The archive began as a manpower services commisision (MSC) sheme in September 1983 in a room in the Bideford Arts Centre, with no equipment, but some paid researchers! Pat Slade has been co-ordinator from the beginning and has had a lifelong passion for local history and has her own personal collection.
From the Arts Centre, the archive moved to Geneva School, Bideford and was eventually permanently based in the Northam Town Council Offices, Windmill Lane, Northam.

The archive covers mainly Torridge district area including the local newspaper, some census records , maps and local books for reference.

Researchers are welcome on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 9.30am-12noon, volunteers always welcome! The photograph shows the High Street, Bideford c1918-1930.

These photos and documents are from the life-time collection of Mary Orchard who lived in the village from1920 until 2005. Her father was landlord of the White Hart and her husband ran the village garage and coach company.

This web site contains only a small fraction of the archive. Family historians should go to Bratton Fleming COLLECTIONS where censuses, school photos and monumental Inscriptions can be found.

The pretty village of Braunton on the North Devon coast has a wealth of treasures that remain largely undiscovered byresidents and visitors alike. In addition to being at the core of the country's first newly-designated Biosphere Reserve, it boasts one of only two surviving medieval open strip field systems in England, a vibrant history of shipping and links with the sea, was once on the route of the bustling Barnstaple to Ilfracombe railway line, which carried 10,000 passengers per day at times and, thanks to the magnificent Braunton Burrows, is now reputed to be the most biodiverse parish in England. A lot can be said for the nation's largest village, and its richly varied past makes it an ideal place to explore.'

The Braunton Museum reflects the early beginnings of the town from the arrival of St Brannock from South Wales in the 6th Century, through to its agricultural and later maritime heritage, including the domestic and family histories of its inhabitants. Nearby you will find the Great Field, which is a living example of one of the only two early Saxon strip-farming systems remaining in England, and is still operational today! Also, why not visit the vantage point on Beacon Hill. Here you will see panoramic views of the whole area including Braunton Burrows, Appledore and the Taw and Torridge estuary. The Museum lies adjacent to a pay and display car park in the centre of Braunton and is within yards of the Tarka Trail and nearby shops. School parties are welcome, as are other elilgible groups, prior booking is essential.

Broadwoodkelly photos from the past. Burial records 1813-1992 and baptism records 1753-1941

The Burton Art Gallery and Museum was re-opened in May 1994, after a major extension and refurbishment. The new building has three exhibition spaces, a museum, craft gallery, shop, workshop and lecture area and Coffee Shop.

The original gallery was opened in 1951. Two men, Thomas Burton, a wealthy local businessman, and Hubert Coop, a successful watercolour painter, combined to commemorate the untimely death of Burton's daughter, Mary.

The traditional Chulmleigh West Country Fair has been held since King Henry III granted his permission by signing a royal charter in 1253. The opening of the Fair takes place on the Tuesday evening on or next after the 22nd July and the cermony is conducted by a member of the public who has workedhard for the community. The Fair Queen, chosen by public ballot, is then crowned and the festivities begin. The Fair continues until late Saturday evening with a different programme of events each day. The Fair was held each year of both World wars. To mark the 750th anniversary in 2003, it was decided to create an archive recording the history of the Fair and this is on public view at Chulmleigh Library. A large mosaic was also created, which can be seen in South Molton Street, Chulmleigh. The archive contains a huge file of newspaper cuttings reporting the events from the late 1700s, maps, programmes, booklets etc. Photographs from the archive will soon be able to be viewed here in the picture gallery which will follow.

Combe Martin derives its name from 'combe' - a wooded valley - and from the Norman family Martin who inherited this manor from one of the supporters of William the Conqueror. From 1730 until 1919, when the Manor properties were sold, Combe Martin had absentee landlords. This absence of a resident squire is one of the factors that contributed to the development of a village character different from the adjoining squire-dominated villages. The fabulous small museum which is due to open at Easter 2009, in a new location and after refurbishment, illustrates Combe Martin's history with artefacts, photographs, maps and pictures of the old village industries in silver mining, lime quarrying and burning, agriculture and horticulture together with details of its maritime history.

The Exbourne Local History Group has recently been formed, following the highly successful Exbourne Bygones Day, an exhibition of photographs and memorabilia, held in October 2009.
The group has decided to focus research on:

Oral History through interviews with present and former residents; and

buildings in the village and surrounding area, including houses, former shops and businesses as well as neighbouring farms.

