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{{Short description|Town in Devon, England}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox UK place
| static_image_name = Barnstaple (Devon, UK), Clock Tower -- 2013 -- 0986.jpg
| static_image_width = 240
| static_image_caption = Barnstaple Clock Tower
| static_image_2_name = Coat of arms of Barnstaple Town Council.svg
| static_image_2_caption = Coat of arms
| static_image_2_width= 80px
| country = England
| official_name = Barnstaple 
| coordinates = {{coord|51.08|-4.06|type:city(24000)_region:GB-DEV|display=inline,title}}
|population_ref           = 23,976 (Parish, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Barnstaple parish |url=http://citypopulation.de/en/uk/southwestengland/admin/north_devon/E04012969__barnstaple/ |website=City Population |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref><br>{{nowrap|31,275 (Built up area, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>}}
| civil_parish = Barnstaple
| shire_district = [[North Devon]]
| shire_county = [[Devon]]
| region = South West England
| post_town = BARNSTAPLE
| postcode_district = EX31, EX32
| postcode_area = EX
| dial_code = 01271
| os_grid_reference = SS5633
| constituency_westminster = [[North Devon (UK Parliament constituency)|North Devon]]
}}
'''Barnstaple''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Barnstaplepronunciation.ogg|ˈ|b|ɑr|n|s|t|ə|b|əl}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɑr|n|s|t|ə|p|əl}}<ref>G. E. Pointon, ed. (1983) ''BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names''; 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; p. 18 (latter pronunciation)</ref>) is a river-port town and [[civil parish]] in the [[North Devon]] district of [[Devon]], England. The town lies at the [[River Taw]]'s [[lowest crossing point]] before the [[Bristol Channel]]. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from which it earned great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, but its harbour silted up and other trades developed such as shipbuilding, foundries and sawmills. A Victorian market building survives, with a high glass and timber roof on iron columns.

==Toponymy==
The name is first recorded in the 10th century and is thought to derive from the Early English ''bearde'', meaning "battle-axe", and ''stapol'', meaning "pillar", i.e. a post or pillar to mark a religious or administrative meeting place. The derivation from ''staple'' meaning "market", indicating a market from its foundation, is likely to be incorrect, as the use of ''staple'' in that sense first appears in 1423.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-names |last=Watts |first=Victor |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |edition=1st paperback |year=2010 |pages=37–38 |isbn=978-0-521-16855-7}}</ref>

Barnstaple was formerly referred to as "Barum", as a contraction of the Latin form of the name ''ad Barnastapolitum'' in Latin documents such as the episcopal registers of the [[Diocese of Exeter]].<ref>[[Francis Charles Hingeston-Randolph|Hingeston-Randolph, F. C.]], ed. ''Episcopal Registers: Diocese of Exeter''. 10 vols. London: George Bell, 1886–1915 (for the period 1257–1455).</ref> The spelling '''Barnstable''' was also used for the town but is now obsolete, although that spelling is retained in America by a [[Barnstable, Massachusetts|town in Massachusetts]] and its [[Barnstable County, Massachusetts|county]], which were named after Barnstaple.

Barum is a historical name, which was revived in the [[Victorian era]] in several novels. It remains in the names of a football team, a brewery and several businesses, and on numerous milestones. The former [[Brannam Pottery]] in Litchdon Street was known for its trademark "Barum" etched on the base of its products.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

==History==
[[File:BarnstapleAndPilton OnRiverTaw Circa1746 MuseumOfBarnstapleAndNorthDevon.PNG|thumb|18th-century painting by an unknown artist in the collection of the [[Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 October 2017 |title=Beyond the Library. The 18th Century Snapshot of Barnstaple |url=https://talesfromthearchives.wordpress.com/2017/10/11/beyond-the-library-the-18th-century-snapshot-of-barnstaple/ |url-status=live |access-date=30 November 2021 |website=Tales From the Archives |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130211842/https://talesfromthearchives.wordpress.com/2017/10/11/beyond-the-library-the-18th-century-snapshot-of-barnstaple/ |archive-date=30 November 2021}}</ref> Barnstaple (right) and [[Pilton, Devon|Pilton]] (left) are seen divided by the [[River Yeo, Barnstaple|River Yeo]] flowing into the broad [[River Taw]]. ''Right'': St Peter's Church, Barnstaple, with spire; [[Barnstaple Long Bridge]] (before widening) over River Taw. ''Left'': St Mary's Church, Pilton; Pilton Bridge over the River Yeo.]]
The earliest local settlement was probably at [[Pilton, Devon|Pilton]] by the [[River Yeo (Barnstaple)|River Yeo]], now a northern suburb. Pilton is recorded in the [[Burghal Hidage]] (c. 917) as a [[burh]] founded by [[Alfred the Great]],<ref name=HDP/> and may have undergone a Viking attack in 893,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Todd |first=Malcolm |author-link=Malcolm Todd |title=The South West to AD 1000 |series=A Regional History of England |publisher=Longman |year=1987 |page=276 |isbn=0-582-49274-2}}</ref> but by the later 10th-century Barnstaple had taken over its local defence. It had a [[mint (coin)|mint]] before the Norman Conquest.<ref name=HDP/>

The [[feudal barony of Barnstaple]] had its [[caput]] at [[Barnstaple Castle]], granted by [[William the Conqueror]] to [[Geoffrey de Montbray]], who appears as its holder in the 1086 [[Domesday Book]]. The barony fell to the Crown in 1095 after Montbray rebelled against [[William II of England|William II]]. He transferred the barony to [[Juhel de Totnes]], a feudal baron of [[Totnes]]. By 1107 Juhel had founded [[Totnes Priory]] and then [[Barnstaple Priory]], of the [[Cluniac priories in Britain|Cluniac order]], dedicated to St [[Mary Magdalene]].<ref>L. Lamplugh, ''Barnstaple: Town on the Taw'', 2002, Cullompton, p. 9.</ref> After Juhel's son died intestate, the barony was split between the de Braose and Tracy families, before reuniting under Henry de Tracy. It then passed through several families, before ending in the hands of [[Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby|Margaret Beaufort]] (died 1509), mother of King [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]].

