West Buckland, Devon
Encyclopedia
West Buckland is a small village located 8 miles (13 km) east-south-east of Barnstaple
in North Devon
, England
. The hamlet
of Elwell lies to its north-east.
Formerly part of the Fortescue Estate, West Buckland is reached by most along a winding, mostly single track, steep hill up from the North Devon Link Road
. The village may be best known for having given its name to the adjacent co-educational independent
West Buckland School
: educators of, amongst others, England cricket
er Harold Gimblett
and British world record triple-jumper
Jonathan Edwards
. Despite taking the name, the school comprising its preparatory school
, three boarding houses and the public school
itself is located on an extensive campus about 1 km east of the village and instead it is the small parish church which draws most visitors from the local area.
Until 2008 the village was served by a small post office
; the post office is now held in the church on two afternoons a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 14.30 - 16.00. West Buckland was one of the first villages in the country to arrange this facility.
The village has an ageing village hall
, a busy garage, which no longer serves petrol and there is no public house.
In September there is a thriving, annual four day Festival, of Music, Art and Entertainment, which includes both international and local performers, a very successful Art and Craft Exhibition and various workshops.
South Molton
is the nearest town.
Beware the school traffic which includes a large fleet of long coaches in and out through the narrow village street twice a day.
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
in North Devon
North Devon
North Devon is the northern part of the English county of Devon. It is also the name of a local government district in Devon. Its council is based in Barnstaple. Other towns and villages in the North Devon District include Braunton, Fremington, Ilfracombe, Instow, South Molton, Lynton and Lynmouth...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Elwell lies to its north-east.
Formerly part of the Fortescue Estate, West Buckland is reached by most along a winding, mostly single track, steep hill up from the North Devon Link Road
A361 road
The A361 is a major road in England and at is the longest 3 digit A road in the UK. It runs south from Ilfracombe on the north Devon coast to Barnstaple, turning south-east to Tiverton then, after a break , north east from Taunton in Somerset through Street and Glastonbury, past Frome and then...
. The village may be best known for having given its name to the adjacent co-educational independent
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
West Buckland School
West Buckland School
West Buckland School is an English public school located on the outskirts of the village of West Buckland on the edge of Exmoor, 9 miles east of Barnstaple, Devon. It comprises a senior school , preparatory school and a nursery...
: educators of, amongst others, England cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er Harold Gimblett
Harold Gimblett
Harold Gimblett was a cricketer who played for Somerset and England. He was known for his fast scoring as an opening batsman and for the much-repeated story of his debut...
and British world record triple-jumper
Triple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards (athlete)
Jonathan David Edwards, CBE, is a former British triple jumper. He is a former Olympic, Commonwealth, European and World champion, and has held the world record in the event since 1995....
. Despite taking the name, the school comprising its preparatory school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
, three boarding houses and the public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
itself is located on an extensive campus about 1 km east of the village and instead it is the small parish church which draws most visitors from the local area.
Until 2008 the village was served by a small post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
; the post office is now held in the church on two afternoons a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 14.30 - 16.00. West Buckland was one of the first villages in the country to arrange this facility.
The village has an ageing village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
, a busy garage, which no longer serves petrol and there is no public house.
In September there is a thriving, annual four day Festival, of Music, Art and Entertainment, which includes both international and local performers, a very successful Art and Craft Exhibition and various workshops.
South Molton
South Molton
"Molton" redirects here. Or see Molten or Moulton.South Molton is a small town in Devon, England. It is part of the North Devon local government district. The town is on the River Mole. According to the 2001 census the civil parish of South Molton had a population of 4,093.The town was one of...
is the nearest town.
Beware the school traffic which includes a large fleet of long coaches in and out through the narrow village street twice a day.