The photograph shown here was taken at the Exbourne Bygones Exhibition in October 2009.

The Explore North Devon project Office creates collections about North Devon to which every contributor can add their own items.

Hartland Quay Museum is a small, independent museum devoted solely to the historic and beautiful Hartland Coast. Sited overlooking the sea amid magnificent cliff scenery, the museum's displays tell the story of four centuries of shipwrecks, of heroic lifesaving services and of the men and ships that traded to Hartland Quay under sail.

The history of the Quay is shown, from its beginnings in the time of King Henry VIII to its destruction by the sea at the end of the 1800s. Other exhibits describe the natural history of the local coastline, bygone coastal industries, smuggling, wreck and rescue. Another display features Hartland Point Lighthouse, and in the summer months a seawater aquarium is kept stocked with marine life from the Quay Pool.

The Museum is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Easter through October. There is a small admission charge.

Heritage Open Days (www.heritageopendays.org) was started in 1994 by the Civic Trust, when around 700 properties across England opened on a weekend in September. Since then it has grown to become England's largest voluntary event, with over 1 million visitors exploring an ever- increasing range of places and spaces. Every year in September, thousands of buildings of all ages, sites and functions open their doors free of charge. Many places are normally closed to the public, while others would charge for admission. In May 2009, English Heritage took over the co-ordination nationally of the event for the first time.

You can discover many sites across North Devon and take part in the free events organised by some of the Explore North Devon contributors including Combe Martin Museum, South Molton and District Museum , Archive and Local History Society and the Winkleigh Society . For more information on our events visit the collection space here.

The museum is housed in part of a building that is itself a museum piece - a small manor house dating from the 17th century. In 1724 it was acquired by the Bishop of Exeter for use as a parsonage. The kitchen still has the original open fireplace and cobbled floor, and now homes a varied selection of kitchen implements and associated items. There are four other rooms which contain displays on Holsworthy town, the local railway, trades and crafts, agriculture, medical and apothecary, and the two World wars.

Ilfracombe Museum boasts a fascinating collection of over 20,000 items of natural history, victoriana, maritime, minerals, archaeology, maps, paintings, photos, militaria and costume related to local history, all gathered lovingly by curators and trustees for 65 years. The museum also offers a Brass Rubbing Centre and links to the Heritage Harbour, Lantern Hill, Lifeboat House, Landmark Theatre, coastal walks, rock pool beaches and local gardens.

Kingsnympton is a typical North Devon hill village of British origin and is built around a 10th century church of great beauty and antiquity. The parish comprises the village at its core with Kingsnympton Park Estate and many outlying farms occupying the remaining land.

At the time of the Domesday Book, the manor belonged entirely to the King and paid £18, by weight, in taxes to the treasury (by weight because the locals were notorious for snipping coins).

There is the base of a Celtic Christian cross in the churchyard.

The village of Landkey is situated approximately three miles south east of the bustling market town of Barnstaple. It lies in the entrance to a shallow east-west valley bounded to the south by a series of ridges of which Codden Hill is the highest, rising to 630ft. It is likely that Landkey started to become a definable entity when the monk St Kea established a primitive Christian church here in the fifth or sixth century and it is to him that Landkey (Lan-de-Kea) owes its name.

The present-day St Paul's church was built on St Kea's original site in the 15th century and remains the predominant feature of the village to this day. The photograph (courtesy of Beaford Arts) shown here is thought to date from around 1900 and shows St Paul's in the background.

Other village features include the mazzard cherry tree which is indigenous to Landkey and which has been reintroduced after a period of near-extinction. Nearby, Venn Quarry provided stone for building and burnt lime fertiliser for farmers for many years. A bakery which dates from the time of Oliver Cromwell is still in evidence even though it no longer produces bread.

The arrival of the North Devon Link Road and the establishment of the Millennium Green are more recent developments which have had an impact on life in Landkey.

Lapford is a small rural village located in North Devon on the road between Barnstaple and Crediton. We are currently compiling images of the village showing its rich heritage, for showing on this site.

The parish of Loxhore is 5 miles east of Barnstaple in North Devon. Loxhore is a very scattered community of small hamlets with the River Yeo forming one parish boundary. The population is about two hundred with the Church, Chapel and the Village Hall being the centres for all social activities.

In the early part of the twentieth century the stage coach from Barnstaple to Lynton passed through the village. At this time Loxhore boasted a blacksmith, wheelwright and pub to serve the passengers! The coming of the railway was the death knell for this service, the motor car killing off the railway in its turn.

