Barnstaple is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, but its harbour silted up and other trades developed such as shipbuilding, foundries and sawmills. A Victorian market building survives, with a high glass and timber roof on iron columns. The parish population was 24,033 at the 2011 census, and that of the built-up area 32,411 in 2018. The town area with nearby settlements such as Bishop's Tawton, Fremington and Landkey, had a 2020 population of 46,619.
BBC Radio Devon is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Devon.
The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway (L&B) opened as an independent railway in May 1898. It was a single track, 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in narrow gauge railway and was slightly over 19 miles (31 km) long running through the rugged and picturesque area bordering Exmoor in North Devon, England. Although opened after the 1896 Light Railways Act came into force, it was authorised and constructed prior to that act. Therefore, as with all other railways, it was authorised under its own Act of Parliament and built to higher standards than similar railways of the time. In the United Kingdom it was notable as being the only narrow gauge line required to use main-line standard signalling. For a short period the line earned a modest return for shareholders, but for most of its life the L&B made a loss. In 1923 the L&B was taken over by the Southern Railway, and eventually closed in September 1935.
David Martin Vine was an English television sports presenter. He presented a wide variety of shows from the 1960s onwards, most notably his coverage of major snooker tournaments for the BBC.
Lena Sofia Alexandra Arvidsson is a retired Swedish tennis player and currently a professional padel player. In her career, she won two singles titles and one doubles title on the WTA Tour, as well as 20 singles and 13 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. On 1 May 2006, she reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 29. On 12 September 2011, she peaked at No. 67 in the WTA doubles rankings. Over her career, Arvidsson defeated top-ten players Marion Bartoli, Anna Chakvetadze, Jelena Janković, Petra Kvitová, Sam Stosur, and Caroline Wozniacki.
The Chumhill railway accident occurred 26 February 1913 in England, killing two. The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway maintained an exemplary safety record throughout its short existence, from 1898 to 1935, and no passengers or members of the public were ever killed or injured.
The Ilfracombe branch of the London & South Western Railway (LSWR), ran between Barnstaple and Ilfracombe in North Devon. The branch opened as a single-track line in 1874, but was sufficiently popular that it needed to be upgraded to double-track in 1889.
Anne Viensouk Keothavong is a retired British tennis player. During her career, she won a total of 28 titles on the ITF Women's Circuit, and reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 48. She also reached the semifinals of six WTA International tournaments, and the semifinals of one Premier tournament. Anne was British No. 1 and in 2009 became the first British player to make the WTA top 50 since 1993. In April 2001, aged 17, she became, until Katie Swan in 2016, the youngest player ever to play in the Fed Cup for the British team, and she is second to Virginia Wade's record for most Fed Cup ties played for the Great Britain with 39.
Johanna Larsson is a Swedish former tennis player. She won two singles and 14 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as 13 singles and 17 doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. Her career-high WTA rankings are No. 45 in singles, achieved in September 2016, and No. 20 in doubles, set on 30 October 2017.
Katie Jill O'Brien is a British former professional tennis player from Beverley, Yorkshire. She was briefly the British No. 1 tennis player, and reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 84 on 1 February 2010. She won four singles and two doubles titles on the ITF Circuit.
Evgeniya Sergeyevna Rodina is an inactive Russian tennis player. On 6 May 2019, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of 67.
Anna Smith is an inactive British tennis player.
The Barnstaple Yeo, also known as the River Yeo, is a tributary of the River Taw, which enters the Taw at Barnstaple in Devon, England. It is one of several rivers of the same name, including another tributary of the Taw, the Lapford Yeo.
The ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, previously known as the ITF Women's Circuit, is a series of professional tennis tournaments run by the International Tennis Federation for female professional tennis players.
Annika Beck is a German former professional tennis player. She started playing tennis at the age of four when introduced to the game by her parents. A baseliner whose favorite shot is forehand, and favorite surface is hardcourt. She was coached by Jakub Záhlava and Sebastian Sachs.
The 2011 Aegon GB Pro-Series Barnstaple was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the fourth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 ITF Women's Circuit. It took place in Barnstaple, Great Britain between 23 and 29 October 2011.
Thomas de Hertford was Archdeacon of Barnstaple until 1271 and also Archdeacon of Totnes from 1270 to 1275.
Robert Rygge was an English medieval churchman, college fellow, and university Chancellor, and archdeacon of Barnstaple in Devon.
The 2012 Aegon GB Pro-Series Barnstaple was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the fifth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2012 ITF Women's Circuit. It took place in Barnstaple, England, on 29 October–4 November 2012.
The 2013 Aegon GB Pro-Series Barnstaple was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the sixth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2013 ITF Women's Circuit, offering a total of $75,000 in prize money. It took place in Barnstaple, United Kingdom, on 28 October–3 November 2013.