A market is first recorded in 1274.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales to 1516 |url=https://archives.history.ac.uk/gazetteer/gazweb2.html |access-date=30 November 2021 |website=archives.history.ac.uk}}</ref> The town's wealth in the [[Middle Ages]] rested on being a [[staple port]] licensed to export wool. It had an early [[merchant guild]] of St Nicholas. In the early 14th century it was Devon's third richest town after Exeter and Plymouth, and its largest textile centre outside Exeter until about 1600.<ref name=H/> The wool trade was aided by its port, from which five ships were contributed to a force sent to fight the [[Spanish Armada]] in 1588. Barnstaple was one of the "privileged ports" of the [[Spanish Company]],<ref name="british-history.ac.uk">{{Cite journal |title=The Spanish Company |editor-first=Croft |editor-last=Pauline |journal=London Record Society |volume=9 |date=1973 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-record-soc/vol9 |access-date=23 April 2021 |archive-date=23 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423040246/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-record-soc/vol9 |url-status=live}}</ref> (established 1577), whose armorials appear on two mural monuments to 17th-century merchants: Richard Beaple (died 1643), three times Mayor, and Richard Ferris (Mayor in 1632), who with Alexander Horwood received a payment from the Corporation of Barnstaple in 1630 for "riding to Exeter about the Spanish Company."<ref name="Lamplugh">Lamplugh, p. 165, note 2, chapter 12, quoting ''Borough Records Vol II, p. 150''.</ref> in St Peter's Church, and on the decorated plaster ceiling of the old ''Golden Lion Inn'',<ref name="Lamplugh"/> Boutport Street, now a restaurant beside the Royal and Fortescue Hotel.{{efn |The royal charter of 1605 re-establishing the Spanish Company names several hundred founding members from named English ports, the "merchants of Barnstaple" being William Gay, John Salisbury, John Darracott, John Mewles, George Gay, Richard Dodderidge, James Beaple, Nicholas Downe, James Downe, Robert Dodderidge, Richard Beaple and [[Pentecost Dodderidge]]. Richard Dodderidge and James Beaple were named amongst the "first and present assistants and chief councillors of the fellowship".<ref name="british-history.ac.uk"/>}}

[[File:Barnstaple Pannier Marker Exterior.jpg|right|thumb|The exterior of the [[Guildhall, Barnstaple#Pannier Market|Pannier Market]], built in the mid-19th century]]
The town benefited from rising trade with America in the 16th and 17th centuries, for the benefit of wealthy merchants who built impressive town houses. Some of these survive behind more recent frontages, for instance No. 62 Boutport Street, said to have one of the best plaster ceilings in Devon.<ref name=P/> The merchants also built [[almshouses]], including [[Penrose's Almshouses|Penrose's]], and backed their legacy with elaborate family monuments inside the church.<ref name=P/>

By the 18th century, Barnstaple had ceased to be a woollen manufacturing town. Its output was replaced from Ireland, for which it was the main landing place; the raw materials were then taken by land to clothmaking towns in mid and east-Devon, such as [[Tiverton, Devon|Tiverton]] and [[Honiton]].<ref name=H/> However, the harbour was silting up. As early as c. 1630 [[Tristram Risdon]] reported, "It hardly beareth small vessels." Bideford, lower down the estuary and benefiting from the scouring by the fast-flowing [[River Torridge]], gradually took over the trade.<ref name=H/>

Although Barnstaple's trade in 1680–1730 was surpassed by [[Bideford]]'s, it retained economic importance into the early 20th century,<ref name=H>{{Cite book |last=Hoskins |first=W. G. |author-link=William George Hoskins |title=A New Survey of England: Devon |publisher=Collins |location=London |year=1972 |edition=New |pages=327–330 |isbn=0-7153-5577-5}}</ref> manufacturing lace, gloves, sail-cloth and fishing-nets, with extensive potteries, tanneries, sawmills and foundries, and some shipbuilding still carried on.<ref name=EB>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Barnstaple |volume=3 |pages=416–417}}</ref> The [[Bear Street drill hall]] dates from the early 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101384989-19-bear-street-barnstaple |title=19, Bear Street |publisher=British listed buildings |access-date=27 December 2017 |archive-date=28 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228171517/https://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101384989-19-bear-street-barnstaple |url-status=live}}</ref>

Between the 1930s and the 1950s the urban area grew to incorporate the villages of [[Pilton, Devon|Pilton]], Newport, and Roundswell through [[ribbon development]].

[[File:Barnstaple Clock Tower 281008.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Albert Clock, Barnstaple|Barnstaple Clock Tower]], erected in 1862 as a memorial to [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]]]]

==Governance==
{{Infobox legislature|background_color=#f3d42a|name=Barnstaple Town Council|logo_pic=File:Barnstaple Town Council logo.png|house_type=Civil parish|leader1=Janet Coates|leader1_type=Mayor|party1=[[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]|leader2=Joanna Orange|leader2_type=Deputy Mayor|party2=[[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]|structure1=Barnstaple Town Council political make up.svg|political_groups1={{legend|{{party colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}|[[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] (22)}} {{legend|{{party colour|Labour Party (UK)}}|[[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] (1)}}|salary=None|seats=23|voting_system1=[[First-past-the-post voting|First-past-the-post]]|session_room=Barnstaple Guildhall from south.jpg|meeting_place=[[Guildhall, Barnstaple|Guildhall]], Butchers Row, Barnstaple, EX31{{nbsp}}1BW|session_room2=Barum House.jpg|meeting_place2=Barum House, The Square, Barnstaple, EX32{{nbsp}}8LS|website={{url|https://barnstapletowncouncil.gov.uk/}}}}

There are three tiers of local government covering Barnstaple, at [[civil parish|parish]] (town), [[non-metropolitan district|district]] and [[non-metropolitan county|county]] level: Barnstaple Town Council, [[North Devon Council]] (based just outside Barnstaple) and [[Devon County Council]] (based in [[Exeter]]). Barnstaple Town Council meets at the [[Guildhall, Barnstaple|Guildhall]] on High Street and has its offices at Barum House on The Square.<ref>{{cite web |title=Barnstaple Town Council |url=https://www.barnstapletowncouncil.gov.uk/ |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
Barnstaple was an [[ancient borough]]. Its early status as a borough was ambiguous; in 1340 the town's guild claimed it had been incorporated in 930 by [[Æthelstan|King Athelstan]] in a charter which had since been lost.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Barnstaple |url=https://www.barnstaplehistorygroup.com/history-of-barnstaple |website=Barnstaple History Group |access-date=10 August 2023}}</ref><ref name=Woodger/> The town was described as a borough in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086,<ref>{{cite web |title=Barnstaple |url=https://opendomesday.org/place/SS5533/barnstaple/ |website=Open Domesday |access-date=10 August 2023}}</ref> and from at least 1210 the town was being run by a guild which appointed a mayor. The claim in 1340 was made as part of a petition to [[Edward III of England|Edward III]] seeking a new charter with additional powers. This was resisted by the lord of the [[feudal barony of Barnstaple]]. Following an inquisition [[ad quod damnum]] it was ruled that the town was in fact a lower status [[Mesne lord|mesne borough]] answerable to the lord, rather than a free borough responsible directly to the monarch. The mayor was therefore not recognised as such by the monarch, but was deemed to be merely a [[bailiff]] of the lord. The guild made several other unsuccessful attempts to secure a charter from the king throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, including seeking confirmation of rights supposedly conferred by charters from [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] and subsequent monarchs, but those charters were forgeries, copied from [[Exeter|Exeter's]] charters.<ref name=Woodger>{{cite book |last1=Woodger |first1=L. S. |title=The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1386–1421 |date=1993 |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1386-1421/constituencies/barnstaple#constituency-main-article |access-date=10 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kowaleski |first=Maryanne |editor=Michael Duffy| title=The New Maritime History of Devon Volume 1. From early times to the late eighteenth century |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London |year=1992 |chapter=The Port Towns of Fourteenth-Century Devon |page=64 |isbn=0-85177-611-6 |display-editors=etal}}</ref>

