Coordinates: 51°02′20″N 4°14′46″W / 51.039°N 4.246°W
| Westward Ho! | |
  Westward Ho!
Westward Ho! shown within Devon |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| District | Torridge |
| Shire county | Devon |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BIDEFORD |
| Postcode district | EX39 |
| Dialling code | 01237 |
| Police | Devon and Cornwall |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Torridge and West Devon |
| List of places: UK • England • Devon | |
Westward Ho! is a seaside village near Bideford in Devon, England. The A39 road provides access from the towns of Barnstaple, Bideford and Bude. It lies at the south end of Northam Burrows and faces westward into Bideford Bay, opposite Saunton Sands and Braunton Burrows.
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Name
The village name comes from the title of Charles Kingsley's novel Westward Ho! (1855). The exclamation mark is therefore an intentional part of the village's name. It is the only such place name in the British Isles, although Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Quebec, shares the distinction of having an exclamation mark in its name.
Development
Development of the village began ten years after the 1855 Kingsley novel was published, in order to satisfy the Victorian's passion for seaside vacations.[1]
Shell middens and a submerged forest that date to the Mesolithic period have been excavated on the shoreline at Westward Ho![2]
The village has become more residential as holiday camps closed and houses and flats were erected. One former camp was Torville Camp. The two major holiday camps still running are Surfbay Holiday Park and Braddick's Holiday Centre.
Geography
Westward Ho! is known for its surfing seas and the long expanse of clean sand backed by a pebble ridge and grasslands which extends for about three miles. It has two churches, Westward Ho! Baptist Church and Holy Trinity Church.
The seaward part of the village lies within the North Devon Coast, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Geology
The rocks on the coastline of Westward Ho! are of Upper Carboniferous age. The rocks were tilted during the Variscan Orogeny, in the present day they dip at 50-70 degrees north and south. The wave-cut platform is an example of a multi-scale fault system, with the phases of tectonic activity exposed at low tide.
Transport
A railway served Westward Ho! from 1901 to 1917. The Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway was a standard gauge railway which ran between these places, but had no connection with the rest of the railway system, however there was (and still is during the summer months) a ferry link from Appledore to Instow which was connected to the rest of the rail network of Britain. The trackbed is used as part of the South West Coast Path.
The town is served by First Devon and Cornwall bus service 1, which runs between Westward Ho! and Barnstaple.
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Sports
It is also known for the Royal North Devon Golf Club, the oldest golf course in England and Wales. Other attractions of the village include the arcades, a go-kart track and the Rock Pool a tidal lido.
World War II
Adapted Bailey Bridges were tested at Westward Ho! as part of the Mulberry Harbour project.[3]
Notable residents
Rudyard Kipling spent several of his childhood years at Westward Ho!, where he attended the United Services College (later absorbed by Haileybury College, which is now in Hertfordshire).
Twin towns
Westward Ho! is twinned with Mondeville in France, and Büddenstedt in Germany.
See also
References
- ^ Kingsley, Charles (1855), Westward ho!, or, The voyages and adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh : knight, of Burrough, in the county of Devon, in the reign of Her Most Glorious Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Library of English literature, LEL 21079-80., Macmillan, OCLC 8813367
- ^ Smith, P. et al. (1983), "The investigation of a medieval shell midden in Braunton Burrows", Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Exploration Society (Devon Archaeological Exploration Society) 41, OCLC 220919032
- ^ J.Evans, R.Walter, E.Palmer, 'A Harbour Goes To War: The Story Of Mulberry And The Men Who Made It Happen'. Publisher - South Machars Historical Society (2000), ISBN 1-873547-30-7. p. 37.
External links
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