Where I Live

Charles Kingsley's 'Little White Town' straddles the river Torridge and rises steeply on both sides of the river. As the name implies Bideford - by the ford. The fording place is still there a little upstream from the ancient longbridge that is always threatening to fall down. Originally made of wood the stone bridge is famous for it's uneven arches. When the first stone bridge was built it just followed the dimensions of the old wooden one and that was determined by the length of the trees available at the time. It stoically carries the traffic with occassional closures for maintainance. It used to have to carry all through traffic on the north coast through to Cornwall but since the new Torridge Bridge was built about 20 years ago it has been allowed a little respite.

In it's heyday in the 16th century it was the third busiest port in the country after London and Bristol and of course it's main export to the New World was wool and pottery and it's imfamous import was tobacco. We have a lot of connections with Sir Walter Raleigh and luckily the old town is lucky to still have some wonderful Merchants houses that have somehow managed to escape developement. Sadly that's not the case for the rest of the town.

We are lucky to have quite a thriving town centre and although we have a few multinational stores we have mostly single traders and most needs can be met locally. We have a lovely park with a paddling pool for the tinies, nicely planted with shrubs and specimen trees and of course the usual parks summer and spring bedding, and an Arts Centre that is always busy. We also have an Art Gallery that stages exhibitions all year round.

Sadly the beautiful quay has been obliterated [well nearly] by the building of the flood defences. The height has been raised by about ten foot so you have to climb the defences to see the river. It used to be a lovely leafy quayside shaded by elm trees where you could sit and watch the world go by. You still can but it's not the same. They have tried to make it people friendly but it does stick out like a sore thumb, so we just hope that age will mellow it. The port is still used for exporting china clay from the quarries inland at Meeth, and the very occassional fishing boat. We get some mighty big ships in every week.

In the 35 years that I have lived here the town's population has trebled. There was a building embargo for many years due to a very antiquated sewerage system but since that was lifted the developement has taken off big time. If there is a bit of green anywhere you can be sure it has been earmarked for developement and even little pockets within the town where the odd pony was grazed have all gone. Most of the houses are priced well out of the reach of local wages , and the infrastructure is running fast trying to catch up.

I don't know what Charles Kingsley would make of his Little White Town now. Incidentally he did much of his writing at Northdown Lodge. I have tried in vain to find out where the house was. Perhaps my house has been built on top of it.