Some family names are still common within the village, their ancestors having lived here for around 150 years. The new inhabitants integrate and take a very active part in the village, which won the Calor Gas award for Village of the Year for the South West in 2006.

Pupils from the Marland School have been given an exciting opportunity to work in their locality with local artists producing unique artworks inspired by the history of the old brick works. The project was funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and managed directly by Beaford Arts working in partnership with DAISI (Devon Arts in Schools Initiative), Marland School, the North Devon Record Office and the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon. Visit the web pages and see the results of the project and some of the artworks produced! Image collected by James Ravilious for the Beaford Archive (c) Beaford Arts.

Merton is the birthplace of George Monck, one of the most colourful characters of the English Civil War and a key player in the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. In reward, he was created Duke of Albermarle and his regiment of foot became the Coldstream Guards, who maintain their link with Merton to this day. When Monck died in 1670, he received a state funeral at the King's own expense and a resting place of honour in Westminster Abbey. 2008 marked the 400th anniversary of Monck's birth.

Visit our section of Explore North Devon for more information on the man and his parish.

The Centre is run by The Mortehoe Heritage Trust, which is managed by local people. It is situated in the heart of the cliff-top village of Mortehoe, 1.5 miles north of Woolacombe on the coastal road. Entry is through the village Car Park which is opposite Mortehoe Post Office.

We are currently putting together the material for displaying on Explore North Devon. Our part of the site will be ready soon.

The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon is the principal museum of North Devon. Visit our web pages to learn more and to listen to people talking about their feelings about the landscape of North Devon.

North Devon at War is a 'Their Past, Your future' project funded by the Big Lottery Fund. One aim of the project is to digitally preserve the military history archives of the North Devon museum service. The second aim is to collect, store and present new oral history, particularly from people whose lives have been touched by conflict since World War II. Additional resources will also be posted here that may be of use to school children, teachers and researchers.

North Devon Festival is rapidly establishing itself as one of the key festivals in the UK. Returning in 2011 for its 13th year, the North Devon Festival is recognised as being one of the top five events in the country by The Times. The Festival celebrates the rich cultural life of the area with dance, music, fairs, art, lifestyle, sport, theatre, comedy, nature, heritage and community events happening throughout the month of June.

There are over 200 main events throughout 50 towns & villages in North Devon . Visit this collection for more on the history of the Queens Theatre too!

For more information and full listings of events during the North Devon Festival visit the website at

www.northdevonfestival.org.uk or call the box office on 01271 32 42 42.

The North Devon Maritime Museum is housed in a fine Georgian listed building in the shipbuilding village of Appledore. The village lies on the banks of the Taw/Torridge estuary, just inside the notorious Bideford Bar.

North Tawton is a small town located right in the heart of the Devonshire countryside. Situated alongside the River Taw from which it takes its name, it is arguably the smallest town in the county. Dartmoor, only a few miles away provides a dramatic backdrop to an ancient settlement whose history began before the Romans established a fortification and continued through the heyday of the woollen trade to which North Tawton owes its early prosperity. Although agriculture has played an important part in shaping the history of the town, it has a long industrial tradition too. Its central position meant that it was a natural site for marketing the produce from its hinterland which it did successfully for more than 500 years.

The village of Northam, which includes Appledore and Westward Ho! is situated just outside the town of Bideford. Together they fill the peninsula between the estuary of the river Torridge and Barnstaple Bay. Northam itself is located at the top of a hill from which fine views can be seen towards Westward Ho!

We are in the process of gathering together images of Parracombe and the surrounding area to reflect its community and history.

Petrockstowe village sits on top of a hill between Hatherleigh and Torrington and although bypassed today, in the past it was situated on a main coaching route. The Laurels Inn, formerly The White Hart, was a coaching inn on the route between Plymouth and Barnstaple, where the mail coach stopped and horses were changed.

Today Petrockstowe has a pub and the Baxter Hall; no school though, this was closed in 1965, no post office, that finally disappeared at the end of the 1980s having been based in various properties in the village, including the pub at one time. Once Petrockstow boasted 2 shops, a post office, the pub, the bakers and various trades, including 2 wheelwrights, several stonemasons, some of whose craft can be found in the churchyard, 2 blacksmiths, and its own tannery. Farming was the dominant industry with the census listing many 'Ag labs'.

