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Another ‘lost shop’ – Taylor Brothers.
Shops come and go all the time in all towns, with a few lasting for some time – but even these eventually close. One that fits this latter category is Taylor Brothers’ shoe shop in Mill Street. I first started … Continue reading
A brief history of the Custom House.
Bideford’s buildings are constantly being reinvented – and anyone walking along to the Post Office will have noticed the old Custom House has become a new coffee shop – with some of the best views over the river from its … Continue reading
Posted in History
Tagged Bideford Bridge Trust, Custom House Bideford, Peter Christie
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A brief history of the Palladium Club.
The Club began life in 1919 as the stables for the Heavitree Inn. In 1926 it was the Palladium Cinema and the ticket office was situated where Patts’ Fruit and Vegetable shop now is in Mill St. Later it became … Continue reading
Walking the Coast Path; Mouthmill.
This is a beach of contrasts. A stream idly trickles through football-sized boulders down to the sea, while soothing sweeps of light-brown sand provide a backdrop to jutting rock formations that point arrow-like towards the Atlantic. It’s a place for … Continue reading
Beavering away for Bideford flood protection.
There are proposals under consideration for raising the level of the Kenwith Reservoir dam to give the necessary added protection from fluvial flooding resulting from anticipated climate change and the amount of new housing development in the catchment area. In … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Environment
Tagged beavers, Devon Wildlife Trust, flood protection, Kenwith valley
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Bideford’s Newfoundland links & the Chope Collection.
Devon has strong historic links with the Canadian Province of Newfoundland dating back to the 16th Century, when boats from local ports sailed to the waters of Newfoundland to fish for cod. Initially men left Devon in April and returned … Continue reading
Posted in Books, History
Tagged Bideford Library, Chope collection, Devonshire Association, Newfoundland
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Buzz Byte – printers.
Welcome to this new series of articles about home computing. This month’s tips are about printers. Most home users will have an inkjet printer which will use either a colour and black cartridge or a black with individual colours, … Continue reading
HMS ‘Alliance’ visits Lundy.
During the month of April 1967, the submarine HMS ‘Alliance’ was operating in home waters in the South of England and for a day or two anchored off Lundy. One submariner, whose name is unknown, came ashore and probably spent … Continue reading
Two Bideford-built schooners of the Nineteenth Century.
“Buzz” was contacted in June by Roger Banfield of Scilly seeking information on the schooner “Vivid”, built in Bideford in 1851 (see Shipping Notes 136, July edition). Mr. Banfield undertakes maritime history research for his own interest, and also in … Continue reading
Lundy’s wartime farming problems.
In May 1940, Martin Coles Harman, the owner of Lundy, made the surprising decision to lease the island for a period of ten years to a Mr. Herbert A. Van Os. His reasons have never been fully understood, but … Continue reading
Memories of Bideford Shipyard.
Many thanks to Mr. Freddie Palmer, who provided these photos. We’re sure that they’ll be of interest to many people. “Buzz” is dating the photos of the trawler “Galatea” as 1975, since records show that as date of launch. Names … Continue reading
Posted in History, Local People, Shipping
Tagged Bideford, Bideford Shipyard, river Torridge, shipbuilding, shipyard, Torridge shipyards
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Christmas in Nineteenth-Century Bideford.
by Liz Shakespeare. Today, our local newspapers are full of advertisements for Christmas presents, Christmas events and Christmas meals, but when we look at the newspapers of the nineteenth century, it is apparent that the festival was a less commercial … Continue reading
Posted in History
Tagged Bideford, Bideford Gazette, Christmas, Liz Shakespeare, North Devon Journal
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Hungarians, not Bidefordians.
I was rather surprised to see the photograph (see above) on the first page of the July ‘Buzz’ labelled ‘An early Bideford Town Band’. The gentlemen shown went by the name of the ‘Hungarian Band’. They were a group of … Continue reading
‘The Book of Hartland’.
While Bideford Library has marched boldly into the 21st Century with its Wi-Fi and e-book service, we shouldn’t forget the wealth of historical material also kept here. We have a wonderful set of old photographs and also an impressive collection … Continue reading
Time capsules and the Port Memorial.
Saturday April 11th saw an interesting event on the Quay when the restored Port Memorial and Ornamental Gardens were re- opened by the Mayor following refurbishment. Councillor David Howell had also organised a ceremony with the Sea Scouts to bury … Continue reading