See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Brunswick Wharf is one of four former wharves north of the bridge at East-the-Water and may have been in existence since at least the 16th century. It is marked on mid 18th century plan. It was the last working shipyard in Bideford and played a key role in the development of the Fisherman's Mission which was set up in the late 19th century. The last boat was launched from the yard in 1886. It was bought by a builder's merchant in 1887. The surviving buildings reflect the functional character and evolution of uses in the area.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS42NE/213

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• SHIPYARD (XVI to XIX - 1501 AD to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1855-1895, First Edition 1:500 Town Map (Cartographic). SDV338879.

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

"Shipbuilding Yard" shown.

Rogers, I., 1947, Ships and Shipyards of Bideford 1568 to 1938 (Monograph). SDV342508.

In the mid 16th century Leland mentioned shipyards lying at Bideford East-The-Water, near the bridge.

Timms, S. C., 1976, The Devon Urban Survey, 1976. First Draft, 96 (Report - Survey). SDV341346.

Grant, A. + Christie, P., 1987, Untitled Source, 40 (Monograph). SDV339388.

Pye, A. R. + Simpson, S. J., 1991, Bideford Waterfront NRA Tidal Defence Scheme: Historical Survey and Part 1 Archaeological Survey, 3-4, Figs. 3, 4, 6 (Report - Survey). SDV15240.

Shipyard marked on the mid 18th century plan, downstream of the bridge. Still existed in 1844 when it was owned by the Lord of the Manor of Bideford. Closed in 1886, though still labelled as a shipyard on the 1889 Ordnance Survey map.

Rance, C., 1994, Archaeological Assessment of NRA Bideford Tidal Defence Scheme Part 3: East the Water, 3 (Report - Assessment). SDV16334.

It is possible that shipyards in some form may have existed here since the construction of the bridge in the 13th century.

Rushton, N., 2006, River Torridge Pipeline, Bideford, Devon: Rapid Archaeological Appraisal, 7, 13; site WA 46 (Report - Interim). SDV342463.

Historic England, 2018, Brunswick Wharf and buildings. Land adjacent to Bideford Long Bridge and opposite the Royal Hotel, Barnstaple Street, East the Water, Bideford, EX39 4AE (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV361944.

Notification that having taken into account all the representations made and completed their assessment of the site, it has been decided not to add the wharf to the List of Buildings of Special Architectural of Historic Interest. Brunswick Wharf is one of four former wharves north of the bridge at East-the-Water, the others being Queen’s, Clarence, and Steamer. This assessment covers only Brunswick Wharf and its three standing buildings, although it is accessed from the gateway to Queen’s Wharf.
The southern building is known to have been in place in the 1840s when it was probably used for storage for the shipyard, until it was altered in the late-C19 when it became a builders’ merchant. The alterations included the infilling of the ground floor arches, and the construction of flat-topped pediments on the east and west elevations. In the mid-C20 the first floor was converted into offices with all finishes and fixtures dating to that period. The ground floor space at the western end was used as a small museum and the ‘historic’ look of the flooring and other aspects are modern additions.
A structure was located in the position of the eastern building by 1904, and its appearance was much as today in the 1930s, as shown on aerial photographs. However, it is constructed principally of late-C20 materials, probably replacements for earlier materials, particularly to the walls and roof, and the loading hatches have been enlarged. Architecturally it is a conventional dock-side loading building and does not display any technological innovation.
The office or house on the eastern side of the wharf adjacent to the entrance gates and fronting Barnstaple Street probably dates to the 1880s. It is of a modest and functional design with lesser-quality bricks being used on the non-public elevations. It displays some architectural interest in its timber-mullioned windows, arched doorway and swept eaves, but overall does not have the special interest required for a building of its type and age to be added to the List.
The riverside walls to the wharf were rebuilt in the 1880s, and do not display any technological innovation or evidence of providing for larger ships, mainly because by the date of their rebuilding the wharf was no longer used for shipbuilding. The gate piers to Queen’s Wharf have value in their demarcation of the location of that wharf, but this is only of local interest.
References to the historic interest of the development of the wharves at East-the-Water are rather confused, and there is little physical evidence of its C15 origins. The construction of many ships (including in the early years of the Fisherman’s Mission) at Brunswick Wharf shipyard in the late C19 are noteworthy but of no more than local interest.
Overall, within the national context, Brunswick Wharf does not meet the criteria for designation due to alterations to the surviving buildings and their modest architectural character. However, the wharf area at East-the-Water undoubtedly has a rich history dating back to the C15, and the buildings at Brunswick Wharf reflect the functional character and evolution of uses in the area, and as such justify their inclusion as a positive contribution to the conservation area.
Although of considerable local interest, as reflected by their inclusion in the local conservation area, the buildings and structures which comprise Brunswick Wharves both individually and collectively lack the considerable architectural and historic special interest necessary for listing buildings and structures of their date.
It is not recommended for listing for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* alterations to the fabric of and changes of use to the southern building have eroded the architectural character and early-C19 fabric of the building;
* replacement walling and roofing materials to the eastern building have resulted in the loss of early-C20 historic fabric;
* the office/house on Barnstaple Street is conventional and does not display the interest required for a building of its type and date.
Historic interest:
* the construction of ships and the yard’s connection to the establishment of the Fisherman’s Mission is only of local interest.
Loss of group value:
* the loss of all other structures along this wharf side has restricted the interest of Brunswick Wharf as part of a group;
* the architectural and historic interest of the wharf is not sufficient to justify group value with the nearby listed buildings.

