of whom were migrants from Bideford. The colony was established by Richard Grenville, who bought back two native indians, one of them Manteo which gave the North Carolina town its name.
<ref>Coles, 2006</ref><ref>"Gifts from an undiscovered US twin town", The North Devon Gazette, 2006.</ref>
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Bideford-Devon.jpg|A view of Bideford and the long bridge
Image:Bideford Quay (Geograph).jpg|Bideford Quay
Image:MS Oldenburg - Bideford (2006-03-04).JPG|The Lundy ferry, MS Oldenburg, at Bideford
Image:Kingsley and Wonky Conker - Bideford (2006-03-04).jpg|A statue of Charles Kingsley, next to the "Wonky Conker" tree with its "helping hand"
Image:Pannier Market - Bideford (2006-03-04).jpg|The Pannier Market
Image:Torridge Bridge - Bideford (2006-03-04).jpg|A view of Torridge Bridge from the Quay
Image:Port monument - Bideford (2006-03-04).jpg|Port of Bideford Monument
Image:Bideford-signalbox.jpg|A replica of the original [[signal box]] at Bideford's former railway station
</gallery>
==See also==
* [[Henry de Bracton]]
==Notes==
{{Reflist}}
==References==
*{{cite news
| last = McCurrach
| first = Ian
| title = TravelEtc: Ring in the New
| work = [[The Independent on Sunday]]
| publisher = [[Independent News & Media]]
| date = 2002-12-08}}
*{{cite news
| last = Prince
| first = Dominic
| title = Top 10 New Year Crackers
| work = The [[Daily Mail]]
| publisher = [[Daily Mail and General Trust]]
| date = 2005-12-17}}
*{{cite news
|first = John
|last = Coles
|title = Massive clock up in Bideford
|url = http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006480884,00.html
|work = The Sun
|publisher = News International
|pages =
|page =
|date = [[21 October]] [[2006]]
|accessdate = 2006-10-21}}
*{{cite news
|first =
|last =
|authorlink =
|author =
|coauthors =
|title = Gifts from an undiscovered US twin town
|url = http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/northdevongazette/news/story.aspx?brand=NDGOnline&category=news&tBrand=devon24&tCategory=newsndga&itemid=DEED18%20Oct%202006%2013%3A10%3A50%3A900
|work = The North Devon Gazette
|publisher = Archant Regional
|pages =
|page =
|date = [[18 October]] [[2006]]
|accessdate = 2006-10-21}}
==External links==
* [http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk North Devon Gazette]- local newspaper for the Bideford area
* [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/England/Devon/Bideford/ Bideford (DMOZ.org)]
* [http://www.bideford-tc.gov.uk/ Bideford Town Council]
* [http://www.torridge.gov.uk/ Torridge District Council]
* [http://www.bidefordstmarys.co.uk/ Anglican Parish of Bideford]
* [http://www.bidefordafc.co.uk/ Bideford AFC] ([[Football (soccer)]])
* [http://www.bidefordrfc.co.uk/ Bideford RFC] ([[Rugby Union]])
* [http://www.bidefordrail.co.uk/ Bideford & Instow Railway Group]
* [http://www.bidefordbuzz.org.uk/ Bideford Buzz, local newsletter]
* [http://www.bidefordyouthpipeband.co.uk/ Bideford Youth Pipe Band]
{{Settlements in North Devon}}
{{Devon}}
[[Category:Towns in Devon]]
[[Category:Youth councils]]
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