The North Devon town of Barnstaple has a claim to being the oldest borough in England. Its location on the River Taw, from which shipping could reach the Bristol Channel, enabled it to grow as a major port in the south-west of England in the Middle Ages. The wool trade brought prosperity to Barnstaple and the town that grew up around the port has a recognisable layout from this period. Although the wool trade had declined by the eighteenth century, the town developed other industries, and the surviving nineteenth-century market building is evidence of the continuing importance of Barnstaple to the surrounding area. In this book local authors Denise Holton and Elizabeth J. Hammett take the reader on a fascinating A-Z tour of the town's history and the surrounding area, telling the story of its buildings, places and people along the way. Fully illustrated with photographs from the past and present, A-Z of Barnstaple will appeal to all those with an interest in this North Devon town.
