Barnstaple

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Barnstaple
The Long Bridge at Barnstaple
The Long Bridge at Barnstaple
Coordinates 51 ° 5 ′  N , 4 ° 3 ′  W Coordinates: 51 ° 5 ′  N , 4 ° 3 ′  W
OS National Grid SS5633
Barnstaple (England)
Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Residents 30,916
administration
Post town BARNSTAPLE
ZIP code section EX31
EX32
prefix 01271
Part of the country England
region South West England
Shire county Devon
District North Devon
Civil Parish Barnstaple
British Parliament North Devon

Barnstaple is a town in the north of the county of Devon , United Kingdom . It is on the north side of the mouth of the River Taw , about eight miles from the Bristol Channel .

Urban development

Barnstaple was established as a trading post on the lowest bridge of the Taw, which originally dates back to the 13th century and, restored and widened, still spans the river today. The then Beardastopol was mentioned as an important place at the end of the 10th century. The castle hill on which Barnstaple Castle once stood is still preserved near the city center . Barnstaple received town charter in the early 12th century and a city wall was built. In 1557 the city came to the English crown.

As a seaport, a royal port since 1428, Barnstaple played an important role in the 14th to 16th centuries as a transshipment point for the southwestern English wool industry; Homemade wool was processed together with imported wool from Ireland . The silting up of the river mouth led to the decline of the port. In the age of the railroad, Barnstaple eventually developed into a popular seaside resort .

Population development: 1801 - 3,748; 1901 - 9,698; 2001 - 30,765; 2006 - 34,000 inhabitants. In the 1930s to 1950s several surrounding villages were incorporated.

Famous pepole

Twin cities

literature

  • Meyer's Encyclopedic Lexicon. Bibliographical Institute, Mannheim / Vienna / Zurich 1973, OCLC 475524823 , Volume 3, p. 514.

Web links

Commons : Barnstaple  - Collection of Images