Lost Bideford & District

Bideford is a historic port on the River Torridge in north Devon. In the sixteenth century Bideford developed as a major trading port for the American colonies and maintained its significance into the eighteenth century. During the twentieth century the port and shipbuilding declined in Bideford, although it still has a fishing fleet. In Lost Bideford & District authors Julian and Anthony Barnes and Peter Christie portray, through the years, the old bridge in Bideford and the pier, wartime activities including the arrival of American GIs, old businesses that have disappeared today including factories, mines and lime kilns, lost schools, mansions, windmills, chapels and toll houses, railways that have closed, the changing face of neighbouring Instow and Northam, and much more. Lost Bideford & District presents a portrait of this corner of the South West over the last century to recent decades, showing not only industries and buildings that have gone but also people and street scenes, many popular places of entertainment and much more. This fascinating photographic history of lost Bideford and the surrounding district will appeal to all those who live in the area or know it well, as well as those who remember it from previous decades.

Julia Barnes is a local author and a member of the Westward Ho! History Group. Anthony Barnes is a local author and a member of the Westward Ho! History Group. He set up and runs the website and Facebook group. He lives in Bideford. Peter Christie is a lecturer at Petroc College where he teaches Geography and Oral History. He is the senior district & town councilor. He’s twice been Mayor of Bideford and is currently Chairman of the Bideford Bridge Trust. He was the Reviews Editor of The Local Historian for 12 years and has published over 1000 articles on the history of North Devon. A long time writer for local newspapers he currently runs the ’Yesteryear’ page in the North Devon Journal and has written many books on Devon.