Ilfracombe on the Royal Wedding Day.

Wedding fever at Ilfracombe.

Ilfracombe Harbour.

Despite it being a public holiday for Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton we opted to take one of only three buses available running a Sunday service into Ilfracombe. We decided that there would be reruns of the wedding played on TV later today. It wasn’t actually that far from the camp but just a bit too far to walk. The day started off overcast and windy but it did improve slightly during the day.

They must have been little people in the 14th Century.

Obviously a lot of people were at home glued to their TV’s for the wedding because the town was deserted until after lunch when the crowds started to arrive. We started at the quay side and slowly worked our way around the coastline.

The Little Chapel on the hill. There has always been a lighthouse there since the Middle Ages. Henry VIII closed the Chapel in 1540.

We climbed the hill to the Little Chapel which dates back to 1321. Originally built for seafarer's to come and worship, it had always been a signal light for seamen to locate the harbour. In 1540 King Henry VIII closed it down as he did all over the country but the lighthouse was retained. Between 1835 and 1871 a John Davey was the lighthouse keeper where he raised his family of 14 children. The Chapel had  a chequered career as a reading room and a laundry where several of John’s daughters worked.

Inside the Little Chapel. Reminds me of the ‘Church of the Good Shepherd’ in Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

After John left it was left to the elements despite it still being a lighthouse until 1962 when the Rotarians restored it and opened it to the public The building had no services when John lived there and everything had to be carried in. It was barely a two up two down sort of building and very small for all the Davey family. These days the lighthouse is fully automatic.

Looking into the lighthouse of the Little Chapel on the Hill. A Signal has operated from here since the middle ages.

The beaches around Ilfracombe were mainly small and only one was what you could call sandy. The others were fairly coarse.  The old historic Victorian Tunnel Beaches and Bath House were set up as therapeutic remedies for what ever ailed you. Originally three beaches which were refreshed at every high tide, were accessed by 4 tunnels which were created by Welsh Miners.

Not a canal tunnel this time. Dug by Welsh miners in 1823 to Crewkhorne Cove

The tunnels were very similar to canal tunnels where you can see the chisel mark’s in the rock where they drilled holes and blasted  the rock away. Two beaches were segregated for male and female only and the ladies had the use of bathing huts where they changed in the huts and were then wheeled down to the waters edge out of the view of others. Water was heated and pumped up to the Bath House where the local’s took advantage of being able to have hot baths.

Smooth worn rocks in Crewkhorne Cove.

You need to be careful around these clifftops.

The Landmark theatre reminded us of the Beehive Parliamentary building in Wellington but in duplicate. Who ever designed it couldn’t have had much imagination. We had a good wander through town picking up some souvenir’s and flavoured fudge before heading back to the rather derelict bus station for the bus back to camp.

Not a nuclear power station but a theatre at Ilfracombe.

The oldest street in Ilfracombe.