Barnstaple
Sign in to saveAlso known as Barnstaple, Devon
Barnstaple ( or ) is a 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.
Key facts
- UK place.static_image_name
- Barnstaple (Devon, UK), Clock Tower -- 2013 -- 0986.jpg
- UK place.static_image_width
- 240
- UK place.static_image_caption
- Barnstaple Clock Tower
- UK place.static_image_2_name
- Coat of arms of Barnstaple Town Council.svg
- UK place.static_image_2_caption
- Coat of arms
- UK place.static_image_2_width
- 80px
- UK place.country
- England
- UK place.official_name
- Barnstaple
- UK place.population_ref
- 23,976 (Parish, 2021)
- UK place.civil_parish
- Barnstaple
- UK place.shire_district
- North Devon
- UK place.shire_county
- Devon
- UK place.region
- South West England
- UK place.post_town
- BARNSTAPLE
- UK place.postcode_district
- EX31, EX32
- UK place.postcode_area
- EX
- UK place.dial_code
- 01271
- UK place.os_grid_reference
- SS5633
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Population
- 24033
- Area
- 8.69
- Image
- Barnstaple Long Bridge and surrounding buildings - geograph.org.uk - 1754403.jpg
- Dialing code
- 01271
Show 4 more facts
- Commons category
- Barnstaple
- postal code
- EX32
- OS grid reference
- SS5633
- name
- Barumensis
via Wikidata · CC0
~29 min read
Article
26 sectionsContents
- Toponymy
- History
- Governance
- Administrative history
- Parliamentary status
- Geography
- Climate
- Demography
- Economy
- Twin towns and sister cities
- Landmarks
- Barnstaple Castle
- St Anne's Chapel
- Pannier Market and Butchers' Row
- Others
- Transport
- Railway
- Education
- Religious sites
- Media
- Sport
- Notable people
- Explanatory notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Barnstaple ( or ) is a 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.
Gallery (30)
On the map
3 mapped locations