Maritime Exhibition at Barnstaple Guildhall is great success

The first ever Maritime Exhibition at Barnstaple’s Guildhall proved a great success. The event ran for three days towards the end of August and hundreds of locals and tourists took the chance to see it.

Working in collaboration with a number of local museums, the exhibition was organised by the Heritage sector of Barnstaple Town Council and featured historical accounts and artefacts dating back many centuries and covering a wide range of topics.

Broadening its portfolio to include the wider North Devon area, the exhibition included articles on ship building, military history, trade, immigration and emigration, smuggling and privateering. Some notable figures from North Devon’s maritime past were included, such as Annie Lord, often referred to as North Devon’s Grace Darling, who saved two holiday makers from drowning in Lynmouth in 1871.

Also featured was Thomas Benson known as the Pirate Lord of Lundy, plus the Delbridge’s and Dodderidge’s who were wealthy merchants from the 16th and 17th centuries. Richard Dodderidge, a former Mayor of Barnstaple, owned the Prudence, a ship which brought in £2.7 million of gold in today’s money into Barnstaple’s port, as profits from his privateering.

Barnstaple Town Council’s Heritage manager Lucy Scarrott said: “This was a first for us at the council and it was good to see so many people coming through the doors of the Guildhall each day. Many were fascinated by our local maritime history, some even added to our knowledge, bringing in photographs and artefacts of bygone times. I’d like to thank everyone who helped put the exhibition together, it was a real success, and such a positive use of the Guildhall.”

The council hope to run similar events in the future and are currently planning to revamp the Guildhall both internally and externally, so it can remain one of the town’s prize assets.