The church stands behind the pub in the centre of the village, the records date back to the 1500s but the original church was earlier.

Petrockstow used to have a mainline station; the passenger and freight line fell to the Beeching axe in 1965, but the line continued to be used by the clay companies until the early 1980s who then switched to road haulage as it was cheaper.

The Reverend Geoffrey Squire was born in Barnstaple in 1936 and has lived in or near the town all his life. He has had a lifelong interest in local history and as a result has built up a significant collection, some of which appears here. Geoffrey was a former Managing Director of James & Tucker hardware store, Barnstaple. However, his main connection is with the Barnstaple Parish Church, with whom he has been involved for fifty years. Today, he is a priest at St Paul's Church, Landkey.

The Parish of Shebbear lies north-east of Holsworthy within the local authority area of Torrington. Buckland Filleigh village is a close neighbour. Shebbear is frequently mentioned in the Doomsday Book as furnishing grants of money for the Crusades. The Parish Church is a large and beautiful edifice, with a capacity to hold 500 people. We are currently compiling a set of images of our parish and its people, past and present.

The South Molton and District Archive Local History Society is continually researching the history of the Town and surrounding area, holding a unique collection of documents and images.

Discover the true spirit of the characters from South Molton's past, through the Museum's exhibits and interactive displays. Illustrating the social history of the Town and its development through the centuries.

Richard Stucley (1730-1811) lived in Chulmleigh and served its people as a surgeon and latterly Man-Midwife over sixty years.The Richard Stucley Festival 29th January - 6th February 2011, celebrates the life of this prominent much-respected son of Chulmleigh two hundred years after his death. For full details of the festival events please visit this section of the website. Logo courtesy of Robin Ravilious.

This off-road cycle link (excluding the Meeth link) forms part of Devon's Cycling Coast to Coast Route between Ilfracombe and Plymouth. The length from Barnstaple to Petrockstowe also forms part of the West Country Way Cycle Route between Bristol and Padstow. Over 30 miles of the Tarka Trail is available to cyclists between Braunton and Meeth, using the old railways of North Devon. Passing through the largely unspoilt countryside as it was described by Henry Williamson in his classic novel 'Tarka the Otter' first published in 1927.

Founded in 1982 by Satish Kumar, The Small School is situated in the village of Hartland, North Devon. It is a small independent school for 11 to 16 year olds with an emphasis on pupil-centered holistic education.

This photograph, from the school archives, shows the first year's students, with Satish and Michael Nix (the first head-teacher) in the background.

Great Torrington Heritage Museum and Archive is due to open on May 11th to the end of September 2011 in the Town Hall building after several years closure. In the meantime please visit the collections shown on this website for a flavour of the Museum.
Members of the public can contact the Museum by email as follows torrington.museum@hotmail.co.uk
Alternatively you can write to the Museum as follows: Great Torrington Heritage Museum and Archive, c/o The Post Office, Fore Street, Great Torrington, EX38 8HJ or telephone Val Morris on 01805 622306.

ACE Archaeology Club was formed in 1997, as a direct result of the production of the Winkleigh Community Book, a year before. Those who were involved in researching the History and Archaeology for the book soon discovered that not a lot of work had been done in this part of Devon.

House Scouts is a community heritage project funded by the Local Heritage Initiative and was instigated by the Winkleigh Society (a Civic Trust) and ACE Archaeology Club. House Scouts is a DIY project, inspired by the BBC's House Detectives and is for residents who are interested in discovering the history of where they live.

The project is also part of North Devon On Disc and has created a large physical and digital archive, some of which can be seen on this website. The full archive can be viewed at the Winkleigh Community Centre on Wednesday mornings at the Mini Market.

The Winsford Trust Cottage Hospital, a Grade 2 * listed building, designed by C.F.A Voysey was given to the community of Halwill and surrounding district in 1900 by Mrs Maria Webb-Medley in memory of her husband George. The former Cottage Hospital is the only building in the United Kingdom, designed by C.F.A Voysey ( a contemporary of William Morris and Lutyens) that is still in public ownership. The Winsford Trust came into being in 1999 when the local community led by the Winsford Hospital League of Friends in partnership with Age Concern, Torridge, secured ownership of the building. Image shows C.F.A Voysey's watercolour of the front of the hospital in 1899.

The North Devon village of Witheridge lies in undulating countryside with Exmoor National Park to the North, and Dartmoor National Park to the South.