Berrynarbor


Berrynarbor is a village, civil parish, former manor and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 749, increasing to 802 at the 2011 census. The village is located on the north coast of the county to the north of Exmoor, about three miles east of Ilfracombe. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the east by the parishes of Combe Martin, Kentisbury, East Down, Marwood, Bittadon, and Ilfracombe. Berrynarbor has within its purview to all sides a mixture of dense woodlands and farms and lies within the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Description

The village contains a small school, Berrynarbor VC Primary School which is voluntary controlled, and a voluntary controlled and run village shop. Other shops in the village's area are on the Mill Park camp-site and, during the summer, on Watermouth Valley Camping Park, which is on the scenic walk to Watermouth Harbour. There are two pubs: Ye Olde Globe which is a character village pub, and The Sawmill Inn which is on the outskirts of the village. There are guest houses and tearooms, along with the St Peter's Church in the main village square and Watermouth Castle.
St Peter's Church has a 15th-century tower, a 17th-century lychgate and a Norman font. The church tenor bell was recently restored through donations from the village and can now be heard every Sunday morning during the church service.
Berrynarbor has won many awards including Best Kept Village and Britain in Bloom. The community shop which opened in 2008 won the 2008 Countryside Alliance Award for the best village shop/post office in the South West of England. Every year the village hosts a show which involves some of the locals and primary school children. In July the school hosts a fete in the Manor hall and park. This helps raise money for various charities.

History

The Berrie family were lords of the manor of "Berrie Nerbert" in the 17th century, as the inscriptions on the two tablets under the Berrie mural monument witness. The manor later came into the possession of the Bassett family, previously seated at Heanton Punchardon, which in the 19th century built Watermouth Castle within the manor, for their principal residence.

Historic estates

The parish contains the following historic estates:
;Lee
;Hagginton Hill and Goosewell
;Steridge
;Watermouth
;Bowden