33 Facts About Bideford

Bideford is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England.

Bideford obtained from FitzHamon the lordship of Neath, Glamorgan, in which he built Neath Castle and in 1129 founded Neath Abbey.

Bideford is by tradition the founder and ancestor of the prominent Westcountry Grenville family of Stowe in the parish of Kilkhampton in Cornwall and of Bideford in Devon.

Bideford built himself a new mansion on the quayside in 1585.

Bideford had an Auxiliary Unit Patrol at Cleave Mine, the men of this patrol were expected to be the resistance if Britain was invaded.

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In 1886 a Ship called 'Edward Birkbeck' launched from a Bideford shipyard hit the bridge, but only caused small damage by knocking some of the stones out.

Bideford was heavily involved in the transport of indentured servants to the New World colonies.

Bideford was heavily involved in the Newfoundland cod trade from the 16th century to the mid-18th century.

Bideford imported large amounts of Irish wool in the 18th century.

Two prominent shipbuilders in Bideford were George Crocker and Richard Chapman: they built a large number of ships.

The largest wooden ship to be built in Bideford was the Sarah Newman, a 1,004-ton full-rigged ship built in 1855.

Shipbuilding in the Bideford area declined during the 1890s as shipyards in Britain's industrial regions constructed steel steamships.

Bideford Black is a unique pigment which was mined for 200 years up until 1969 in Bideford and the surrounding area.

Bideford Black contains carbon, silica and alumina, with the black colouration created by the carbon.

Bideford Black was used in a number of ways; for example, it was used as camouflage paint during World War II, in mascara by Max Factor, by artists, and in the boat-building industry.

Bideford Black was processed as a paint and a dye up until the mining stopped.

Bideford Black has been known as "The Mother of Coal"; there are still a number of places where evidence of the mine can be seen, like old mine entrances just off the Barnstaple road.

Recently some Bideford Black was exchanged, by locals, for some pigments provided by Australian Aboriginal Elder Noel Butler.

Bideford has the highest rate of youth offending in Devon at 21.

In 2004 Bideford was classed as one of the most deprived areas in the Torridge area.

Bideford is served by the A39 Atlantic Highway and A386 roads.

Bideford was previously connected to the national rail network, but the connection was lost in 1982 with the closure of the line from Barnstaple to Torrington and Meeth Quarry.

Bideford has a wet but mild climate; during the winter Bideford experiences a lot of frosty nights and mornings and gets some snow.

Town of Bideford has grown to cover land on both sides of the River Torridge; the area located east of the river is known as East-the-Water and spelled East the Water without hyphens.

State-funded primary schools in Bideford include East-the-Water Primary School, St Mary's Church of England Primary School and Westcroft School.

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Bideford College is the main state-funded secondary school serving the area.

Bideford has two King George's Fields, which are memorials to King George V One field is used primarily as the home ground of the main local rugby union club, Bideford RFC who currently play in Tribute South West 1 West.

Bideford has a number of churches: St Mary's Church is a Church of England church, and one of the largest in the town: the clock on the 13th-century tower is visible throughout the town.

Bideford is renowned for its New Year's Eve celebrations, when thousands of people – most in fancy dress – from surrounding towns, villages, and around the world gather on the quay for revelries and a fireworks display.

Bideford left some land to trustees and the income is distributed to 10 deserving people, for each trustee.

Bideford is covered by two main local newspapers, the North Devon Gazette and the North Devon Journal which are published weekly.

The Burton at Bideford is an art gallery and museum in the town that has collections on various things of interest connected with Bideford's heritage, including clay pipes and tea caddies.

In 1272 Bideford was granted a market charter, and has had many markets throughout the years.