The town eventually secured a charter of incorporation from [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] in 1557.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Venning |first1=Tim |last2=Ferris |first2=John P. |last3=Hunneyball |first3=Paul |title=The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604–1629 |date=2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/constituencies/barnstaple |access-date=10 August 2023}}</ref> The council built the Guildhall on High Street in 1828 to serve as its meeting place.<ref name=EHLB>{{NHLE|num=1385188|desc=The Guildhall, Barnstaple|accessdate=25 August 2019}}</ref><ref>W. Bruce Oliver, ''Barnstaple Borough'', Transactions of the Devon Association, vol. 62, (1930) pp. 269–273.</ref> It was reformed to become a [[municipal borough]] in 1836, governed by a corporate body officially called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Barnstaple", but generally known as the corporation or town council. The borough boundaries, which had previously been identical to the parish of Barnstaple, were enlarged at the same time to include part of the parish of [[Pilton, Devon|Pilton]] (including the village itself) and the [[Newport, Devon|Newport]] area from the parish of [[Bishop's Tawton]].<ref>Pilton and Newport had been added to the parliamentary borough (constituency) under the [[Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832]], and the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]] directed that from 1 January 1836 the municipal borough was to have the same boundaries as the constituency.</ref> The borough was further enlarged in 1899 to take in the Rolle's Quay area from Pilton and an area on the west bank of the River Taw (including [[Barnstaple Junction railway station]]) which had previously been in the parish of [[Tawstock]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1900 |location=London |page=312 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7xEMAQAAMAAJ |access-date=10 August 2023}}</ref>

The town council moved its offices to Castle House in the grounds of the castle in 1927, which in turn was replaced by a new Civic Centre on North Walk in 1969.<ref>Information board in grounds of Barnstaple Castle.</ref> The borough of Barnstaple was abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], with the area merging with [[Barnstaple Rural District]], [[South Molton Rural District]] and the [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban districts]] of [[Ilfracombe]] and [[Lynton]] to become the new district of North Devon. A [[successor parish]] was created covering the area of the former borough, with its council taking the name Barnstaple Town Council.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Local Government (Successor Parishes) (No. 2) Order 1973|year=1973|number=1939|access-date=10 August 2023}}</ref><ref name="Barnstaple History Website">{{Cite web |url=http://www.barnstaple-history.co.uk/barnstaple_town_council.htm |title=Barnstaple Town Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010125055200/http://www.barnstaple-history.co.uk/barnstaple_town_council.htm |archive-date=25 January 2001}}</ref> The Civic Centre passed to North Devon Council, whilst the town council was initially based at the Guildhall.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=52083|page=6798|date=22 March 1990}}</ref> In 1993 the town council acquired Barum House on The Square to serve as its offices, but continues to use the Guildhall for meetings.<ref>{{cite web |title=Planning application 52916 |url=https://planning.northdevon.gov.uk/Planning/Display/52916 |website=North Devon Council |access-date=10 August 2023}} Design and Access Statement: "Barum House... has been a private house and a dentist's surgery, before being purchased by Barnstaple Town Council in 1993."</ref>

===Parliamentary status===
From 1295 the [[Barnstaple (UK Parliament constituency)|Borough of Barnstaple]] had two members in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] until 1885, when this was reduced to one. The constituency was replaced for the [[1950 United Kingdom general election|1950 general election]] by the large modern constituency of [[North Devon (UK Parliament constituency)|North Devon]], held by [[Nick Harvey]] MP of the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] from 1992 until 2015, when [[Peter Heaton-Jones]] of the Conservative Party was elected and re-elected in 2017. Between 2019 and 2024 the MP was the Conservative [[Selaine Saxby]]. Since 2024 the MP has been the Liberal Democrat [[Ian Roome]].

==Geography==
{{Expand section|date=August 2012}}
Barnstaple is the largest town in North Devon. It lies {{convert|68|mi|km|0}} west-south-west of [[Bristol]], {{convert|50|mi|km|0}} north of [[Plymouth]] and {{convert|34|mi|km|0}} north-west of the [[county town]] and city of [[Exeter]]. It was founded at the lowest crossing point of the [[River Taw]], where its estuary starts to widen, about 7 miles (11&nbsp;km) inland from [[Barnstaple Bay]] in the [[Bristol Channel]].<ref name=HDP>{{Cite book |last=Harris |first=Helen |title=A Handbook of Devon Parishes |publisher=Halsgrove |location=Tiverton |year=2004 |pages=13–15 |isbn=1-84114-314-6}}</ref> On the north side, the Taw is joined by the River Yeo, which rises on Berry Down near [[Combe Martin]].

Most of the town lies on the east bank of the estuary, connected to the west by the ancient [[Barnstaple Long Bridge]], with 16 arches.<ref name=HDP/> The town's early medieval layout still appears from the street plan and street names, with Boutport Street ("About the Port") following the curved line of a ditch outside the town walls.<ref name=P>{{Cite book |author=Pevsner, Nikolaus |author-link=Nikolaus Pevsner |author2=Cherry, Bridget (revision) |title=[[The Buildings of England]]: Devon |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |location=Harmondsworth |year=1989 |orig-year=1952 |isbn=0-14-071050-7 |pages=148–160}}</ref> The area of medieval shipbuilding and repair is still called The Strand, an early word for shore.

===Climate===
Barnstaple has cool wet winters and mild wet summers. Mean high temperatures range from 9 C (48 F) in January to 21 C (70 F) in July. The record high is 34 C (94 F) and the record low −9 C (16 F). October is the wettest month with 103&nbsp;mm (4.1&nbsp;in) of rain. The mean annual rainfall is 862&nbsp;mm (33.9&nbsp;in), with rain on 138 days.