Historic England, 2018, Brunswick Wharf, Brunswick Wharf and buildings. Land adjacent to Bideford Long Bridge and opposite the Royal Hotel, Barnstaple Street, East the Water, Bideford, EX39 4AE. (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV361439.

Notification that Historic England has completed the initial assessment of Brunswick Wharf and buildings to consider whether it has special architectural or historic interest.

Bideford developed from a small Saxon manor into a planned medieval borough comprising several parts, including the suburb of East-the-Water connected to the town by a 13th century bridge across the River Torridge. Undoubtedly there was an earlier river crossing point here. A shipping industry was in place by the 13th century focused on the west side of the Torridge. East-the-Water was first documented in the late 15th century and, as noted by John Leland in 1542, it was an active shipbuilding area. Much of the land on both sides of the river was owned by the Grenville family, who established the Town Quay in Bideford in the late 16th century.

It is thought that the first quay at East-the-Water was located to the north of the bridge, and was simply known as ‘The Key’. The lack of a need to discern it from other quays suggests that this was the earliest and part of the Grenville’s Manor lands. In 1619 a further quay adjoining ‘the Long Bridge’ was known as Mr Doubty’s Key. These two quays were improved and extended in 1716 to 1717 and are thought to be the location of the Brunswick Wharf site. In 1758 ownership of the Manor passed to John Cleveland, who extended the East-the-Water quays to support the prosperous, but declining, Newfoundland salt-cod industry. Although no structures are shown on the 1839 Tithe map, Wood’s plan of 1842 shows structures in place, and by 1888 the Ordnance Survey town map names Clarence, Steamer and Queen’s wharves to the north of a shipbuilding yard in the location of Brunswick Wharf.

In the early C19 an established shipbuilding yard at the site of Brunswick Wharf, was bought by Robert Johnson. The first trawler for Bideford Deep Sea Fishery Company was built here in1866. The yard was taken over by Henry Restarick in 1877, when it was the last working shipyard in Bideford, and he continued to specialise in building deep-sea vessels. The shipyard also played a role in the early development of the Fisherman’s Mission, set up in the late C19 by Ebenezer Mather. Three of the first mission ships were built at Restarick’s yard.

In 1881 the Manor lands, excluding Restarick’s shipyard, were sold to the Borough of Bideford. In 1886 the last boat was launched from the yard, and in 1887 the yard was purchased by I Baker & Son, a builders’ merchant. Under their ownership a new river wall was built and the yard became known as Brunswick Wharf.

The wharf is the most southerly of the wharves at East-the-Water, and in the 1880s comprised two structures on the east and south boundaries, enclosed on the north side by the structures at Queen’s Wharf. A photograph from this period shows that the southern two-storey building at right angles to the river had an open undercroft with wide arches, a shallow hipped roof and small openings to the first floor. This building survives, and photographs from the early C20 show that it was altered to include loading doors on the first floor above the distinctive wide archways, filled with partly-glazed doors. Other alterations during the Baker’s time included a pediments added to the east and west elevations.

The Bideford-registered trading schooner ‘Kathleen & May’ was restored here after the end of her working life in 1961. Moored at the former Resterick’s Yard, she became a tourist attraction and Baker’s building converted to a small museum. Following the closure of the museum the site has been vacant and all buildings, except for the east and south buildings at Brunswick Wharf, demolished.

Historic England, 2018, Brunswick Wharves and Buildings, Barnstaple Street, East-the-Water, Bideford, EX39 4AE (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV361185.

Notification of an application to add the above structures to the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV4517 - Archaeological Appraisal of River Torridge Pipeline Routes, Bideford, Devon

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.