Bideford lies on the estuary of the River Torridge.

The River Torridge is spanned at Bideford by the 13th century Long Bridge, which has 24 arches all of different sizes.

In the 16th century Bideford was Britain's third largest port. Today the narrow town centre streets lead down to a tree-lined quay, which bustles with fishing vessels, cargo and pleasure boats. Clay is the principal export loaded onto boats at Bideford. The quay was refurbished, with completion in 2006, to provide flood defence and also to incorporate large fountains and modern public toilets.

Bideford was home to the author Charles Kingsley, and is where he based his novel Westward Ho!. A small seaside town, named after the book, was built after the book's publication. Westward Ho!, which is the only town in the United Kingdom that officially contains an exclamation mark in its name, is approximately 5 kilometres (3 miles) from Bideford. A statue has been erected in honour of Charles Kingsley by the town park's car park.

Key Stats

• The population for the market town area has risen by over 21% since 1991, and by over a quarter in Northam. This is a faster rate of growth than in the district and county. The population is around 15,700.
• Levels of single person occupancy are higher in the urban areas than in the remaining rural parishes. Overall levels are similar to those across North Devon, Torridge and the county.
• Economic activity rates across the market town area fairly consistent although they are slightly lower in Northam. The rate of self-employment in the surrounding rural area is twice that of the centre.
• The proportion of households with an annual income of less than £20,000 is broadly similar to the district and county averages in all areas except Bideford, where over half the households fall into this category.
• The rates of employment by industry are similar to district, county and national averages although there are a higher proportion of people working in manufacturing.
• The rate of children achieving five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C is higher in the remaining parishes. Levels are consistent for children achieving five or more GCSEs at grade A* to G.
• Overall levels of qualification within the market town area are broadly similar to the district, county and national averages. Bideford has the highest proportion of people with no qualifications and conversely the lowest proportion of those with the highest level of qualification.
• Select here for more statistics about Bideford and Northam and surrounding area. (865KB - pdf help)