About Barnstaple
Since its foundation, Barnstaple has been the centre of North Devon
Sited at the crossing point of the River Taw, the town’s earliest existence was as a focal point for trade and a place of refuge. Over 1000 years later Barnstaple is the cultural, educational and retail hub of North Devon, and we offer a warm welcome to people from all over the world.
Barnstaple’s historic landmarks include our Saxon street pattern, Norman castle mound and mediaeval Long Bridge. Mediaeval Barnstaple was Devon’s second biggest town after Exeter, and we have over 375 Listed buildings, including mediaeval churches and chapels, 17th century merchants houses and almshouses, and striking 19th century civic buildings. Explore the town and you will find quiet cobbled alleyways and beautiful plasterwork as well as the traces of our industrial past.
At the centre of the town, our newly refurbished Pannier Market is the largest in North Devon, and a focus for trade and community life. This is where farmers’ wives used to bring their produce, while their husbands bought and sold at the weekly cattle market. The market sits alongside Butchers’ Row, a charming terrace of tiny shops now buzzing with cafes and other businesses. The market has been here since at least 1274 and Barnstaple Fair, September, just as long – it’s one of the biggest in the UK.
As well as a market town, Barnstaple has been a place of creativity and making. North Devon clay was the foundation of our prolific pottery industry, which created jars and dishes that were exported to the Americas in the 17th century. You’ll find more recent Barnstaple Brannam pottery in the town’s antique shops, and, if you’re lucky, examples of the beautiful Arts and Crafts furniture made here during at the Shapland and Petter factory.
Barnstaple’s river is the reason for its location. Although the town has grown it still has a rural feel, nestling within the hills at the edge of the Taw estuary. It lies at the heart of the UNESCO Biosphere, a designation which recognises the special qualities of our environment. You can watch the movement of the tide and spot wild birds and even otters from Rock Park or the Strand. On Barnstaple Strand you can enjoy tea and cakes at two of our popular cafes, and picture the days when privateers brought in Portuguese ships laden with gold and jewels, or the ships laden with emigrants set out for Australia.
There’s always something to do in Barnstaple. The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon is open all year round; you can find out about everything from the formation of our rocks to people’s lives in the recent past, even hearing some distinctive local accents. It’s on the Square, the centre of protest and celebration for the town, in the shadow of the Albert Clock.
In the evenings, you can go to the Queens Theatre, the beautiful 1930s Cinema (with one of the largest screens in the south west) or see what’s on at the Plough’s St.Anne’s Chapel or the Guildhall. The library is a focus for activity too, and the home of the North Devon Local Studies Centre.
This is an exciting time for Barnstaple. The Pannier Market has been newly refurbished, with an active events programme, and is now home to an artist led gallery, Studio Kind. We’re still investing in our cultural industries; Beaford Arts are now based in the town, and we will shortly be opening a new venue at Bridge Chambers. This is part of our Flourishing Barnstaple project, funded by DCMS via the Arts Council, which is helping us also generate activity in the town, create new cultural workspaces and support new creative businesses.
Flourishing Barnstaple is all about celebrating what the town, its people, organisations and businesses are up to. We are installing signage to help you find your way around and creating new trails and interpretation to celebrate Barnstaple’s stories. This new website is here to help us all find out all the creative and cultural opportunities that are here in Barnstaple. Join in, post your events and activities and explore all the town has to offer!