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location =  [[RM Chivenor|Chivenor]],{{efn|Weather station is located {{convert|4.0|mi|1|abbr=out}} from the Barnstaple town centre.}} (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1984–present)
|Jan record high C = 15.3
|Feb record high C = 18.9
|Mar record high C = 21.5
|Apr record high C = 25.1
|May record high C = 27.3
|Jun record high C = 31.5
|Jul record high C = 34.8
|Aug record high C = 34.3
|Sep record high C = 29.5
|Oct record high C = 26.4
|Nov record high C = 18.2
|Dec record high C = 17.7
|Jan record low C = -10.4
|Feb record low C = -9.0
|Mar record low C = -5.0
|Apr record low C = -3.0
|May record low C = 0.0
|Jun record low C = 1.6
|Jul record low C = 5.6
|Aug record low C = 6.0
|Sep record low C = 1.9
|Oct record low C = -3.1
|Nov record low C = -7.0
|Dec record low C = -9.3
|Jan high C = 9.1
|Feb high C = 9.4
|Mar high C = 11.2
|Apr high C = 13.7
|May high C = 16.5
|Jun high C = 19.0
|Jul high C = 20.5
|Aug high C = 20.5
|Sep high C = 18.8
|Oct high C = 15.4
|Nov high C = 12.1
|Dec high C = 9.7
| year high C = 14.7
|Jan mean C = 6.4
|Feb mean C = 6.5
|Mar mean C = 7.8
|Apr mean C = 9.8
|May mean C = 12.6
|Jun mean C = 15.2
|Jul mean C = 16.9
|Aug mean C = 17.0
|Sep mean C = 15.2
|Oct mean C = 12.3
|Nov mean C = 9.2
|Dec mean C = 6.9
| year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 3.7
|Feb low C = 3.5
|Mar low C = 4.4
|Apr low C = 5.9
|May low C = 8.6
|Jun low C = 11.4
|Jul low C = 13.3
|Aug low C = 13.4
|Sep low C = 11.5
|Oct low C = 9.2
|Nov low C = 6.2
|Dec low C = 4.1
| year low C = 8.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 90.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 69.7
|Mar precipitation mm = 59.5
|Apr precipitation mm = 55.3
|May precipitation mm = 54.0
|Jun precipitation mm = 64.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 73.7
|Aug precipitation mm = 77.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 69.9
|Oct precipitation mm = 107.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 106.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 107.1
||year precipitation mm = 934.4
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 15.2
| Feb precipitation days = 12.5
| Mar precipitation days = 11.7
| Apr precipitation days = 10.4
| May precipitation days = 9.8
| Jun precipitation days = 10.1
| Jul precipitation days = 10.5
| Aug precipitation days = 12.2
| Sep precipitation days = 11.5
| Oct precipitation days = 15.2
| Nov precipitation days = 16.7
| Dec precipitation days = 16.1
| year precipitation days =151.8
|Jan sun = 59.7
|Feb sun = 79.3
|Mar sun = 136.2
|Apr sun = 194.5
|May sun = 219.6
|Jun sun = 209.6
|Jul sun = 203.1
|Aug sun = 189.8
|Sep sun = 153.8
|Oct sun = 107.5
|Nov sun = 64.2
|Dec sun = 51.8
|year sun = 1669.3
| source 1 = [[Met Office]]<ref name="MetOffice">{{cite web
|url = https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/location-specific-long-term-averages/gcj49s6yc
|title = Station: Chivenor Climate period: 1991–2020
|publisher = Met Office
|access-date = 15 December 2024}}</ref>
| source 2 = Starlings Roost Weather<ref>{{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmax_map.php 
|title= Monthly Extreme Maximum Temperature, Monthly Extreme Minimum Temperature
|publisher=Starlings Roost Weather
|access-date= 16 December 2024
}}</ref>
}}

==Demography==
Barnstaple parish population in the 1801 census was 3,748, in 1901 9,698, and in 2001 22,497.<ref>Office for National Statistics. [http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11120410&c=barnstaple&d=16&e=15&g=6416162&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1462082882766&enc=1&dsFamilyId=47 Barnstaple (Parish): Ethnic Group, 2001] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010104715/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11120410&c=barnstaple&d=16&e=15&g=6416162&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1462082882766&enc=1&dsFamilyId=47 |date=10 October 2016}}</ref>

In 2011 the racial make-up was:<ref>Office for National Statistics. [http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11120410&c=barnstaple&d=16&e=62&g=6416162&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1462081922703&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2477 Barnstaple (Parish): Ethnic Group, 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010104707/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11120410&c=barnstaple&d=16&e=62&g=6416162&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1462081922703&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2477 |date=10 October 2016}}</ref>
*White British 77.9%
*White Irish 0.3%
*Other White 2.6%
*Mixed race 2.2%
*Asian 1.6%
*Black 14.3%
*Other 0.1%
As a major town, Barnstaple has a similar ethnic make-up to other south-west towns such as [[Truro]] and [[Cullompton]]. It is more diverse than the [[North Devon]] district (95.9% [[White British]]) and [[Devon]] as a whole (94.2% White British).

==Economy==
{{More footnotes needed|section|date=May 2021}}
[[North Devon]] is some distance from Britain's traditional areas of industrial activity and population. In the late 1970s it gained several industrial firms due to the availability of central government grants for opening factories and operating them on low or zero levels of local taxation. This was scarcely successful, with few lasting beyond the few years that grants were available. One success was the manufacturing of generic medicines by Cox Pharmaceuticals (now branded [[Allergan]]), which moved in 1980 from a site in [[Brighton]], Sussex. A lasting effect on the town has been the development and expansion of industrial estates at Seven Brethren, Whiddon Valley and Pottington.

Whilst the 1989 opening of the improved [[A361 road|A361]] connection to the motorway network assisted trade in ways such as weekend tourism, it was detrimental to some distribution businesses. These had previously seen the town as a base for local distribution, a need removed when travelling time to the [[M5 motorway]] was roughly halved.

With Barnstaple as the main shopping area for North Devon, retail work contributes to the economy. There are [[chain stores]] in the town centre and in the Roundswell Business Park, on the western fringe of the town. Multi-million pound redevelopment round the former ''Leaderflush Shapland'' works at Anchorwood Bank is creating a conservation area near the River Taw, hundreds of new homes, a retail area of shops, restaurants and leisure facilities.

By far the largest employer in the region is local and central government, particularly the [[Royal Marines Base Chivenor]], {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} west of the town, and [[North Devon District Hospital]], {{convert|1|mi|km|1}} to the north.

