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Explore
the Coast and "Country" Side of Bideford Bay
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| Way Out West Appledore |
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Over
the point to "Irsha", West Appledore. In the 19th Century, The
Grand Hotel on Tavern Corner marked the demarcation line between Appledore
and what, was once, the tiny hamlet of "Irsha". Today the tavern
on the corner is known as the Seagate Hotel and its doors are still open
for visitors all year round. This Torridgeside fishing village, famous for
its boatbuilding and seafaring traditions, is overlooked by the imposing
Parish Church of St. Mary's. A lot of history is packed into the area beyond
the Seagate. There is plenty of parking at the end of the quay so take time
to explore. On the right hand side of the bend, as Appledore Quay sweeps
round onto the Torridge Road, you can still see the remains of the platform
and sign for the old Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway. Running
between the Torridge Road and the Torridge Estuary riverbank is Irsha Street.
The narrow street is lined with pastel coloured cottages, cobbled courtyards,
hidden passageways and slipways. This area is still known as West Appledore
and in olden days it was a hive of industry with several small boatyards
including J. Hinks & Sons and Edward Parkin. The main occupations of
the men folk residing here included all manner of manly seafaring activities
such as master mariner, fisherman, shipwright, blacksmith, stone heaver,
limestone porter, pilot, roper, sail maker, coastguard, tide surveyor and
ferryman. Tourism has now replaced the boatbuilding but still much activity
can be attributed to this tiny community including fundraising events such
as West Quay Fun Day and Lifeboat Open Days. About half way down Irsha Street
there is a slipway, known as "Moody's Slip". The large black and
white building beside the slipway has recently been converted to luxury
apartments but prior to that it was the site of the Gaiety Cinema. The Gaiety
Theatre was originally built in 1893 as a Public Hall by Harold Robert Moody
and his initials still appear in one of the keystones over the entrance.
Harold Moody was a bit of a philanthropist, son of a Civil Engineer who
had studied under Brunel. It was Station Master H.R. Moody who received
the first official train from Bideford on May 1st 1908. The hall was used
for entertainment and as an overflow for the village school's infant classes.
From 1914 it was known as the Gaiety Theatre when it was used for school
operettas. By 1923 it had a new owner and became the Gaiety Cinema showing
silent films with live piano accompaniment. The cinema closed in 1959 and
one of the last pictures to be shown was "Ice Cold in Alex", a
British Film starring the late Sir John Mills, Anthony Quale, Harry Andrews
and Sylvia Syms. At the end Irsha Street is West Quay and visitors can choose
between two welcoming pubs, the Beaver Inn and the Royal George. Although
it was said that Appledore and West Appledore were rival villages in olden
times, the only rivalry now is on annual Appledore and Instow Regatta Gig
Races, West Quay Fun Day Events and the Appledore Arts Festival's "Best
Decorated Door Knocker" competition. The final stretch of the lane
leads to Appledore Lifeboat Station and Slipway. Appledore's long and proud
tradition with lifeboats goes back to 1829, before the R.N.L.I. was even
formed. There were, at times three stations open at the same time and all
were manned by the Appledore Crew. The choice of which boat to use was dependant
on where the casualty was. The Braunton Burrows Boat would go for a casualty
anywhere from the North Tail, or Airy point to Saunton or Woolacombe. The
Northam Burrows Boat would go for anything from the South Tail down to Westward
Ho! Finally the Appledore Boat was for anything inside Bideford Bar. All
that changed when the RNLB Jane Hannah MacDonald arrived at the Appledore
Boathouse in 1889. In 1855 the stations were taken over by the RNLI. Over
a period of 90 years from1829 to 1919, twenty-one Silver Medals were awarded
for rescues to the many shipwrecks that occurred off the coast. Today Appledore
lifeboat station is home to two lifeboats, an Atlantic 75 inshore lifeboat
and an all-weather Tyne class lifeboat (ALB). The third boat, a "Boarding
Boat, is used to access the moored Tyne. Appledore Lifeboat Station hold
special fundraising events throughout the year including the Sea Sunday
Service, Lifeboat Station Open Day and Storm Force Day. In addition visitors
can purchase souvenirs and gifts whenever the station is open. Visit the
Appledore Lifeboat Website to find out station opening times and event dates.
J. Hinks & Sons had two boatyards one in Irsha Street, the other one
at Watertown. If you look out from the slipway towards Bideford you will
see the roof of the old gas works which is now Watertown Garage. It was
around here that J. Hinks & Sons built the replicas of the 17th century
Hudson Bay Co. ship "Nonsuch" and the Drake flagship "Golden
Hind". Don't leave Appledore without visiting the North Devon Maritime
Museum on Odun Road. "From shipwright's tools to 'mud shoes' and
from salmon boats to warships, this museum traces the centuries-long seafaring
tradition of the North Devon coast through a wealth of exhibits, models
and photographs." Appledore has many historians including David
Carter who helped with the editorial on this page, his book "Illustrated
History of Appledore" chronicles the history of the sea-port village
of Appledore in North Devon, from the earliest historical sources to the
present day, The book includes many original illustrations and approximately
three hundred old photographs of the village taken over the past century.
Historical References: John Beara Appledore, Handmaid of the Sea 1990. Special thanks go to David Carter, Nimrod Research and Mervyn Gould of Mercia Cinema Society. Useful Links: Appledore Lifeboat History, North Devon Maritime Museum |
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North Devon Focus, Appledore, Lifeboat, West Appledore, River Torridge, River Taw, Appledore Photos, Pictures of Appledore, West Appledore | |||
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Articles, Photographs & Illustrations ©Copyright P. Adams North Devon Focus 2024 - All rights reserved |  |
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