Appledore from the River Torridge                         Sunset view at Westward Ho!              The Torridge towards Bideford                Tarka Morrismen on the Quay   

                                                                                                                                                                                                        

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Charles Kingsley's 'Little White Fishing Village' in North Devon

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Along the quaint, narrow streets and drangs of Appledore there are many fishermen’s cottages, some of which date back to the Elizabethan era.

 

Where the Taw and Torridge rivers meet, sits the delightful quayside village of Appledore, next to the River Torridge. Appledore boasts a small but great range of shops, pubs, guesthouses and art galleries. A thriving fishing and trading village since the 14th century, Appledore has been a famous boat-building centre for many years and the shipyard is still active today. Picturesque Appledore provides a peaceful base from which to explore North Devon, and is close to surf beaches plus the ancient market towns of Bideford, Barnstaple and Great Torrington.

 

The Quay is very central to life in the village and it is here you will find many activities including fishing trips, crabbing contests on the quay, and sometimes Morris Dancers. This quaint fishing village  has a maze of narrow streets leading to the quay. A settlement here can be traced back to Saxon times, and Viking raiders lead by Hubba the Dane, were defeated here in the Battle of Bloody Corner circa 878 AD (a plaque to the battle is visible between Appledore and Northam on the Churchill Way corner near the swimming pool. 

 

In Elizabethan times, Appledore along with Bideford, was the largest importer of tobacco, and tales of smugglers and a nautical air can be found around every corner!

 

Don't forget the delicious Hocking's ice-cream made in Appledore and always available from their van on the quay!

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Appledore is located on the west bank of the tidal River Torridge at its confluence with the River Taw; jointly they flow NW for 4 km to Bideford Bay. Bideford town and port lies 4 km upstream.  

One of its earliest place names was Tawmutha - the mouth of the Taw; its present name is believed to have Celtic origins - a settlement by a pool of water.
The town has a long maritime history associated principally with ship building; an industry that remains the dominant employer to the present day.

Whilst Appledore has a long association with the sea there was no formal quay until 1845 when property owners on the eastern side of Market Street joined their garden walls together to form the Market Quay.

In 1939-40 the old quay was doubled in width and in 1997-98 a flood defence scheme was constructed raising the height of the quay by one metre.

Until the mid 19th century the riverbank was crowded with boat builders and ship repair yards; these have all disappeared with the last boatyard being redeveloped for housing in the 1990s.  Today ship building is limited to the Appledore Shipbuilders Yard which, when completed in 1970, was the largest covered dry dock in Europe.  The yard was constructed following the closure of the Richmond dock (constructed in 1855) a Grade II* building which at its opening had itself the largest dry dock in the Bristol Channel.

The settlement's population in 2001 was 2091.

[Source: Torridge District Council website]

 

 

Appledore Shipyard

Appledore Shipyard, Appledore, Devon EX39 1LX
+44 (0) 1237 473281

Appledore shipyard has had its ups and downs but the yard is still very much part of Appledore 

and provides employment for the local community as well as being a superb shipyard! 

Appledore Shipbuilders is renowned for its ability to produce quality ships on time. Appledore's excellent design and manufacturing facility is due in no small part to the high capital investment made to ensure that the company has remained at the forefront of technology. This, coupled with the experience and skill of its workforce, has enabled the company to design and build ships compatible with market requirements. These have included in recent years dredgers, liquid gas carriers, product carriers, bulk carriers, naval fishing protection vessels, naval survey vessels and passenger/vehicle ferries.

Copyright © 2008 Linda Smith

Last Updated 2 October 2008