In 2005 unemployment in North Devon was 1.8–2.4 per cent, while median per capita wage for North Devon was 73 per cent of the UK national average. The level of work in the informal or casual sector is high, partly during seasonal tourism. By 2018 unemployment in North Devon had fallen from a 2010 high to 1.2 per cent, while median weekly full-time pay stood at £440 per week and average housing prices at £230,000. The number of businesses registered has risen by 370 since 2010 to 4,895. The year 2018 also saw government investment through [[Coastal Community Foundation|Coastal Community]] grants and Housing Infrastructure funds £83 million to upgrade the [[North Devon Link Road]].<ref>House of Commons Library</ref>

==Twin towns and sister cities==
Barnstaple is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
* [[Barnstable, Massachusetts]], United States
* [[Uelzen]], Germany
* [[Trouville-sur-Mer]], France<ref name="Archant twinning">{{Cite web |url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |title=British towns twinned with French towns |access-date=11 July 2013 |work=Archant Community Media Ltd |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705094933/http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |archive-date=5 July 2013}}</ref>
* [[Susa, Piedmont]], Italy
* [[Harstad (town)|Harstad]], Norway<ref name="Town twinning, Barnstaple Town Council">{{Cite web |url=https://www.barnstapletowncouncil.gov.uk/town-twinning/ |title=Town twinning, Barnstaple Town Council |access-date=9 June 2023}}</ref>

==Landmarks==
[[File:Queen Anne's Walk, Barnstaple - geograph.org.uk - 275649.jpg|thumb|right|[[Queen Anne's Walk]], formerly the Mercantile Exchange, c. 1708, with the town's main quay to the left. The statue of Queen Anne was given in 1708 by the MP [[Robert Rolle (died 1710)|Robert Rolle]] (died 1710) of [[Stevenstone]]]]
Barnstaple has an eclectic mix of architectural styles, with the 19th century predominant, despite remnants of early buildings and several early plaster ceilings. St Anne's Chapel in the central churchyard can be seen as the most important ancient building to survive. [[Queen Anne's Walk]] was erected in about 1708 as a mercantile exchange. The Georgian Guildhall is also of interest, as is the Pannier Market beneath it. The museum has an "arts and crafts" appearance with tessellated floors and locally made staircase and decorative fireplaces.<ref>"Some Men who Made Barnstaple..." 2010 by Pauline Brain.</ref>

===Barnstaple Castle===
[[File:Barnstaple Castle 2018.jpg|thumb|Barnstaple Castle mound next to the current day public library and car park]]
{{main|Barnstaple Castle}}
Barnstaple Castle, founded in the 11th or 12th century and first mentioned the 12th century, may derive from [[Juhel of Totnes|Juhel (Joel) of Totnes]] in the early 12th century.<ref>{{citation |last=Higham |first=Robert |title=Appendix 1: The origins and documentation of Barnstaple Castle |journal=Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society |year=1986 |volume=44 |pages=74–76}}</ref> [[Stephen of England|King Stephen]] granted the castle to Henry de Tracy, a supporter of his. In the 12th century, stone buildings were built over the motte, possibly during Henry de Tracy's tenure. The castle descended through his family to another Henry de Tracy,<ref>{{citation |last=Higham |first=Robert |title=Appendix 1: The origins and documentation of Barnstaple Castle |journal=Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society |year=1986 |volume=44 |pages=77–78}}</ref> who held the castle in 1228 when Henry III ordered the [[High Sheriff of Devon|Sheriff of Devon]] to make sure its walls did not exceed {{convert|10|ft}} in height.<ref name=Higham78>{{Citation |last=Higham |first=Robert |title=Appendix 1: The origins and documentation of Barnstaple Castle |journal=Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society |year=1986 |volume=44 |pages=78}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=King |first=D. J. Cathcart |author-link=D. J. Cathcart King |title=Castellarium Anglicanum: An Index and Bibliography of the Castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Volume I |publisher=Kraus International Publications |place=New York |year=1983 |pages=115, 123 |isbn=0-527-50110-7}}</ref> By the death of the last Henry de Tracey in 1274, the castle had begun to decay. An inquisition of 1281 found that building materials had been removed from the castle without permission; by 1326 it was a ruin.<ref name=Higham78/> Part of the castle walls blew down in a storm in 1601.<ref>{{Citation |last=Wyat |first=Adam |editor-last=Gray |editor-first=Todd |title=The Lost Chronicle of Barnstaple, 1586–1611 |year=1998 |publisher=Devonshire Association |isbn=0-85214-063-0 |page=88 |url=https://devonassoc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Lost-Chronicle-of-Barnstaple-1586-1611.pdf}} {{open access}}</ref>

The [[Neo-Gothic]] [[Manor of Tawstock]], originally Tawstock House, is two miles south of Barnstaple. It replaced an earlier Tudor mansion, built in 1574 but lost to a fire in 1787.

===St Anne's Chapel===
The Grade II listed St Anne's Chapel<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1188075 |title=Church of St Anne |access-date=7 March 2020 |archive-date=16 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716183041/https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1188075 |url-status=live}}</ref> was restored in 2012 and is used as a community centre that can accommodate 60 people.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://barnstapletowncouncil.gov.uk/what-we-do/heritage-culture/st-anne-s/ |title=St. ANNE'S ARTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE |access-date=7 March 2020 |archive-date=8 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508204651/https://barnstapletowncouncil.gov.uk/what-we-do/heritage-culture/st-anne-s/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It was an ancient Gothic [[chantry chapel]], whose assets were acquired by the Mayor of Barnstaple and others in 1585, some time after the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]]. A deed of [[feoffee|feoffment]] dated 1 November 1585 exists in the George Grant Francis collection in Cardiff.<ref>RISW GGF 1/122 Feoffment, dated 1 November 1585. {{Cite web |url=http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid%3D20262 |title=George Grant Francis collection - City and County of Swansea |access-date=12 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203210916/http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=20262 |archive-date=3 February 2014}}</ref>

===Pannier Market and Butchers' Row===
{{Main|Guildhall, Barnstaple}}
{{multiple image
|image1 = Barnstaple Pannier Market interior.jpg
|width1 = 237
|caption1 = The interior of the Pannier Market
|image2 = Barnstaple Butchers Row.jpg
|width2 = 180
|caption2 = Butchers' Row, looking eastwards, with the side of the [[Pannier Market]], left
}}
Barnstaple has been the major market for North Devon since Saxon times. Demands for health regulation of its Victorian food market saw the construction in 1855–1856 of a [[Guildhall, Barnstaple#Pannier Market|Pannier Market]], originally known as the Vegetable Market and designed by local architect R. D. Gould. This has a high glass-and-timber roof on iron columns. At {{convert|107|yd|m}} long, it runs the length of Butchers' Row. Market days are Monday – Crafts and General (April to December), Tuesday – General and Produce, Wednesday – Arts Collectables and Books, Thursday – Crafts and General, Friday – General and Produce, and Saturday – General and Produce.

Built on the far side of the street at the same time as the Pannier Market, Butchers' Row has ten shops with [[pilaster]]s of [[Bath Stone]] and wrought-iron supports for an overhanging roof. Only one is still a butcher's,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/home/grattons_in_butchers_row_closes_down_after_60_years_1_4725635 |title=Grattons in Butchers Row closes down after 60 years |last=Gussin |first=Tony |date=6 October 2016 |work=North Devon Gazette |access-date=17 October 2016 |archive-date=18 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018210236/http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/home/grattons_in_butchers_row_closes_down_after_60_years_1_4725635 |url-status=live}}</ref> although successor shops still sell local farm goods. There is a baker, a [[delicatessen]], two [[fishmonger]]s, a florist and a greengrocer.

