Page 152 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - England's South Coast

150  ENGLAND ’ S SOUTH C O AST REGION B Y REGION

s Bideford
Devon. Map C4. * 17,000. n
Burton Art Gallery, Kingsley Rd; 01237
477676. ∑ northdevon.com
Strung out along the estuary
of the River Torridge, Bideford
thrived on importing tobacco
from the New World. A few
Georgian cottages lining the riverside quay in the pretty town of Appledore 17th-century merchants’
houses survive on Bridgeland
a Appledore sell antiques and souvenirs. Uphill Street, including the house at
from the quay is the North Devon No. 28 (1693). Beyond is Mill
Devon. Map C4. * 2,800. n Bideford.
Maritime Museum, with an Street, leading to the parish
This town’s remote position at the exhibition on the experiences church and the fine medieval
tip of the Torridge Estuary has of Devon emigrants to Australia bridge. The quay stretches from
helped to keep its charms intact. and displays explaining the work here to a park and a statue of
Busy boatyards line the riverside of local shipyards. The Victorian 19th-century social reformer
quay, the departure point for Schoolroom, affiliated with the and writer, Charles Kingsley
fishing trips and ferries to the museum, shows documentary (1819–75), famous for his classic
beaches of Braunton Burrows videos on local trades such as novel The Water Babies (1863).
on the opposite shore. Regency fishing and shipbuilding.
houses line the main street, Environs
which runs parallel to the quay, E North Devon Maritime Museum To the west of Bideford, the
and behind is a network of Odun Rd. Tel 01237 422064. village of Westward Ho! was
cobbled lanes with 18th-century Open Apr–Oct: 10:30am–5pm daily. built in the late 19th century
fishermen’s cottages. Shops retain 7 limited. ∑ northdevon and named after Kingsley’s
their original bow windows and maritimemuseum.co.uk popular novel, published in
g Lundy Island

Jointly owned and managed by the National Trust and the
Landmark Trust, Lundy Island is a 5-km- (3-mile-) long sliver
of granite lying 19 km (12 miles) off the North Devon coast.
Once important for its stone quarries and copper mine, it is now
abundant in birdlife, including puffins. One of the most remote
places in England, it can be visited as a day trip from Ilfracombe, Battery Point
but it is also possible to rent holiday houses for a longer stay. The Battery operated as a fog signal
station between 1863 and 1897.
Old Light
Built in 1819, the Old
Light has the highest base
of any lighthouse in the
UK. Abandoned in 1897,
it can now be rented
as a holiday home.

The cemetery is an ancient burial
ground with several gravestones
dating to the 5th or 6th century AD.
Marisco Tavern
Opened as a village shop
for quarrymen in the 1860s,
Lundy’s sole pub is decorated
with relics of local shipwrecks.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p178 and pp189–90

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