Ahoy! Ilfracombe’s new pirate-themed play area officially opened

A pirate ship has hove into view on Ilfracombe seafront to inspire the next generation of swashbuckling youngsters with a brand new play area.

Eager children and their families have watched the pirate-themed play area take shape near the clapping circle at Capstone and is was officially opened on Wednesday (March 27) by Councillor Julie Hunt in her last engagement as chair of the council.

She was joined by fellow councillors, families and pirate re-enactors from local group Pirates De Marisco as she cut the ribbon to declare the new play area officially open.

The play equipment is suitable for children of up to 12 years of age and the equipment has been designed to be inclusive of a range of physical and mental needs for children.

The pirate ship reflects the town's coastal location and North Devon’s piratical past and was selected to be in keeping with the seafront's Victorian heritage. New planters and benches will also be added around the play area.

The £87,000 play area is the first project delivered of the Ilfracombe Seafront Masterplan, a series of improvements to public facilities and open space in the area. The project will be added to with new public toilets and a bus shelter east of the Victorian Pleasure Grounds later this year.

The pirate ship has been funded by Section 106 open space funds, paid by developers as part of planning applications for new developments, to provide community facilities and infrastructure.

Work on the ship started in February and was completed by Pennine Playgrounds Ltd.

Leader of North Devon Council, Councillor Ian Roome, said: "We have a shared vision for Ilfracombe to improve the public realm.

“We are delighted to be able to deliver this fantastic new play area which can be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike and see the town benefitting from significant S106 funding.

“It is wonderful to have a stimulating space for young people to enjoy in the heart of the town, and even better to see the smiling faces of children already enjoying the equipment. I have no doubt it will become a much-loved space for families in our community.”

Did you know?

North Devon has a rich history of pirates – not to mention wreckers who lured ships to their doom – and Lundy Island, not so far from Ilfracombe, was a base for many sea raiders over the centuries.

In 1235 a rebel down-at-heels nobleman called William de Marisco murdered a king’s messenger and fled to Lundy, where his family turned to piracy.

He was caught and executed but the island continued to be a haven for pirates, raiding the easy picking of trading ships bound for Bristol.

Notorious Barbary pirates also used the island and as late as the 17th century slaving raids were launched from Lundy to carry off the residents of coastal towns on the English or Irish mainlands and take them to the slave markets of the Ottoman Empire.