In early 2020, the local Council web site provided a summary of the Pannier Market: "Largely unchanged in over 150 years, Barnstaple's historic Pannier Market has a wide range of stalls, with everything from fresh local produce, flowers and crafts, to prints and pictures, fashion and... two cafés."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.northdevon.gov.uk/business/barnstaple-pannier-market/ |title=Pannier Market |access-date=7 March 2020 |archive-date=9 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200409085947/http://northdevon.gov.uk/business/barnstaple-pannier-market/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Pannier Market, Butchers Row, has been a Grade II [[listed building]] since 1951.<ref>{{NHLE |desc=Pannier Market |num=1385084 |grade=II |access-date=9 November 2020}}</ref>

===Others===
{{EngPlacesKey|align=right|clear=none}}
'''In Barnstaple'''
*[[Albert Clock, Barnstaple|Albert Clock]] in The Square
*[[Barnstaple Cemetery]], the town's burial ground
*[[File:Museum icon.svg|Museum (free)]] [[Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon]]
*[[File:Drama-icon.svg|20px]] [[Queen's Theatre, Barnstaple|Queen's Theatre]]
*[http://www.barnstapletowncouncil.co.uk/heritage-trail-tours.asp Barnstaple Heritage Trail]
*Businesses and Markets
*[[Barnstaple Town F.C.]]
*[[North Devon Crematorium]], the largest crematorium in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
*[[Penrose's Almshouses]]
*[[Rock Park]]
'''Around Barnstaple'''
*[[File:UKAL icon.svg]] [[Tarka Trail]] – The cycling and walking trails were established by Devon County Council, to celebrate [[Henry Williamson]]'s 1927 novel ''[[Tarka the Otter]]''. The book depicts Tarka's adventure travelling through [[North Devon]]'s countryside.
*[[File:NTE icon.svg]] [[Arlington Court]], {{convert|8|mi|km|0}}
*[[File:NTE icon.svg]] [[Lundy]] Island, ferry sails from [[Bideford]], {{convert|10|mi|km|0}}
*[[File:NTE icon.svg]] [[Watersmeet House]] {{convert|20|mi|km|0}}
*[[File:UKAL icon.svg]] The [[South West Coast Path]] National Trail runs through the town, and gives access to walks along the spectacular North Devon coast.
*[[File:HR icon.svg]] [[Lynton and Barnstaple Railway|Lynton & Barnstaple Railway]], {{convert|15|mi|km|0}}

==Transport==
[[File:barnstaplelongbridge.jpg|thumb|right|Barnstaple Long Bridge]]
In 1989, the [[A361 road|A361]] North Devon Link Road was built between Barnstaple and the [[M5 motorway]], some 40 miles (65&nbsp;km) to the east. [[Traffic congestion]] in the town was severe, but in May 2007, the [[Barnstaple Western Bypass]] was opened to take traffic towards [[Braunton]] and [[Ilfracombe]] away from the town centre and ancient bridge. It consists of {{convert|1.6|mi|km}} of new road and a {{convert|447|yd|m}} long, five-span bridge, and was expected to have cost £42 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Barnstaple Western Bypass |url=https://www.devon.gov.uk/bwb.htm |publisher=Devon County Council |access-date=3 July 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826002620/https://www.devon.gov.uk/bwb.htm |archive-date=26 August 2016}}</ref> The town's main square was remodelled as the entrance to the town centre, and The Strand was closed to traffic. The [[A39 road (England)|A39]], the Atlantic Highway, follows after the A361 to [[Bideford]] and to [[Bude]] and then further towards Cornwall.

Most of Barnstaple's bus network is run by [[Stagecoach South West]] & Filers. The main bus station is at the junction of Queen Street and Belle Meadow Drive. [[National Express Coaches|National Express]] has coach services to London, Heathrow Airport, Taunton, Bristol and Birmingham.

The nearest airport is [[Exeter Airport]].

===Railway===
[[File:Barnstablemap.jpg|thumb|left|A map of Barnstaple from 1937, showing the railway lines.]]
[[Barnstaple railway station]] is the terminus of a branch line from Exeter known as the [[Tarka Line]] after a local connection with [[Tarka the Otter]]. The station is near the end of the Long Bridge, on the opposite bank of the Taw to the town centre. Several other stations closed with the publication of the ''[[Beeching Axe|Reshaping of British Railways]]'' (the Beeching Axe) report in the 1960s. The surviving one had been opened on 1 August 1854 by the [[North Devon Railway]] (later the [[London and South Western Railway]]), although a service had operated from [[Fremington, Devon|Fremington]] since 1848 for goods traffic only. The station became "Barnstaple Junction" on 20 July 1874, when the railway opened the [[Ilfracombe Branch Line|branch line]] to {{stnlnk|Ilfracombe|Devon}}, reverting to plain "Barnstaple" when this was closed on 5 October 1970. It is now a terminus and much reduced in size, as part of the site has been used for the [[Barnstaple Western Bypass]].

[[File:Barstaplequay.jpg|thumb|right|Ilfracombe Branchline in the late 1960s.]]
The Ilfracombe branch line brought the railway across the river into the town centre. {{stnlnk|Barnstaple Quay}} was situated close by the Castle Mound. It closed in 1898 in favour of a nearby {{stnlnk|Barnstaple Town}} station at North Walk, which was also the terminus of the narrow-gauge [[Lynton and Barnstaple Railway]], until that closed in 1935. The narrow-gauge line's main operating centre was at nearby {{stnlnk|Pilton}}.

A separate Barnstaple station, renamed [[Barnstaple Victoria Road railway station|Barnstaple (Victoria Road)]] in 1949, was opened to the east of the town in 1873 as the terminus of the [[Devon and Somerset Railway]] and later part of the [[Great Western Railway]]. A junction was provided to allow trains access to Barnstaple Junction and these ran through to Ilfracombe. It was closed in 1970.

==Education==
[[File:Museum of Barnstaple.JPG|thumb|[[Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon]]]]
There are selected primary and secondary [[state schools]] and a [[Tertiary education|tertiary college]] in Barnstaple.

In 2012, 58 per cent of Devon students achieved 5 [[GCSE]]s grade A* to C.<ref name="The Guardian |Education">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/24/secondary-school-league-tables-2012-data |work=The Guardian |title=Secondary School League Tables |access-date=7 March 2013 |location=London |first=Simon |last=Rogers |date=24 January 2013 |archive-date=29 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729222727/http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/24/secondary-school-league-tables-2012-data |url-status=live}}</ref> The UK average is 59 per cent.<ref name="The Guardian |Education"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Percentage of students achieving 5 GCSEs grade A*to C
!School Name!!Type!!2008!!2009!!2010!!2011!!2012
|-
|[[The Park Community School]]||State||38%||44%||45%||47%||54%||<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/school.pl?urn=136867 |title=Education &#124; Park School |publisher=DFE |date=27 February 2013 |access-date=7 March 2013 |archive-date=30 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130013453/http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/school.pl?urn=136867 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Pilton Community College]]||State||47%||51%||50%||53%||49%||<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/school.pl?urn=136867 |work=DFE |title=Pilton Community College |date=27 February 2013 |access-date=7 March 2013 |archive-date=30 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130013453/http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/schools/performance/school.pl?urn=136867 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|}
[[Petroc College|Petroc]] (formerly [[North Devon College]]) is a tertiary college offering a wide range of [[vocational]] and academic further education to more than 3,000 young people over 16. It was due to spend £100 million on a new campus to be opened on Seven Brethren in 2011,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/7220206.stm |work=BBC News |title=£100M Funds Go-Ahead For College |date=31 January 2008 |access-date=26 April 2010 |archive-date=23 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723215743/https://secure-uk.imrworldwide.com/v51.js |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ndevon.ac.uk/information/27/planning/planning.htm |title=Our New College: Planning |publisher=North Devon College |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303054557/http://www.ndevon.ac.uk/information/27/planning/planning.htm |archive-date=3 March 2009}}</ref> but this fell through when the [[Learning and Skills Council]] withdrew £75 million in funding in January 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/8088902.stm |work=BBC News |title=Projects threatened by £56m cuts |date=8 June 2009 |access-date=26 April 2010 |archive-date=11 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611024941/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/8088902.stm |url-status=live}}</ref> Petroc was launched in September 2009, a year after NDC merged with [[Tiverton, Devon|Tiverton's]] [[East Devon College]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Montgomery |first=Angus |url=http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/story.aspx?storycode=3004720&PageNo=2&SortOrder=dateadded&PageSize=10 |title=Interbrand renames North Devon College as Petroc |work=Marketing Week |date=23 September 2009 |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-date=1 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401135636/http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/story.aspx?storycode=3004720&PageNo=2&SortOrder=dateadded&PageSize=10 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Religious sites==
[[File:St. Peters church on Paternoster Row - geograph.org.uk - 1658349.jpg|thumb|right|St Peter's church with its broach spire]]
[[St Peter's Church, Barnstaple|St Peter's Church]] is the parish church of Barnstaple. Its oldest parts probably date to the 13th century, though the nave, chancel and tower date from 1318, when three altars<ref>Pevsner, p. 150.</ref> were dedicated by [[Walter de Stapledon|Bishop Stapledon]]. The north and south aisles were added in about 1670. The church has a notable [[broach spire]], claimed by [[W. G. Hoskins]] to be the best of its kind in the country.<ref name=H/> Inside the church are many mural monuments to 17th-century merchants, such as Raleigh Clapham (died 1636), George Peard (died 1644) and Thomas Horwood (died 1658), reflecting the prosperity of the town at that time.<ref name=P/> The interior of the church was heavily [[Victorian restoration|restored]] by [[George Gilbert Scott]] from 1866, and then by his son [[John Oldrid Scott]] into the 1880s,<ref name=P/> leaving it "dark and dull", according to Hoskins.<ref name=H/>

Other religious buildings include St Anne's Chapel (a 14th-century [[chantry chapel]], now a museum) in the parish churchyard. The [[Church of St Mary the Virgin, Pilton|Church of St Mary the Virgin]] in the suburb of [[Pilton, Devon|Pilton]] is 13th-century and a [[Listed building|Grade I]] listed building; [[Holy Trinity Church, Barnstaple|Holy Trinity]], built in the 1840s but necessarily rebuilt in 1867 as its foundations were unsound. It has a fine tower in the Somerset style. The Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception is said to have been built to designs supplied by [[Pugin]], in [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque Revival]] style. The late 19th-century [[Church of St John the Baptist, Barnstaple|church of St John the Baptist]] stands in the Newport area of the town. There is a Baptist chapel of 1870, which includes a lecture hall and classrooms.<ref name=H/><ref name=P/>

==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC South West]] and [[ITV West Country]]. Television signals are received from the [[Huntshaw Cross transmitting station|Huntshaw Cross]] and the local relay transmitters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Huntshaw_Cross|title=Full Freeview on the Huntshaw Cross (Devon, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|access-date=5 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Barnstaple|title=Freeview Light on the Barnstaple (Devon, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|access-date=5 October 2023}}</ref>

Barnstaple's local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Devon]] on 94.8 FM, [[Heart West]] on 96.2 FM, and community based stations: [[The Voice (North Devon)|The Voice]] on 107.8 FM and [[Fresh FM (Petroc)|Fresh FM]] which is a student-run radio station that broadcast from the [[Petroc (college)|Petroc]] college in the town on 87.7 FM.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thevoicefm.co.uk/ |title=The Voice FM |access-date=5 October 2023}}</ref>

The [[North Devon Gazette]] and [[North Devon Journal]] are the town's local newspapers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-sw/north-devon-gazette/|title=North Devon Gazette|date=24 April 2014|website=British Papers|accessdate=5 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-sw/north-devon-journal/|title=North Devon Journal|date=21 April 2014|website=British Papers|accessdate=5 October 2023}}</ref>

==Sport==
[[Cricket]] is played at Barnstaple and Pilton.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Play-Sport New Media |url=http://www.barnpilcc.play-cricket.com |title=Play-Cricket the ECB Cricket Network |publisher=Barnpilcc.play-cricket.com |date=13 June 2002 |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-date=26 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726235218/http://barnpilcc.play-cricket.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[association football]] club [[Barnstaple Town F.C.]] has been based at Mill Road since 1904 and plays in the [[Western Football League]].

[[Rugby union]] is played at [[Barnstaple RFC|Barnstaple Rugby Football Club]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.barnstaplerfc.co.uk |title=Official Website for Barnstaple Rugby Club |publisher=Barnstaple RFC |date=9 January 2016 |access-date=20 January 2016 |archive-date=13 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113181102/http://www.barnstaplerfc.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref> whose first team plays in [[South West Premier]], which is a fifth-tier league in the [[English rugby union system]].

Several sports are available at [[Tarka Leisuire Centre]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.leisurecentre.com/centres/36/home/North-Devon-Leisure-Centre.aspx |title=North Devon Leisure Centre|work=Leisurecentre.com |access-date=6 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120175018/http://www.leisurecentre.com/centres/36/home/North-Devon-Leisure-Centre.aspx |archive-date=20 November 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the home of Barnstaple [[Squash (sport)|Squash]] Club.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.barnstaplesquash.co.uk |title=Welcome to Barnstaple Squash Club |publisher=Barnstaplesquash.co.uk |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-date=5 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305064941/http://www.barnstaplesquash.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

There are numerous bowling greens and tennis courts, including those at the Tarka Tennis Centre, which has six indoor courts and hosted the [[Aegon GB Pro-Series Barnstaple]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tarkatennis.net/ |title=Tarka Tennis indoor center Barnstaple North Devon |work=Tarkatennis.net |access-date=20 May 2012 |archive-date=11 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511204803/http://www.tarkatennis.net/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2010 a [[Cornish Pilot Gig]] Rowing Club was established, bringing the sport to Castle Quay in the centre of Barnstaple.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.barnstaplepilotgigclub.co.uk/ |title=Barnstaple Pilot Gig Club |publisher=Barnstaple Pilot Gig Club |access-date=20 January 2016 |archive-date=16 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516223730/http://barnstaplepilotgigclub.co.uk/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{further|:Category:People from Barnstaple}}
The following people have a connection with the town, in birth order:
{{div col}}
*[[Henry de Bracton]] (c. 1210 – c. 1258), cleric and jurist, was appointed Archdeacon of Barnstaple in 1264.
*[[Robert Carey (died 1586)|Robert Carey]] (1515–1586), landowner, became Barnstaple MP in 1553, [[Sheriff of Devon]] in 1555–1556 and [[Recorder of Barnstaple]] from 1560.
*[[Richard Ferris]] (died 1649), merchant and MP for Barnstaple from 1640, founded [[Barnstaple Grammar School]].
*[[Pentecost Dodderidge]] (died c. 1650), was elected MP for Barnstaple in 1621, 1624 and 1625.
*[[Richard Callicott (New England colonist)|Richard Callicott]] (1604–1686), born in Barnstaple, was a leader of [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]].
*[[John Dodderidge (died 1659)|John Dodderidge]] (1610–1659), was elected MP for Barnstaple in 1646 and 1652.
*[[John Loosemore]] (1618–1681), born in Barnstaple, was a noted builder of pipe organs, including the one in [[Exeter Cathedral]].
*[[John Gay]] (1685–1732), poet and dramatist
*[[James Parsons (physician)|James Parsons]] (1705–1770), physician, antiquary and prolific medical author born in Barnstaple
*[[Graham Gore]] (c. 1809 – c. 1847), naval officer and polar explorer lost during the [[Franklin's lost expedition|Franklin Expedition]]
*[[Henry Fry (politician)|Henry Fry]] (1826–1892), born in Barnstaple, was a politician and merchant in [[British Columbia]].
*[[John Headon Stanbury]] (1835–1907), born in Barnstaple, was a hotelier, property developer, and businessman in [[Exeter]]
*[[William Hoyle (politician)|William Hoyle]] (1842–1918), born in Barnstaple, became a politician and furniture maker in [[Ontario]].
*[[Francis Carruthers Gould]] (1844–1925), caricaturist and cartoonist, was born in Barnstaple.
*[[Caleb Simper]] (1856–1942), organist and composer of popular sacred choral works, lived in Barnstaple from the early 1890s until his death.
*[[Fred M. White]] (1859–1935), author of science-fiction and disaster novels, spent his old age in Barnstaple and set three of his novels there.
*[[Hubert Bath]] (1883–1945), born in Barnstaple, composed musical scores for many films in the 1920s and 1930s.
*[[Francis Chichester]] (1901–1972), pioneering aviator and solo sailor
*[[George Hart (cricketer)|George Hart]] (1902–1987), first-class cricketer with [[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex]], died in Barnstaple
*[[Charles Poynder]] (1910–1994), cricketer, born in Barnstaple
*[[Stafford Somerfield]] (1911–1995), ''[[News of the World]]'' editor, was born in Barnstaple.
*[[Brian Thomas (church artist)|Brian Thomas]] (1912–1989), an artist best known for church paintings, born in Barnstaple
*[[Racey Helps]] (1913–1970), children's writer and illustrator, lived in the town from 1962 until his death.
*[[Jeremy Thorpe]] (1929–2014), Liberal Party leader, sat as MP for North Devon constituency centred on Barnstaple in 1959–1978.
*[[Nigel Brooks]] (born 1936), musical composer and conductor of the [[BBC Concert Orchestra]].
*[[Johnny Kingdom]] (1939–2018), wildlife film-maker and photographer
*[[John Keay]] (born 1941), historian and radio presenter born in Barnstaple
*[[Richard Eyre]] (born 1943), a film, theatre, television and opera director, was born in Barnstaple.
*[[Snowy White]] (born 1948), English guitarist known for having played with rock group [[Thin Lizzy]], was born in Barnstaple.
*[[Tim Wonnacott]] (born 1951), [[antiques]] expert and television presenter
*[[David Spiegelhalter]] (born 1953), statistician
*[[Dermot Murnaghan]] (born 1957), [[Sky News]] television broadcaster, was born in Barnstaple.
*[[Anne-Marie Dawe]] (born 1968), born in Barnstaple, became the RAF's first fully qualified female navigator in 1991.
*[[Tim Montgomerie]] (born 1970), [[political activist]], [[blogger]] and columnist
*[[Katie Hopkins]] (born 1975), columnist, was born in Barnstaple.
*[[Phil Vickery (rugby union)|Phil Vickery]] (born 1976), [[rugby union|rugby player]] and former England captain
*[[Stuart Brennan]] (born 1982), [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] winning actor
*[[George Friend]] (born 1987), professional footballer born in Barnstaple
*[[Andy King (footballer, born 1988)|Andy King]] (born 1988), professional footballer born in Barnstaple
*[[Ian King (journalist)|Ian King]], journalist and presenter on [[Sky News]]
{{div col end}}

==Explanatory notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
*[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A/records.aspx?cat=821-b1a&cid=-1#-1 Papers of Barnstaple Borough 1150–1950, North Devon Record Office, B1]
*{{Cite book |editor-last=Gray |editor-first=Todd |title=The Lost Chronicle of Barnstaple, 1586–1611 |year=1998 |publisher=Devonshire Association |isbn=0-85214-063-0 |url=https://devonassoc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-Lost-Chronicle-of-Barnstaple-1586-1611.pdf}} {{open access}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Barnstaple}}
{{EB1911 poster|Barnstaple}}
*[http://www.barnstapletowncouncil.co.uk Barnstaple Town Council Website] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927074522/http://www.barnstapletowncouncil.co.uk/ |date=27 September 2010}}
*{{OpenDomesday|SS5533|barnstaple|Barnstaple}}
*[http://www.msocrepository.co.uk/images/milestone/DEVON/DV_BSIFe01.jpg Milestone in Westerway Plain – BARUM 1 (Milestone Society website)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618142112/http://www.msocrepository.co.uk/images/milestone/DEVON/DV_BSIFe01.jpg |date=18 June 2023 }}

{{Settlements in North Devon}}
{{Devon}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Barnstaple| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Devon]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Devon]]
[[Category:North Devon]]